Hello – I have just joined. I live in UK. I like to make my own clothes but was not satisfied with the fit, so I have just bought Cochenille’s Garment Designer. I have drafted a pair of pants and made the pattern. (Have done it so many times and made them up in cheap fabric. I must have more pairs of gardening trousers than almost anyone else in the world!) Next step is to make up the latest pattern and see if it fits. Fingers crossed! [Perhaps not! Makes it difficult to sew!]
I belong to a UK on-line sewing group, subscribe to Traplet’s Sewing World [UK] and of course, Threads.
I have read your messages before but today I can’t find them… 🙂 I love reading sewing tips; makes me wonder ‘why didn’t I think of that’ or ‘well! I’ve been doing that for years!’
Better go now – time for food. Shall look forward to having messages – and hope I can find them to read – LOL. Jancee
Replies
OK - now I've found the messages again! Will log in again soon.
Welcome, Jancee!
Thanks Tish. I'm still groping my way round the nuts and bolts of this system but I'm getting there slowly. It's great to know there are lots of us sewists out there. I meet precious few.
Have spent the afternoon doing the umpteenth draft - trying to get a pair of pants to fit my not-stock-size frame. Am quite pleased with the results. I bought Garment Designer (Cochenille) recently and I am quite impressed.
My pants draft was made up in loomstate calico but I'm trying to pluck up courage to make them up in a piece of Trevira and wool from my fabric stash. Wish me luck. Anybody else out there using Garment Designer? Would like to... Be in touch again soon. Jaycee
Hi Jancee,
I know what you mean with the gardening trousers but I call mine golf trousers. There is help on-line from Threads but I'm not sure of the address. I'll ask my daughter to send you a note but I can tell you that I printed it from the computer and it's a very explicit and carefully described method of altering a trouser pattern based on your measurements. I did something similar about 15 years ago and got the best looking pants I've ever had. Too bad my body rearranged itself. Around here the bigger problem is to find of source of men's wear fabric to make them with. Okay, I'll tell Carol to send help. rjf
Hi! ;0) Thanks for your offer of help from Carole. I'll be looking out for it. I have yet ANOTHER pair of gardening [golf] trousers, but this time these fit round my torso -including waist - so I'm really pleased. I only made them in calico - & didn't preshrink - so now it's time for proper fabric. GULP! If I'm pleased with them shall keep the calico for a template for the future. Guess I'd better have a go at drafting a skirt next, then maybe I can amallgamate the two and draft my favourite garment of all time - culottes. They seem to be out of favour these days, but who cares. Thanks for writing - Jaycee.
rjf, can you give me more details on the pants-fitting article you printed out from Threads online? We don't seem to have anything on that topic in our current feature library--is it possible you printed it out more than a few months ago? (We upgraded our website early this year and took offline some of the articles that had been there). We've published several article related to pants fitting, but if you let me know which one you're recommending to Jaycee, I'll see if I can track down what happened to it...
Carol
Hi Carol,
I found the issue I got the original directions from. It's Aug/Sept 1988 #18. There are two articles on fitting pants but it was the first one I used. The one I downloaded was some time ago, at least last year. WHOA! I just found it on the desk. "Walking room in Pants". http://www.taunton.com/th/features/fitand fabric/12walkingroom.htm. How about that?
I just included Jancee on the mailing list so she will know it's been located, at least theoretically.
rjf
This is what I wrote to begin with and then sent, I thought, to both you and Jancee but it went to a name I don't recognize so I'm trying again.
Hi Carol,
I found the issue I got the original directions from. It's Aug/Sept 1988 #18. There are two articles on fitting pants but it was the first one I used. The one I downloaded was some time ago, at least last year. WHOA! I just found it on the desk. "Walking room in Pants". http://www.taunton.com/th/features/fitand fabric/12walkingroom.htm. How about that?
I just included Jancee on the mailing list so she will know it's been located, at least theoretically.
rjf
It's ok--all the messages will come up on everyone's screen no matter whom they're addressed to, UNLESS you choose the "Reply via E-Mail" option at the bottom of the send-message screen. Next time you're posting a message, scroll down to the bottom of the box, and you'll see a bunch of options for sending.
I'll look into that article--I didn't realize that was the one you liked so much. Did you notice if the link you typed is still live?
Oh boy, I'm eating a giant chocolate muffin and will soon need someone to write and article on "Breathing Room in Pants"!
Carol
I'm in the middle of my second "I'll keep going until these things fit" pair of pants, and I'd give anything* to find an article to help with this quest! I tried clicking on the e-mail address for the past article, and found advice for tapering or widening pants. Is there something I missed? Thanks.
*even a chocolate muffin!
Betsy, the article that rjf is referring to online is no longer online. It was taken off when we updated our website earlier this year. Sorry about the bad news! I'm going to look into getting it posted again in the future, though it may not be till September (our web schedule is pretty full these days).
The article in issue #18 is by Margaret Komives, and focuses on adjusting the crotch curve for a better fit. Issue 91 has a pants primer by Sandra Betzina that might be helpful too, and I'll see about getting that online as well. #91 is available as a back issue, but #18 is out of print, alas.
My problem with fitting pants is that it's sometimes difficult to make the adjustments I need when I'm actually wearing the pants. If you really want to work out your problems, check into Shirley Botsford's article on making a pants fitting double.
Carol
By the way, I renamed this discussion so that others will know what we're talking about. We'd like to attract all the help we can get, right?
Carol
Carol, thanks for the issue numbers for pants fitting. I will try to dig out the issue for making a pants fitting double. I seem to recall thinking that I figured my figure would change by the time I finished making the dummy, but I'm more determined than ever to come up with a basic pattern for myself. I'm off to the book shelf to find the back issues, if only that were the only place I left Threads!(Thanks, too for the steam iron info elsewhere!) Betsy
Carol, do you happen to know the issue number for the Shirley Botsford article? (Do I really want to see a body double of myself?) I'm off to work with issue 18. Thanks!
Having a pants double is definitely a double-edged sword, as far as I'm concerned! I think there was also an article on developing a pants sloper, and the follow-up, styling pants from that sloper, is currently in the works. I'm running out the door but will try to remember to look both up next week. I'd feel much more comfortable looking at myself in two dimensions than three at this point!
Carol
To ALL, that is, who wrote in to the 'pants fitting' correspondence. Well folks, no more golf/decorating/gardening trousers - I hope! Thanks to Garment Designer and tips gleaned from a chat transcript featuring Peggy Sagers I have at last achieved some success. Not perfect, but wearable so I'm thrilled. Many thanks to all contributors. Jancee :-) ps I found Peggy Sagers on pattern.preview Chat Transcript 5/12/2002.
Edited 7/4/2002 5:59:37 PM ET by Jancee
Edited 7/5/2002 4:11:35 AM ET by Jancee
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