Before I continue talking pants making I thought I’d back up a bit and bring a bit of enlightenment to the whole subject of how to fit a pattern. A short while back I discovered something that really changed my thoughts on garment sewing and pattern fitting. Did you know that prior to WWII most women made their own clothes AND they understood how to make a pattern fit their body? It was something they were taught when learning to sew. It was common knowledge and women helped each other with this!
Generations of women were wearing clothes that were fit to their particular body. Imagine this:: Your pants or skirts are the correct length. Sleeves aren’t too long or too short. Everything you wear is custom fit to your body. This awareness hit me when I learned to make jeans.
Vogue Patterns, Simplicity Patterns, Butterick Patterns, and McCall’s Patterns all knew this. Their patterns came in specific sizes and you were expected to make adjustments for it to fit your body. It was a combination of fit and fashion.
Then somewhere along the way women got busy with work and started buying their own clothes. Sometimes they fit, sometimes they didn’t. And.we.learned.to.live.with.clothes.that.didn’t.fit.well.
My mother is a perfect example of this. She grew up during WWII, making her own clothes. Went to college in the 50’s and got a degree in Home Economics {which, sadly, was one of her limited options at the time}. She sewed her wedding dress, most of her clothes, and a whole lot of clothes for me and my sisters. Her clothes were polished, our clothes were polished. Back then, she still remembered how to make a pattern fit.
Unfortunately, she gradually stopped sewing garments for her family and never shared with me what she knew about fitting. Along the way, she lost the skill and it was never passed down.
And, my mom is not alone in this. From the 70’s on, sewing women switched from practical garment sewing to quilting. A whole generation of talented sewing women left this skill set behind.
Where does that leave my generation and the next generation of sewists? Thanks to shows like Project Runway, garment sewing is making a comeback. And with it, the need to know how to make a pattern fit. {It doesn’t hurt that there is a Craftsy class for this}
And, that is where I am starting with my pants project. My first step was taking accurate measurements and then adjusting my pattern.
After that, I will be making a muslin ~ which is a trial of my now-fitted pattern. By making it out of muslin (or any inexpensive fabric – think old bed sheet), I can see where I might need to make adjustments to my pattern. I will do all of this before I cut out my fashion fabric.
Baby steps in the challenge to regain the lost skill of fitting. Let me know your thoughts on this subject. I’d love to hear stories about mothers and grandmothers who really knew how to rock the fit!
Someone recently said to me that nowadays you don’t really sew to save money, you sew for quality and fit and I couldn’t agree more. I love the idea of having garments that fit you perfectly, which is one of the reasons why I sew and why I’m so obsessed with learning more about pattern drafting and fit.
Pants are one of the hardest items of clothing I have trouble buying as they are never quite right. This craftsy course is on my wish list. I’m looking forward to seeing your finished pants!
Quality and fit ~ that is the reason! Right now, I’m on muslin #2 for my pants. I feel like I’m making headway. They one big adjustment in the back which requires some fiddling. I’m still in the hopeful stage ~ hopeful they will turn out.
My mom (will be 98 on Saturday) bought me my first sewing machine when I was 5. It was a single thread chain stitch kids machine, but it ran on electricity and I made “barbie” clothes with it. I graduated to an old portable Singer when I was 10, because she was tired of me screwing up her machine. She, like your mom, generally made her own, and her daughters’ clothes. In addition to sewing, she knit, crocheted, tatted (I could never master that), needlepointed, quilted – anything you could use your hands for, she did. She stopped sewing when her eyesight failed, but thankfully passed a lot of her knowledge on to me. I thank her for that. Now that I am retired, I will rekindle those passions passed by for the life that got in the way!
Thank you for sharing such an inspiring story.