Sewing pants can seem quite intimidating, especially for the curvy amongst us. Here are some suggestions to get you started!
1. Photograph yourself wearing store-bought pants. Pants-fitting is all about reading the wrinkles, but it’s easy to fall down the rabbit whole of wanting perfect pants with no wrinkles at all. Taking photos in RTW is a good reminder that even your favourite pants have pull-lines and wrinkles – AND THAT IS OK! Look back at these pics if you find yourself going crazy aiming for perfection. (While you are at it, the wrinkles might also give you a clue what kind of fit adjustments you’ll need on a sewing pattern.)
2. Choose a simple pattern. I started with leggings, and then pull-on stretch Elle pants from Style Arc. Sewing a simple pattern meant that I could try out adjustments without spending a whole weekend sewing up one pair of pants, which may or may not fit. Alternately, choose a loose flowy pant that will need less fitting than something skin-tight!
During Me-Made May in 2014, I wore Style Arc Elle pants for a week straight! I tried out different adjustments on my first ten pairs… then decided my first ones were actually the best and went back to the pattern as drafted with just two changes: more room in the inner thigh, and a scooped out back curve.
3. Buy a LOT of your muslin fabric. Ideally, enough to make 3 pairs of pants. (Hopefully they turn out as wearable muslins by the end!) Your muslin fabric MUST be appropriate for the pattern and very similar in stretch/weight/drape to your “good” fabric (aka. not actual muslin). There is NO POINT muslining anything in the wrong fabric – you’ll end up with all new fit issues when you sew it up for real. Basically, look for cheap denim/twill/crepe/whatever, and buy lots. If you change your fabric for each muslin, then each pair will appear to need contradictory alterations.
4. Make adjustments slowly. Tempting as it is to try everything at once, you’ll never be able to tell which adjustment worked or made things worse. My suggestion is to make the first muslin straight from the pattern; the second with one or two adjustments; and a third taking those adjustments further or trying something additional. Dance in front of the mirror, sit down, bend to pick something up… because you will not always be standing straight in front of a mirror! By now, sew a wearable muslin, because you need to wear them around and see how they work out in real life.
A few of my many pairs of Closet Case Files Ginger jeans! This is a good base pattern for me because it’s drafted for curvy hips. Note that they all have wrinkles – some I’d like to keep trying to fix (hello, knock-knees) but some are needed so I can bend and move!
5. Consider following one fitting resource. Meg already did a round up of great pants-making resources online, which you can find here. I’d suggest choosing one fitting resource, and sticking with it for this first project. This will prevent you from doing overlapping adjustments, and streamline the process of figuring out which adjustment to do.
6. Almost everyone needs adjustments. There’s a chance that you are going to pull on your new pants at some point and feel your self-confidence crash. (Unless that’s only me?) Muslins are never particularly flattering, and during the fitting process your brain is focusing on flaws. Be kind to yourself though, and remember that particularly in tight-fitting pants, people of all shapes and sizes need to do adjustments. The pattern is just a starting place! Go back and look at those RTW pictures, and remind yourself not to aim for impossible perfection. Imagine your pants styled with a cute top and accessories, and see the potential!
A few other pant patterns and styles I’ve experimented with! From left to right: Closet Case Files Sallie JumpsuitCloset Case Files Sallie Jumpsuit, Cake Espresso leggings turned into stretchy jeans, Made with Moxie Prefontaine shorts, Closet Case Files Carolyn pyjamas, and True Bias Hudson pants.
Here’s my summary: Be realistic, start simple, go slow, and make wearable plants ASAP! I swear that every pair of me-made pants has fit better than what I can buy in stores, and trust that you will find the same!
Experienced sewists, what advice do you have for beginners? Beginners, what questions or concerns do you have?
This was really great advice. Thanks for that. I am not usually a muslim do’er but I also rarely make pants. So this was really helpful.
Great post Gillian. I’m really keen on the Sewaholic Thurlow for pear-shaped people (along with Lladybird’s sew-along https://lladybird.com/tag/thurlow-sewalong/ ). I’d add: don’t think that your trousers have to be perfect before you can wear them out of the house! As well as your favourite RTW, look around you at what everyone else is wearing. None of their trousers fit perfectly either 🙂 Trousers seem very mysterious before you start sewing them – all those curves and flappy bits around the fly etc – and the only way to demystify them is to get sewing really. Then it suddenly becomes clear what goes where and why.
That is great advice! They do seem a lot trickier than they really are – and it’s so that hard to get a better fit than RTW, even if they aren’t perfect!
Until I got it right, I considered every pair of pants I made a wearable muslin. I classify pants fabric choices into four categories : woven (no stretch at all); stretch woven (woven fabric with a small amount of lycra/spandex added); stable knit (like ponte) and leggings fabric (cotton and spandex/lycra blend). For trial pants. I choose a cheaper version of the kind of fabric I want for my pants. Walmart, Goodwill, and some online stores (with cheap shipping–like fabric.com) are great places to check.
I’d like to add two other points to remember: #1 When you get a good fitting wearable muslin, make a personalized pattern for each type of pants (woven, knit, leggings) you might make. #2 Use lightweight clear plastic tablecloth material for your personalized patterns–sturdier than paper, see-through, great for marking and erasing.
Great advice!
Thanks for such a fantastic post! Knock knee wrinkles are my bane, too.
I’ve found testing stitches on scrap fabric before sewing to be a huge headache relief. It’s so frustrating to sew down a pant leg seam, only to find the tension is off or the stitches skipped! Especially for top stitching.
Oh, that’s a good suggestion, especially if your machine is prone to acting up on heavier materials!
I swear I’m going to print this and then laminate it. Excellent check list/advice.
I’m glad it struck a chord with you! Basically, don’t over think it and just get sewing! 😉
Really wonderful guidelines here – well done Gillian! As to where to find muslin fabrics: I find deals quite often from FabricMart and Fabric.com. Both of these sites have regular sales (though you do have to factor in the shipping fees).
Great suggestions! And when you find a good cheap fabric – buy lots! 🙂
I often learn more from failures than from success. Start with a pattern that is less likely to fail. For me with a rounded and full bottom that is a crotch curve from Stylearc or Burda. Their crotch curves are more like my body shape. I stay away from the big 4 crotch curve! Just my body. How about anyone else. Any apples out there with ideas for others.
The flat bottomed Flo from Style arc might work well for those with a more receding butt! LOL
Figuring out the right crotch curve can be a journey – you are smart to start with companies you know will treat your booty right!
It worked fabulously for me. Highly recommend it.
Flat Bottomed Flo, that is.
Do you have any recommendations/resources for buying muslin fabric? I think one of the barriers for me in branching out to the type of patterns that I can’t just jump into is finding fabric that is justifiably cheap enough to use for a muslin. For a simple woven top, actual cotton muslin seems fine, but once I need to account for different weights, stretch, and drape I feel like I just don’t know where to start in finding appropriate fabric that won’t break the bank.
Hey Jen – of course, it depends on where you live- here in the metro Atlanta area, there are several stores that sell a baffling and ever-changing array of mill-end type fabrics, and I have gotten some very inexpensive, very usable fashion fabric there (including short cuts of Cloud 9 organic fabric!!!). Goodwill will sometimes have lengths of fabric back in the linens area. Some Walmarts also have fabric departments that may have $2/yd miscellaneous fabric. These fabrics usually have zero fabric content info on the bolts, so you have to just look for the type of fabric you need (amount of stretch, weight, etc). Good luck!
Thanks! I’ll be in ATL next month — live in the metro area pre-sewing days. What would your recommendations be for places to check out while there??
*lived
If you are in the States than you are spoiled for choice for cheap online fabric! (Says the envious Canadian! 😉 I’d suggest ordering a few swatches of fabric from somewhere like fabric.com, Cali Fabrics or Denver Fabrics, and when you find a fabric you like for cheap, order 6m!
Hopefully the other Jennifer will be back though with some local suggestions for you!
Depends on what you want for your wearable muslins. I classify my pants fabric into four categories: woven (no stretch at all); stretch woven (woven fabric with a small amount of lycra/spandex added); stable knit (like ponte) and leggings fabric (cotton and spandex/lycra blend). I do not use regular muslin fabric for my trial pants. I choose a cheaper version of the kind of fabric I want for my pants. Walmart, Goodwill, and some online stores (with cheap shipping–like fabric.com) are great places to check. I’d like to add two other points to remember: #1 When you get a good fitting wearable muslin, make a personalized pattern for each type of pants (woven, knit, leggings) you might make. #2 Use lightweight clear plastic tablecloth material for your personalized patterns–sturdier than paper, see-through, great for marking and erasing.
And remember that slacks will fit differently than jeans. Jeans are close-fitting, and the crotch hits your actual crotch. Slacks and trousers should skim the hips and thighs — and the crotch will be up to several inches lower than your actual crotch, so that they hang beautifully when you stand. And so that you have some room to sit down without splitting seams.
So true! I remember that when I stared sewing pants 4 years ago there were very few resources for fitting modern skinny-leg stretch pants like I wanted to sew. I’m happy that now we have a lot of modern fit instructions are well as instructions for more classic shapes!
Lin B. Wow, I haven’t heard the term slacks for a long time! It just made me wonder how that word came to be used for pants? Does anyone know?
Just looked it up. Funny and interesting.
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/79710/difference-between-slacks-pants-and-trousers
Last comment, I promise.
In the UK the word pants is used almost exclusively as an abbreviation for underpants.
I think you’ve been really thorough Gillian – I might just add that a pattern I’ve found to be fabulous for leggings is the Ooh La La by Papercuts – loads of opportunity in this pattern to adjust the fit. I’ve made several and I love them all. I would stick to the pattern fabric suggestions though – I tried fiddling with that using a light 2 stretch instead of 4 stretch and I could even get them over my calves 🙂
I’ve heard good things about that pattern! You are so right about sticking to the fabric recommendations though – great advice for all beginner sewists! You have to know the rules in order to bend them.
Gillian hanks you for those encouraging and helpful words. I often talk myself out of even trying because I get so defeated in my muslins. You helped me to look at it differently and to be more forgiving with myself.
The one downside of the modern sewing world is that we’re surrounded by so many people aiming for perfection that it can be intimidating! I think back when my granny and mom were sewing all their clothes, they just jumped in and did it, and wore whatever they made. Hope you jump into pants making soon! 🙂
Amen to that!