I have mentioned on several occasions that I can never get trousers to fit me, so I gave the problem to Sarah at Workspace FADS and we set about remedying the situation.
Here is a closeup of the finished product (no rude remarks about the letter A being strategically placed, it’s been mentioned, it was an accident, ok?).
To give you a comparison, here is a photo pre adjustments. There is a fair bit of excess fabric hanging around.
and an unattractive side view
Pinning out the excess fabric was an interesting activity and I could see why I’d never been able to successfully fit a pair of trousers to myself before
I am really happy with the result. Don’t judge the fabric I’ve chosen for my first pair, I used some fairly ugly stuff out of my stash, which I swore would never been seen in public, but they are so comfortable that I’ve worn them twice in public!
By sorting out the back we also fixed any front issues. I no longer have smiley wrinkles at the front of my trousers. We made a shaped waistband, but it needs a smidgen more shaping.
These are very simple, straight legged trousers. They have a side zip and a button closure. I am already planning a couple more using wool. I now have a pattern block so I am going to have another go at getting jeans to fit me properly.
In a nutshell: Self-drafted (with a lot of help from Sarah) pattern using Winifred Aldrich’s book “Metric Pattern Cutting for Women’s Wear” for the fitting instructions. Fabric is some sort of weird fibre. I thought it might be polyester but a burn test showed that it is a natural fibre but it feels quite suede like. I’m also wearing the blue Nettie bodysuit, which I wouldn’t normally wear without a covering garment, the Dr Who scarf, pattern and yarn from Dairing, Melbourne, and Django and Juliette shoes.
These are such a fabulous fit. Love the ‘A!’ It has definitely been worth all your hard work getting the pants block just right.
Thanks Megan!
This is great, Sue! The fit is very good. Well done!
Thank you!
The fit looks great. I like the drape of the fabric. Maybe it’s rayon? I have to be careful what fabric I make wearable muslins out of too – it either has to be fabric that is so awful I throw it out when I’m done or something I wouldn’t be embarrassed to wear in public. Those “I’ll just wear it around the house” clothes are dangerous! I’m not saying you shouldn’t wear those trousers out of the house though 🙂
LOL. You are so right Leila!
I hope I get such a nice fit when I finally sew up some for myself. I have sworn off buying clothes – going to sew everything I need if I can, now I need trousers! 😞
I haven’t bought clothes for more than two years, Linda, and I love it.
What a beautiful fit and I like the fabric, it looks drapey and arty. Fitted trousers are on my wish list. I can see how having someone help with fitting is important.
Yes a friend or expert is really handy. I did try it myself but missed bits. Thank you for the nice comment!
Beautifully fitting trousers Sue. Well worth all the effort. I had to laugh when I saw the “A” so appropriately placed.
Thank you Jean. I might revisit all my StyleArc patterns with this as my block.
Fantastic fit and agree this is why it us virtually impossible for us fit pants ourselves. Look forward to seeing your wool versions.
So how did you adjust the pattern for the back vertical tuck which comes from the horizontal tuck?
Thanks Sharon. I think the horizontal tuck came first. I’ve done this myself, but never terribly successfully. Then the vertical tuck was made. It’s a bit like doing a sway back adjustment – I had to add some length to compensate for the horizontal tuck.
Your trousers are wonderful, their fit is incredible. You are able now to sew a lot of well fitting trousers!