Sewing Pants for Women...Preparing the Pattern for Alteration Step 4, Part 5

Continuing with the Sewing Pants for Women by Else Tryoler.  Today, will we start with Step 4 of the seven giant steps to pants perfection:

Hang of the pants at the waist and crotch width alterations

There is an old and weary joke about a person's legs being just long enough to reach the floor.  It is also axiomatic that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.  Now, suppose we start at the waist smack in the center of the back and envision two lines traveling to the floor.  If the person involved has a very flat seat, the route from waist to floor will be a straight line.  But if she also throws her hips forward making her tummy rather prominent, you can see the line from the waist to the floor in front has to travel over the provenience en route;  therefore it is not a straight line and is longer than the line to the rear.

A similar situation develops if the subject has a bustle back and a flat stomach.  In other words, it is possible for a pair of pants to be a different length from waist to floor in the front and the back.  This is also true of a person who carries no extra weight, but simply tilts her hips forward or backward so that her waist line is at a slant. See Figures 9, 10, 11.  These three figures each have the same hip measurements.  Figure 9 shows a standard (or perhaps ideal!) shape.  The anatomy is evenly balanced and requires little or no alteration.  Figure 10 shows a shape which is wider through the seat.  It is rounder in circumference through the hips, and is more like a true circle.  This type requires a longer line in the back to reach from the waist to the floor as shown in Figure 12.  Add 1/4 to 1/2- inch at the center back waist seam, tapering to nothing at the side seams.

Figure 11 is very flat in the seat.  This type requires a far shorter line from the waist to floor in the back.  In this case, drop the waistline 1/4 to 1/2-inch a the center back seam, tapering, as before, to nothing at the side seams.  You will find this technique illustrated by the dotted line at the top of Figure 13.

Look again at Figure 10.  Compare the distance between the Xs on this type -- this is called crotch width  -- with the distance between the Xs on the other figures.  Wider, isn't it?  In order to fit this type, the crotch curve must be widened by adding to the inner leg seam at both front and back.  See Figure 12.

Look now at Figure 11.  Judge the distance between the Xs on this type.  Her crotch width is narrower, isn't it?  Therefore less crotch width is needed in the pattern, so the inner leg seam is decreased at the crotch by about 1/2-inch in the back only.  This is shown by the broken line at the side of Figure 13.  It is sometimes necessary to alter this again after the first fitting.  If it then proves to be still too wide, in out a small amount at the front seam also.

Front alteration (the waistline seam):  If your abdomen is flat, no alteration will be needed.  However, if you tend to round out in front once the coning influence of a tight garment is removed, this is more apt to be a problem.  If this is so, increase the center front by adding 1/4 to 1/2-inch to the waistline, tapering to nothing at the side seams.  See Figure 14.

Did you notice anything with the terms in this section? I believe we would know crotch width by today is called crotch length.  What do you think?

Happy Sewing!