Mint Green Dream.

Subtitle – More Adventures in the Universe of Trouser Tailoring.

Last year I made a very exciting and significant purchase. I kid you not, this book has changed my life. It was not a cheap purchase, given that I had to get it shipped from the US but the sheer amount of information contained inside makes it worth it. There’s also just gold like the following:

PRO TIP: When sewing pants, sew in your underwear so you can fit them multiple times without having to get undressed.GOLD!

So after moderate success and some missteps with trying FCAs (full crotch adjustments) unaided, this book provided all the information I needed. And given I was using a new pattern I decided that it was as good a time as any to try out their ‘Fitting While You Sew Method’. (Short summary: you make any shaping elements like darts etc., partially sew up the crotch seam, the fit the pants – right sides out – to your body with pins and start making adjustments. Seriously – if you’re at all interested, buy the book!)

 

I used my second ever ‘indie pattern’, Simple Sew’s The Classic Trouser. I cut out the size 12 using adorable mint green fabric I purchased on TradeMe.There were not too many reviews of this pattern online, so using Pants for Real People (PFRP) I made the following adjustments:

• Added A LOT of length to the crotch seam, deepening the back curve
• Added a small amount of length to the top of the pant
• Adjusted the back inseam so that the pants fit better under the seat
• Added extra width at the side seams to allow for the fact that I don’t go in as much above and below the waist as a standard pattern allows for – I have a straight up and down (minus the seat) figure type
• Adjusted the waist seam to allow for my higher, fuller right hip
• I also hand sewed in the zip as I wasn’t using an invisible zip – this was just my own choice, nothing recommended in the book

*Disclaimer: these adjustments are not faults in the pattern, and would not be needed by others using this pattern. They are specific to my figure.

I seriously cannot tell you how happy I am with the fit of these pants! They are as near to a perfect fit as I have been able to achieve to date. And I know I will just be able to get better and better using the techniques in PFRP

Look how beautifully those side seams are tracking, and – you can’t see this in the photo but – rear waist sits on my waist! No riding down at the back. Huzzah.