Heather wrote - Have you checked out Debbie Cook's Blog? On the right side under Sewing Stuff and then Sewing and Pattern Tips she has a couple of pant alteration tutorials which I have found very helpful.
Thanks for the referral. Great tutorials. How nice of Debbie to have them there. It didn't seem as if either of those alterations was going to work for me. Debbie and I have different figure types. They did get me thinking though - about why did the Vogue trousers work so well while the KwikSew ones were being much harder to fit. It seemed obvious that the answer was in the pattern pieces so I compared them.
The shape of the inseams is substantially different. With the KwikSew pattern, the inseam curves considerably and sits further away from the center of the body. With the Vogue pattern, the inseam is straighter and sits closer to the center of the body. Seeing that reminded me of a posting on Belinda's blog called What A Difference A Pattern Can Make. SO TRUE!
In the posting, Belinda talks about the position of her legs and how the draft of the pant pattern either does or does not work with her shape. When I took the bra making workshop last fall, I needed a narrower bridge - the piece between the bra cups - so that the cups would be closer together. It made sense to me that the narrowness of my upper body could continue vertically and that my legs are also closer together. Gosh - the things we know about our body. HOWEVER... this does explain the easy success of the Vogue trouser pant. It was a lucky first choice.
I pulled out all of the jean patterns I had and looked at the shape and position of the inseams. McCalls 5592 was similar to the Vogue pattern. Guess which one that was? Yup - the one I debated and then rejected because of the wide legs.
Now just imagine if I'd chosen to sew this pattern right away. The odds of it working would have been much higher. Success would have come sooner. I'd have thought I was some major talented person making great jeans on the first get go. My head could have swelled, my ego enlarged, my thinking distorted into believing I'm pretty hot stuff in the sewing department. I'm sure this "learning curve" has been more productive for SUPER ME - LOL !
Drawing the crotch level onto the muslin allows you to see what is required when fitting. The crotch level is supposed to remain straight. I'll often draw lines and then slash through them to see how the line shifts when the fabric shifts. That's a clue. When I slashed the KwikSew muslin, the inseam wanted to move closer to center.
The dotted line shows the curve of the crotch seam. As you can see, it dips below the crotch level. That's what the high front, low back oddity looks like as a seam. Without it, the fabric from the inseam is pulled up into the crotch creating tremendous wrinkles in the back.
I'm holding the muslin up front and back because there wasn't enough length to secure them with an elastic. See how the crotch line is level? A slightly deeper crotch curve is needed, one that comes out a little further as well. The denim fabric will have some give so this curve is something to fine tune as I go along. I can take out more but I can't put it back once I've cut it off so I opt to be on the safe side when adjusting the pattern.
One of the reviews of this pattern noted that the back waist was huge. It is. When I compared the patterns, the back pattern piece of the McCalls pattern was as wide as the KwikSew one only the KwikSew has a dart. If that width is taken out at the center back seam, it creates a different kind of pull so I added a dart to the back pant pattern and narrowed the yoke.
On the front, the bubble and the pulling from the hip disappear when the side seams are held up correctly. I felt comfortable going ahead with this pattern. Here's what a high front, low back oddity looks like across an inseam. Doesn't that just make you feel like... an oddity - LOL - and it works.
My friend Wendy was over to sew last night and when I got to the fitting stage, she said I can't believe how well those fit you. YES YES!
I did take a picture only it was so dark all you see is a BIG BLACK BUTT. We'll wait for something more flattering - hopefully on Monday.
With sewing, extra wide seam allowances are an insurance policy. I was pretty sure but not 100% that with the correct crotch curve, the back crotch length was long enough however, just in case, I added an inch to the top of the back yoke. I'll know later this morning if I needed it.
The fitting was with basted seams. Now I'm sewing the real thing. The back yokes are sewn on and top stitched. The front pockets are inserted and top stitched The inseams are sewn and top stitched. The crotch curve is sewn but not finished yet. I'm waiting for one more try on. Right now, I'm working on the zipper. I'm using a dark fuchsia thread for the top stitching to go with the other garments in my SWAP. See how hopeful I am. Too fun.
Have a great weekend - Myrna
Grateful - lots of learning this week about sewing, about sewing jeans, and about health and food. It's great.
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Personal Growth - Yesterday's Oprah show was called Food 101 and talked about similar issues with food as I'm reading about in The Cure. This book is so good that I'm paying my boys to read it. I want them to realize much sooner than I have that putting altered food into our bodies is like asking our car to run on dirty gas while not drinking enough water is like asking our car to run with no gas at all. So simple. So hard to do.
Since this journey with allergies began, my opinions around food have changed radically. I want to watch Michael Pollen's documentary Food Inc and read his books, especially Food Rules. That one has a list of tips for simplifying choosing - along the lines of if you can't pronounce it, you shouldn't eat it. Hopefully my desire and ability to cook will catch up with these changes sometime soon. That part isn't changing at all - LOL.
Right now... my head desperately needs that one cup of real coffee that I'm having each morning. Withdrawal is never pleasant however, I'll enjoy drinking it while reading blogs.
So exciting!! You know, my first jeans attempt was that McCall's 5592, and it was a smashing success. Love that pattern, but how many wide leg trouser style jeans does a girl need? I'm learning so much from your blog posts! Thanks! I need to get to the library to re-read Pants for Real People!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on perfect fitting pants, Myrna!
ReplyDeleteI noticed for myself that once I have the right crotch curve or curves, I can get any pant pattern to fit. I just copy my curve to the new pattern and I don't care if the pattern designers says not to change her patterns.
I am contemplatinig your observation of how the legs are positioned in relation to your body makes a difference in the fit. I can see that could be important.
Myrna, thanks for showing me what a high front and low back look like. I have exactly the opposite and often hesitate before cutting my pants because mine too definitely looks like an oddity! Realising that a camera is the best fitting tool of all is like a light bulb moment. So much easier than trying not to twist and look at your behind or to interpret the comments of non-sewing loved ones. A friend asked me how all my allergies were going recently. (Diagnosed less than 12 months ago.) Fantastic! was my reply because even though I do miss some foods the pay off in vitality is worth it.
ReplyDeleteKathrynT