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| > I'm fed up with poorly fitting trousers/pants & currently I have the | > time to devote to learning how to make a (ladies) trouser pattern. Also
| | It takes me about 45 minutes to custom draft a basic pants pattern that | only needs fine-tuning with Connie Crawford's methods, which is what I'd | suggest if you were here, but her books are hard to come by in the UK, | and the DVD is in US format only, I think (but drop her a note and see if | it can be put in UK format: snipped-for-privacy@fashionpatterns.com ).
45 minutes? I can but dream! I've emailed as you suggested and am awaiting response. The Pant DVD and Pant Book Special is currently on special offer on her website which is good news. The book is also available on eBay but pricey. The book is not available via my library service.
Otherwise, I | suspect Aldrich's books are available in Europe more easily -- and they | use the metric system, but she doesn't explicitly balance the patterns, | at least not in the volumes I've checked.
I've seen a couple of Ruth Aldrich's books but, of course, I'd no idea if they would provide me with the good fit I want, which is why I was looking to the knowledgeable folk here for leads to good systems/books.
| The other thing I like about Crawford's draft is that she has | a plus size draft that works well for women who are rounder than most, | which is many of us with, um, mature bodies. The shift in proportions | usually takes place about 50" hip circumference.
This hits to nail on the head. Having piled on the poundage due to medic treatments I wanted to get my head around trouser patterns once and for all..... in the hope that when I lose this weight it won't cost a small fortune in new trews.
| Do you have a straight skirt pattern that fits you? Grain lines are | straight across at midabdomen and across the backside? Waistline is | tilted for those of us (many, many!) who have waists that are higher | in back than front? That can be a useful tool to look at when you start | to draft -- the top of the skirt and the top of the pants are the same; | then you need to add crotch extensions to form the leg, and shape the | legging.
Unfortunately no, I've never been a skirt user or maker.
| There are two major crotch measurements you need to get right... | total crotch length, CF waist to CB waist through the legs; crotch | depth or chair depth and side seam/waist intersection to a flat chair | seat as you're sitting. And the crotch shape has to look like you... | younger women tend to have more backside than front, older women, the reverse, | so the curve shape has to reflect that.
| Kay
Kay ~ really grateful for the info., I've also scouted around Youtube and Connie Crawford is featured a number of times. Once I hear from the service dept I'll have a better idea of where I'm headed. At the moment I have the enthusiam and time to get to grips with drafting trousers so should strike while the iron's hot!!
Thanks Anne H. In England