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		Making Pants

One neat thing we call them a pair of pants because they used to be seperate leggings one for each leg, hwich was really nice if you wanted to change the look of one leg but not the other. Then it became the cusom to attach the two pants maaking them a pair of pants. This is a very simplified version of the whole story and there were many changes in it, it really is a cool story.

Pattern for your pants       top

Measuring

Pattern Drafting

making pants is a fairly easy thin to do.

We'll start here by going through some way to get your measurments and the how to turn them into a pattern you can use for making pants. Do thid right and they will fit great.

Measuing yourself       Top of Pattern
There are a few measurments and those are the key fitting areas

• waist It will help in measuring this if you tie a string or some such thing around your waist, tie it where it is most comfortable. The measurement around here will be the waist. The waist will later be divided in four for the two fronts and two backs. Keep this on as many of the rest of the measurements will be taken from this line.

• The length (outside leg) is taken from the side of the waist to the floor.

• The inseam is measured from the floor to the lowest point of the crotch, this wil give you the height of the inside leg.

• hips are generally the biggest part of you the pants need to cover. So the pants have to be This is the whidest part of you.
  

• The crotch has 5 measurements about it the width, front and back arch and front/back heights there is a height to the front and back crotch. to measure the height just sit on a flat surface like a wood bench and measure strait up from the surface to the front waistband and the same for the back. then you'll have the front and back crotch height measurements.

Pattern Drafting       Top of Pattern

Now to draft a patern from these measurments

In the back of men's pants is a nice peice of architecture which I feel all most all pants should have. you see because most of us have a bum that sticks out this creats a chalenge in covering it.

Fabric for your pants       top
The coice of fabric is yours,... A fabric that hangs/draps well is always good, though pants are generaly such short things that unlegg they're wide it's not that big a deal.

Pre-shrink your fabric before making any cuts for your pants. How you pre-shink the fabric depends on the fabric, Though I find that a good rule of thumb is to abuse it terably. Whash it with soap/detergent, like if it were laundry. I will wash it two or three time, once is never enough, on the hotest settings I can. This will distress the fibers the most and then the fabric shouldn't srink any more. Also because modern

Cutting your pants       top
Lay out your fabric, double layer with outside of fabric togher so you'll cut two of each piece and the'll be ready to sew together in most cases too. Then lay out the pattern peices, try to lay them out so you use the least fabric but don't get to extream in trying to save fabric. Be sure to have the grain of the fabric running the length of the legs, the pants will hang better and be more comfortable having the warp threads vertical when your wearing them. The warp are the long threads that were first setup in the loom and run lengthwise in the fabric, parallel to the selvage. I find it is best to ensure that the waistband has the selvage edge on it as the selvage ussually has very little stretch

Pockets should be cut of a different lighter fabric with a tight weave. the tight weave will prevent holes in you pockets. A small facing placket of the pants fabric is used to line the mouth or opening of the pocket so the opening will look the same as the pants. This is don with most pants because when the pocket is mad of a heavy fabric like the pant the sewing gets really thick around the pocket oppening and when you wash the pants it takes a long tome for the pockets to dry. I am only talking here only about inside pockets, outside patch pocket would be made of the same pant fabric as the pants. like back pockets.

Prepair       top
Now take the time to prepare everything you'll need to sew your pants. This falls into the "measure twice, cut onece" rule, for the time you take to get all set up will save you time later.

One thing I sometimes do in prepairing to sew is to sew in any stay stitching so cuves won't strech out of shap. Another good one is to zig-zag around the raw edge of the main pant parts, this will prevent the edge from fraying even years later.

Sewing your pants       top

Pockets Sides Fly/Front Back Waistband Hem

Now we do the sewing of our pants, fun isn't it.

I will often start sewing a pair of pants by sewing the pocket into the side seams then treat the legs as whole peices

Once you've sewn the inseams (inside legs) you've closed the conical pant and you are ready to sew the crotch

There are instructions for sewing a pair of jeans where the Zipper Fly instructions are, You may like to give them a quick look.

I hate hemming myown pants alone, I often pin them several times and then tell people it was easy :o)

Wear your new pants       top

Well the first step in wearing your pants is to get them on. I trust you've worn them before and don't need my help. However just for fun I'd like to say pull the right leg on to the right leg and the left onto the left and pull upp till they stop then close the waistband and the fly Now go out and wear your new pants. Pat yourself on the back and be sure to tell anyone who asks the you made them your self:o)

Hug someone you love too

		© Ragnar Torfason 2006 March 28