help with pants construction ?

I generally do crotch seams last of all.

Always do the zipper and fly first, before anything else, while you still have two flat pieces of fabric.

It depends on whether the extra girth is at the sides, in which case that is where you need to add, or, if the extra girth is from back to front, you may need to increase the crotch points. A pity you hadn't asked this before you deconstructed the pants, we might have been able to tell you how to "read the wrinkles".

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

If she's available for fitting, and the current pants crotch size fits her fine, then I'd probably do one of two things:

1) Add to the side seam only in the hip/waist area, as needed -- assuming she's needing 2", that's 1/2", which typically is within the realm of sanity to add this way. If she needed 10", I'd say let's draft her a new pair. -OR- 2) Fold the pants legs vertically, front and back, to obtain the grainline. Split the legs vertically along the grainline, adding width from waist to hem in a giant, skinny triangle or rectangle. Refit leg as needed. Again, the general rule is that the crotch shape will hold up to adding or subtracting a size or two... beyond that, you need a new pattern or some more extensive rejiggering of the old one.

If the crotch curve is basically ok, but just a smidge tight, I'd either scoop the curve as needed, or increase the crotch extensions -- fast way to do it is to figure out how much of a gusset is needed, then "cut the gusset in two" and add those halves to front and back crotch extensions.

Construction order for me is:

1) Back darts 2) Back pockets 3) Back crotch curve 4) Front darts 5) Front pockets 6) Fly 7) rest of front crotch curve 8) inseams and outseams 9) waistband (and curtain for men) 10) hems

The rule in factory sewing is that pieces get kept "flat" as long as possible, and only joined to another major piece when there's nothing else that can be done on that piece -- so the "sew each leg into a tube and then sew the crotch seam" method of construction usually used in home sewing patterns is totally foreign to factory methods. I switched over to mostly factory sewing style about 10 years ago when I figured out that I could sew things faster factory style, and the quality was no worse, and often better, than home sewing pattern instructions.

Kay

Dear Robb,

I pretty much follow what Kay does. I taught factory methods for years. The more you can do before the major seams, the easier your work will be. Details first. Darts, Zipper, pockets, pleats. I sew just enough of the CF seam or CB seam to install the zipper or fly. The rest of the crotch seam I sew after doing the inseams.

If you don't have to add very much, you can slash the side seam allowance from waist to about even with the crotch, and move it over

1/4 of the total amount you need to add. Do this for the front and back. The reason I do it this way is to avoid adding any length to the side seam trying to true it or straighten it. My students ran into trouble trying to just add to the side seams, and often ended up with a pooch over the hip because the new seam was longer. This avoids that problem.

Teri

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Thanks Olwyn Mary,

For the sewing guidance.

As for the wrinkle reading... There were not many wrinkles just tight all over the front and rear from the lower hip up through the waist and the wrinkles that did appear (a several smallish ones) that were pretty much horizontal in the front starting at zipper and going across to the front pockets and some sort of starbursting out from the bottom of the zipper/crotch connection area. The pockets were flaring out and the back was mostly just tight.

thanks again for all the help.

robb

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Thanks Kay,

Lots of great instructions. and it looks like the addition to the pattern is going to be about 1 1/2 inches to the waist down to hip. so that will be bumping everything out 3/8 inch. Comfortably within your crazy limits :)

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Thanks Teri,

With all the helpful info i should be able to make my plan work.

When i looked at some newer paants i can see how the time and effort saving measures you describe were used.

thanks again, robb

What fabric is typically used to make the pockets on casual dressy pants ?

The original looks like a heavy muslin or almost a very light duck weave.

Is there a better or best substitute for the economical choice made in the original pants ??

I was thinking of using an oxford cloth ? is that a bad idea ?

thanks,

robb

Dear Robb,

I never use pocket fabric. If you've ever looked at people in RTW who have snug, not even tight fitting pants, the white of the pocket material shows and I find it unsightly. I use the fashion fabric, and have never had a problem with it too thick or showing through. It's a cost-saving method in the factory, although if the pocket patterns are strategically placed when you're laying down your pattern, there's plenty of room for them without using extra fabric.

Teri

That says the pants were too tight in the crotch, which is the tough part to get right. Cut the muslins of something cheap, because you're going to be adding a gusset at the crotch. That is essentially giving her more front to back room. When you get the gusset to fit right, you're going to divide it and add it to the crotch extensions.

There's an honest-to-goodness pocketing material available, sometimes called "Silesia". Me, I use poly-cotton permapress poplin. DH is rarely able to destroy it, and I only do it in when I stuff pruning shears in my pocket.

That's probably too-short crotch extensions... when they get extreme, the problem is sometimes called "camel toe":

standard formula for crotch extension, which you can check on yourpattern...

up to about a size 18, the distance from the center front to the end of the front crotch extension is 1/4 of the distance from center front to side seam at the hip.

The distance from the center back to the end of the back crotch extension is half of the distance from side seam to center back.

With needing to essentially grade up in size in the torso and starting with the tight crotch already, I'd definitely suggest doing the gusset in the muslin pair to correct the crotch curve.

Sorry to follow up on this twice.

Kay

On 10 Dec 2008 03:42:03 GMT in alt.sewing, Kay Lancaster wrote,

What's the "curtain"?

Dear David,

The curtain is the stuff used on the inside of a man's waistband. It's stiff, loosely woven, and I suppose it resembles a curtain if you use your imagination. A man's waistband is split in the center back, to allow for alterations.

Teri

The inside "flap" below the waistband:

in better pants, but not usually in casual pants like jeans.Men's readymade curtain is usually too wide for women's pants, unless the woman is nearly straight up and down from waist to hip. Kay