Trousers

I know it has been ages since I posted last. We went on vacation and after that, I lost my desire to sew. I have been knitting and completed a short sleeved cardi that I'll post pictures about later. I'd like to talk about my pants. I hired a friend of mine to draft a trouser pattern for me. Here are the muslins from the trousers.

I am very pleased with the way the back fits. They are way better than any commercial pattern I have ever found. Good job, Sue!


Not so happy with the front here. I think it is very possible it was a different time of day or month when Sue measured me at first, so I am shaped a little differently. I'd prefer a lower waist, and I would like the pants to fit closer on the upper leg and then start flaring at the knee. I learned when I was measured that much of my leg length is in my lower leg. This is good to know when I am altering the big 4 patterns. I don't think I have enough space to accommodate my full front thigh. (I like to think of it as muscle! hee hee)



From the trouser foundation, I drafted a 'slack foundation.' It has a higher crotch and fits tighter in general. These pictures are without any alterations.



I added to both the front and back crotch extensions (this gave me more front thigh room) and raised the front crotch slightly, since I have a high front crotch and a low seat. I changed the leg so that it flares from the knee. I chose a fluid black fabric for my trial garment.

I feel like my alterations went really well! These are the best fitting pants that I have ever generated. The fabric is scratchy, so I'll need to line them. Next, I need to draft a waistband and figure out what style of pocket.



There are a few wrinkles because this fabric has a little more give to it than the muslin, so I'll fix that by taking the darts and seams in. I'll probably only make one pair of pants with this pattern so I can check to be sure that the fit is wearable and comfortable!



This is the first time I have been careful enough to draft and trace an entirely new pattern with each iteration of the pants. With the muslins, I marked the center front, back, hip, crotch, and knee lines. I also marked the seam lines. I had never done this before and found that it helped tremendously. I am on my way!!!! Thanks, Sue!

Edited to add more pics of the crotch curve.

This is the slack draft that I cut the black pants out of. The fold was my way of preserving the original waistline. I wanted to cut them lower, so I folded the top part down.


Here is the original draft for the trouser foundation.