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making pants legs narrower

Hi Everyone, I've been lurking here forever but hardly ever post. I know most basic sewing things but don't know how to do much that is complicated. I made a pair of pants (McCall's 3935, view C) and I love the way that the waist, hips, and thighs fit, but the bottom half of the pants are way too wide. The pair I made will be okay like they are - I don't want to mess with them. But I would like to adjust the pattern for the future. I like a little bit of flare to my pants, so I want to keep the basic shape of them, but I want to make them narrower from a little above the knee down the rest of the leg (I am only 5'1 so very wide leg pants make me look even shorter than I am). Is this a simple task of just making the pattern narrower from the knee down, or will I have to make adjustments in other places too? I do have a few pairs of RTW pants that are a good width to compare them to, if that helps. Thank you so much for any help!

Jamie

Reply to
Jamie Moran
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Dear Jamie,

You can easily alter your existing pattern. Just remember that when you alter pants legs, you must take an equal amount off both sides, so that you don't upset the grain. That makes the pants hang funny.

Fold up the hem on your pattern. Start at the finished hem, and make a mark where you want the new taper to come--remember that you must alter the front and back the same amount on both sides, so don't take out too much. For example, to make the pants two inches narrower at the bottom, you will be making new marks only 1/2 inch inside the old mark. The reason for turning up the hem is that, if you drastically alter them, the hem needs to be shaped, and having it turned up will shape it automatically when you cut the new leg. You'll see that when you turn down the hem after you re-shape the pattern, it will be flared out. That's as it should be, to easily fit the new shape.

Teri

Reply to
gpjones2938

Here's the information you need:

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Reply to
Melinda Meahan - take out TRAS

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