Back to Pants Fitting

Over the weekend I made a version of Burda 7447, a narrow-leg pant.  I desperately need pants, as everything I have is either too small or too large.  But, I have been very hesitant to sew pants because I find them so difficult to fit.

This is not the first time I have made these pants, but the pair that I had initially made for the PR Endless Combinations Contest no longer fit:

For the original pair I started with a size 20, and added one inch at the side seams on the back pattern piece.  For the current pair, I removed that and used as a base for alteration a size 18.  While I am happy to be down in size, it is frustrating that I am pretty much back to "square 1" in pants fitting.

A few years ago, I dedicated myself to MONTHS of pants fitting.  In the process of figuring out how to fit my body, I made somewhere in the range of 35 pairs of pants.  And then, I gained weight.  After nearly a year of sewing almost nothing for myself, I am now back to sewing again.

I am currently losing weight,  but for the first time also working out, skating, and biking. I am back to a smaller size, but I can't just use those smaller patterns from before because  my body shape has also changed...now in addition to all the other alterations issues, I have to deal with full front thighs as well as a rounder bottom.

After racking my brain trying to decide what alterations and how much to make...I threw my hands in the air and just cut (cheap cotton twill from stash, if I remember correctly it was about $3.00 a yard from a clearance table, so no great loss if they were a disaster).

Surprisingly, they were much better than I expected.

Here is the final product, which gives me a base to determine additional alterations for future pairs:

Granted, the fit is better than anything I have purchased in RTW recently (no back waist gape at all, legs wide enough that I can actually pull them up), but still work to be done.  In the front, there are some wrinkles across the front thigh and radiating out from the crotch that are probably related to my having fuller front thighs.  This can be rectified with an alteration that widens the front pant leg piece.  Here is a link for a diagram at the Sewing Divas Blog: link.  I think I could also stand to extend the front crotch curve just slightly.

Part of the creases across the leg, especially in the back leg, is because of the narrow leg of the pant itself.  You can never get rid of all the creases in a jean, for example, otherwise you wouldn't be able to move.  Take a look at the model on the pattern cover...she has under-butt creases, too.  But what I have going on there can be lessened by better fitting, probably increasing the alterations I have already made.

As for those alterations already made:

1. I added a wedge to back to raise waistline
2. Increased size of back waist darts (I would have added these if the pant did not have them already)
3. Extend back crotch curve
4. Shift legs closer to center and redraw inseam and side seam ("knock-knee" alteration)

I think that I will also try my alterations on a pant with a wider leg, because I would like to know just how much of what I see in the photo is from the narrow leg (or, I guess I could just photograph myself in a pair of narrow jeans and compare).

I have a length of khaki suiting, and a length of navy suiting that will both make good pants for spring, so hopefully I'll be able to get the alterations figured out before the weather changes again.