How do you make perfect fitting trousers / pants?

After getting several requests for tutorials on how to make and fit trousers perfectly, I thought it was about time I did it. I had no idea quite so many people wanted help with this - if I'd have known I'd have done it sooner!

Trousers are the trickiest thing to get right when it comes to pattern cutting, but with my series of detailed tutorials on the subject, I'm so happy with the response I'm getting - that it finally makes sense!

The part that has been stumping most people, and they've now had that lightbulb moment is getting the rise right. Lets forget about how to actually make trousers for a minute and just concentrate on the fit.

Pants terminology

I'm never one to use terminology that you might not know, but these 3 parts of the pattern (above) are terms that you should get to know if you'd like to make some perfect fitting trousers.

The rise seam is what basically goes from waist to waist, through your legs. So we call these seams the back rise and front rise. The above shows it on a back trouser pattern piece. Generally the back rise is at more of an angle like above as it fits around the bum, and on the front the rise it's much straighter. This obviously varies for everyone, but it's generally roughly this shape.

As this is the bit that I think you should start with and the part that was stumping people the most, I made this fitting tutorial first, showing you how to get that rise seam perfect, and it really is a good place to start. I made a series of samples and put them on so you can see what's going on, on a body - not just a drawing!

Fitting the rise seam

In this first fitting video I show you 6 different pants samples, what is wrong with them and how to amend them on your pattern.

I won't go in to too much detail here, as it's all in the video, and much easier to understand from watching that, however here are a couple of stills showing you what the sample will look like if the back rise seam is too short, and also how to correct that on your paper pattern.

But let's be honest, it's never quite as simple as that! More often than not you'll need more than one adjustment, and you always have to remember - changing one thing might throw something else off!

So you don't want to be cutting out your lovely fabric until you know the fit is right, these amendments are pretty quick to do with yoru paper pattern, but you really don't want to be addressing them once you've started actually making your trousers!!

A bespoke trouser block

So you'll need to make a sample. I know it seems like a step you could skip, but I really do think it saves time in the long run. I always recommend drafting your own bespoke block from your personal measurements, as it will fit you so much better. However if you have a bought pattern you can still use this, it might just need a few more adjustments.

Above is a link to my trouser (pant) block fitting tutorial, which I promise isn't as hard as you might think.

But what did YOU want to know?

Because so many questions came up on my rise fitting tutorial - it just made sense to make a follow up answering all your questions. I always think, if one person asks - a hundred more people are probably wondering!

So this is part 2, where I answered all of the common questions that came up, including a dipped waist, the straight of grain, unlevel hems, fitting for a scooped out back - and much more....

Below is a screenshot from part 2, where I show you how to address a waist that isn't sitting level. I don't just show you with diagrams, everything is explained with samples that I put on to demonstrate, and then in the following screenshot is me showing you with the pattern pieces what you need to do.

What else do you need to know?

I won't list everything I go through in that tutorial, as you'd be much better off taking a look. I really do think anything like this is much better understood looking at a video rather than photo's.

I will just add this though as it's a question that has come up a lot. You must keep the straight of grain parallell to the leg, otherwise it's going to cause a twist - which will look awful!

How do you sew up trousers?

Once you've got the fit perfect, just plan how to put your trousers together. If you're not working from a bought pattern, you'll need to figure out the best order.

I like to get the darts and/or yoke done first, followed by the pockets and then the fly zip. Then I get both the front and back rise sewn up, before sewing the inseam all as one, (some people prefer to do the inseam and then the front and back rise all in one go). Then finally the outer seam and then just finish them off with a waistband and hems.

My casual pants video shows you how to make a pattern with pockets and a fly zip from a basic block, and then everything you need to know to sew them up.

What about jeans?

After making the casual pants video I had quite a few people asking about jeans styling, so this tutorial shows you how to make the jeans pattern, which has a lower and slightly dipped curved waistband, a yoke detail on the back instead of darts, and the classic 5 pocket styling.

And finally....

I'm now planning out a jumpsuit tutorial, if you're reading this as soon as I've posted it, please get in touch if there's a particular style jumpsuit you'd like to see me make.

And please please ask if you have any questions at all about pants. You're best to email me, as I don't always see notifications when people comment on my blog posts. hello@creativebobbin.com