That time I started drafting trousers and couldn't stop...

It started so innocently. In order to regain a bit of sewing mojo I signed up to a 1 day class on drafting a trouser pattern at MakePlace in Norwich. Took a day off work and had a lovely ol' time in their sunny studio. The instructor was amazing as were my fellow learning buddies.

We followed an instruction sheet based on the Winifred Aldrich Pattern Cutting for Womenswear book - now I already own this and have used it but doing so in a class environment was priceless for the extra tips we picked up along the way.

I didn't take any pics of the class but I intend to go back and feature that in a bit more detail next time. HOWEVER what did happen after the class is that I got taken over like a woman possessed.

Gonna make me some trousers I thought...

And then I just couldn't stop. For the next 4 weeks I lived and breathed trying to find the holy grail of fitted trousers... Turns out there is a LOT to learn about 4 little pattern pieces. Crotch depth, crotch curve, hip curves, crazy bunching and sagging and removing and fixing and altering...aggghhhhh.

I have a big bum/hips and a relatively small waist - try getting general sizes to fit that. So to the drafting in the quest for a perfect fit, and I soon realised that you basically need an engineering degree...especially if you have my arse.

So I drafted straight leg, slim leg, leggings...I copied some RTW trousers I had by tracing them onto paper, then tracing them through clear plastic... I sewed and ripped and sewed again and made 7 MUSLINS (stash busting exercise). I needed some sort of full-bum-adjustment and flat-belly adjustment. I went back to the drawing board, made technical adjustments, sewed again.....Just call me rain man.

Even Rocky had a montage........

Can anyone sympathise with this or am I just going crazy? - if you start with the drafting there's no going back - and you also can't stop staring at people's trousers to look how they fit. I warn you now you're going to look like you're checking people out. I near drove myself to distraction looking at the wrinkles in the front of jeans and tight trousers. Turns out nearly everyone has them, even RTW on models.

There is a very useful document for fitting trousers - the Colletterie Cheat Sheet. I would recommend having a little read of that if you are doing the same. Another useful tool was the Burdastyle University seminars - in particular the Perfect Pair of Pants video. As much as you read and read its good to get a visual of what fitting issues actually look like so you can compare it to yourself.

And so the quest continues......

WARNING - The following post will more than likely contain photos of my bum. Do not be alarmed. Time and therapy will assist.

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