While working at a menswear shop in the Atlanta area in the 1980s, I learned many techniques for altering ready-to-wear garments, including one for removing excess fabric from the back trouser legs. I continue to use this knowledge today when altering ladies’ clothing. If poorly fitting pants are an issue with your ready-to-wear or me-made clothing, consider this way to get your pants to fit at the back leg and below the seat.
Pin the excess fabric
In some cases, you can pinch out the excess along the back crease of the pants legs. If no crease is present, just pinch out the desired amount below the seat at the center of the leg.
Mark key points
4. Now focus on the inseam. If you’re altering ready-to-wear trousers, you’ll see a notch farther down the leg, which indicates the knee level. Place a chalk mark there, as it will be the stopping point for the adjustment.
5. Remove the stitches at the inseam from the crotch to the notch at knee level.
At the back leg only, measure out from the original seamline at the crotch level, the amount you pinched out in step 2. Place a mark there; in this case, it is 1 inch.
Continue to chalk-mark, following the curve of the original inseam, until you taper to nothing at the knee.
Pin and stitch
6. Lay the pants’ front inseam seamline (indicated by a fold) on the chalk mark.
Starting at the knee, keep matching onto the line and pinning as you go until you reach the crotch level. You may find one seam is longer than the other. That is fine, as the excess can be removed later.
7. When the seam is completely pinned, sew along the pinned seamline. Start stitching at the crotch on one side of the pants, then stitch from the knee of the other side. This method of sewing one leg in one direction and the other in the opposite direction keeps the seam smooth—avoiding a pinch in the seam as you follow the curve.
Remember to backstitch at the start and end of the new seams.
Stitch both legs before closing the seam at the crotch, and try the pants on to make sure you’ve removed the correct amount of fabric.
8. Once both sides are done, press the inseams open. Leave the excess fabric at the inseam, unless it is a large amount. In that case, trim the fabric with pinking shears, or cut it away with your serger.
9. Pin the pants crotch, with right sides together, and close the crotch seam on the original stitching lines. Remember to backstitch at the beginning and end.
10. If the fabric at the crotch level extends too far, you can trim it away.
This alteration shortens the back crotch seam. If you are making the pants, you can adjust the pattern after you’ve determined the amount you need to remove.
The pants alteration is completed on the right leg only, below.
Tip
There’s no need to remove excess fabric from a pants lining, as lining fabric has little give compared with fashion fabric. Removing the same amount of fabric from the lining would likely make the pants feel too tight. However, if you are removing a lot of excess from the fashion fabric, you would only need to remove about half the amount in lining. I learned my lesson.
I hope you’ll try this technique to get your pants to fit better. It has worked well for me.
For more on altering garments from Pamela Howard, click here.
Threads Recommended Products
Threads receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Butterick, Misses’ Shirts and Shorts 6946 and 6947
Vogue 1642
Style Arc, Hendrix Coat
Sorry but I don't see any of the photos to which this article refers....
Hi Annie, we apologize for the confusion. We had some technical difficulties and are rectifying them now. The full post will be made available soon - with pictures! Thank you for your understanding and patience! - Threads web team
Me neither - it would be much easier if they were included :-)
Hi there, you're right and we apologize for the confusion! We had some technical difficulties and are rectifying them now. The full post will be made available soon - with pictures! Thank you for your understanding and patience! - Threads web team
Thank you! This was very helpful!
Thank you very much! I’ve often wondered how to eliminate the bagging at the back of pants. I can’t wait to try this weekend. I love seeing alteration tutorials, good ones are very hard to find.
Thank you for adding the photos.
As I see it, this alteration will decrease the back crotch length which may cause other problems.
Definitely worth knowing though. Thank you.
Hi OzAnnie,
This alteration is very effective for those who need their pants adjusted due to excess fabric below the seat and at the upper thigh, and won’t necessarily cause additional problems. You may find it to be a technique that you can use along with other needed adjustments during your usual fitting process. Occasionally (but rarely), we would also need to do a side seam adjustment on customers who were very slim. Maybe I will do a post on that adjustment in the near future!
Thanks so much,
Pam
Thank you Pam. This technique is definitely something I will add to my toolbox. Still trying to achieve the "perfect fitting pants".
Cheers,
Annette (OzAnnie)
Brilliant! Thank you Pam. I always learn so much from you. Now that Bluprint is gone, I hope there is another way to see you "in action" so to speak. It would be great if Threads Online would take up the baton and offer full length classes from sewing professionals like you.
Craftsy is coming back!!
Excellent article.
Thanks so much to all of you for your kind comments :-)
Pam - Thank you so much for this article. I recently had a client with two pairs of pants that needed this alteration, but I didn't know what to do, so she still has a baggy butt LOL. I will definitely use this information in the future.
I love Threads, but don't find many articles that can help me with my alterations business. Keep it up!
It would be great if Threads would add a print or pdf function to their site. I cannot get internet access in my sewing studio and to be able to do a print out to save or download a pdf to my tablet lets me be able to quickly reference these tips. Thanks
This was a great tip and one I will use to tailor pants for myself and others.
I agree. I would love to print this article.
I upload internet articles to my iPad. Upload to Books will convert to pdf .
I just either get the pdf version of the article and print, or go wild and print the whole thing. If I’m on my iPad, I often send the article to my email address so I can open it on my laptop and either save it, or print. This saves space on the iPad.
Great article! Thank you!
Wonderful clear explanation of how to fix this problem. Thanks Pam, keep writing.
“[Deleted]”
Love everything Pam shares! Her online courses were fabulous too!
Thank you Pam. You were meticulous in your explainations, as always. If I may recommend this to others, Pam’s class on Craftsy teaching how to make a jacket/blazer is phenomenal. I watch the techniques over and over and have had great success.