We went through several fit iterations, and in the last version we made two tweaks that I think are actually working against me in the finished pant. The first was that we took the darts in a little bit, and the second was that we raised up the back a bit. Just under the waistband, there is a simdge of fabric curling up. I think it's because they're a little snug, and a little too long, especially in the back. So a reason to make another pair to perfect it!
Wool is itchy, so I decided to fully line these. I used rayon bemberg, yet again. It's just so soft and light! I haven't done a fly front with a lining before, so I looked it up on "Threads" and found a good article in #158. It seems a bit odd, so I'm still not sure I've done it right. It's functional, though. The idea is that you hand stitch down the lining to the underlap, and as you near the end of the zipper, you leave a little gap and then handstitch the lining to the overlap.
Oh, pants. What's funny is that on the first pair of pants I sewed (that didn't contain an elastic waist at least), I thought, "Pants aren't hard! People are nutty. These are good, maybe just a few tweaks." Well, I have to admit that those few tweaks have been hard! This pair is a big step forward, though, and I really enjoy the bright red fabric. If you've got any suggestions for me on the fit, fire away!
well look at you! wiggeled right outta that dress into a beautiful pair of red pants! whatever you think need tweeking they look great!
ReplyDeleteHelen
Indeed I did! Thanks, Helen!
DeleteI thought that on my first pair of pants, too! Then as I learned what proper fit actually is... the pants drama ensued. Right now I'm pretty much just making 30s-40s, baggy fit pants to avoid much of the fitting mess!
ReplyDeleteThere's something to that! We discovered that part of the problem I was having with pants was because I was making the leg so fitted. I have one leg that's a little bigger than the other at the top, and it when I did a more slim fit, it caused pulling on one leg. If you like the style, then why not?!
DeleteThey look fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sarah!
DeleteThese look great - very festive!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Heather!
DeleteI love wool pants! So much so that I listed them on my blog in a recent post of my 5 Favorite things. I would absolutely love a red pair. These look great on you and so perfect for the season. I've not sewn pants before, but have heard all about fitting issues. As far as the crotch, what other shapes are there? Don't we all have J shaped crutches? Now I want to know what shape my crotch is. Oh this is weird. Great pants and post, I'm enjoying reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteShe Knits in Pearls
Very nice! You are making great advances in your sewing. I enjoy reading your blog and always find it interesting. But like Cherry, I also wonder how many shapes are there? I have no idea what shape mine is, other than hard to fit, lol. I'm too intimidated to try making pants just yet.
DeleteHahah, it does seem silly, doesn't it? The funny things you learn when you sew. I also discovered that I have one leg that is 1/4" bigger than the other at the top thigh, and I never knew that until I tried to fit pants, too.
DeleteTo answer your question about the curve- as I understand it, it's a matter of how much curve each person has, or how scooped the J is. The way you can spot it is you'll get excess fabric at the front of the crotch, sort of like a reverse camel toe. Fashion Incubator has a two-part series that explains it, and she talks about "wad" here: http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/anatomy_of_a_camel_toe_pt2/
Fit for Real People also has a "Pants for Real People" where you can see a little better some of the things you might see depending on shape.
These are great on you! Love the red wool and that you've lined them. Many thumbs up to you from your fellow sister in lately-pants-fitting. ;) Ironing out the small tweaks is often harder than the big obvious things!
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, I used tin foil to try and do a similar shape of my crotch curve (oh the things we talk about on sewing blogs), but I couldn't really figure out an easy way to translate it to the pattern, especially as it seemed SO different I couldn't possibly see how the resulting shape would actually help anything. Maybe I'll take a stab at it in the future with a flexible ruler (and researching more about it).
Whoa, tin foil! That's so clever! I will say, when we did the flexible ruler thing, the pattern at first looked completely wrong. Turns out, it was closer than we expected!
DeleteCation Designs has a great post about pants fitting on her blog. Fitting pants (and taking photos of them in progress) seems to be all I do now, and if I have to look at one more photo of...(go ahead, say it) MY BOOTY I may go blind. But it is so tempting to make one more pair because the fit is soooo close to perfect (a point that wriggles away the closer I get).
ReplyDeleteI did finally figure out my crotch shape (which is where to start fitting your pants, not the waist or the hip) by making U shaped newspaper templates to step into. Got to be a better way, flexible ruler de-flexes on the way off. Wire coathanger?
On jeans version 5.5.....with one hip 1/8" higher than the other. Stuff I did not know about myself.
Oh, a fellow pants fitter! The wire coathanger would be a good idea. I couldn't justify buying one of those flexible rulers, either, so I was glad Austin School of Fashion Design had one. I figure you really only need it once, right?
DeleteThese are lovely, your persistence is working nicely ;) All the pant styles will be yours!!! ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Getting there!
DeleteI'm so glad you posted this! I just made a lined Moss skirt and was struggling with how to handle the lining (I also used Bemberg rayon) in the fly area. I wound up doing essentially the same thing as you, only I made a little cut-out at the bottom... and wound up cutting a little too much. You can check out what I did here: http://wp.me/p216YU-R4
ReplyDeleteI'll have to look up that Threads article. Thanks so much for the tip!
Yeah, that looks similar! I hope the Threads article helps. I always get so excited when I can find something on Threads!
DeleteNice work. Makes you never want or need to shop for pants! I don't know who your tailoring teacher is but you've got a pretty good fit in those pants. I would only try taking in those side seams by 1/8" at a time, to see if you like a closer fit.
ReplyDeleteFitting pants is the holy grail for us home sewers. I've tried every trick and method out there. I've tried for years and finally come up with something I like. Taking pants fitting with Sarah Veblen online on PatternReview.com finally got me something I can really live with. You can take the course any time, and you get a couple of fitting go-rounds with Sarah via email. After that, you can work with her privately (also by email). She also sells a PDF of a quick fitting guide for pants, and bodices on her Web site, sarahveblen.com.
Oh, and the leg pulling thing? That was always one of my hang ups with pants. I needed more room over my boo-tay. Let out the back, inner leg seam allowance ONLY. From where it intersects at the crotch, sew it at 1/8-1/4" for 4-5", down, blending back to your original seam allowance. Another way of expressing this is, you need room in the back crotch hook.
Thank you for the tip on the leg pulling!!! I will give that a try on another muslin when I feel like getting tangoing with pants again. I'll have to check out Sarah Veblen, too.
DeleteI confess I still think about those pants you had on PR Weekend and how amazing they were on you. Those were some darn good pants. I wonder if some of my problem is I might like a different style on me better, so I'm struggling with the fit while also the overall style of the pant.