TROUSERS ~ Am I right? Why are they SO tricky? Whether you're buying off the peg or sewing a commercial pattern up, a good fit is nearly impossible. I've come to think of a well fitting pair of trousers as being the holy grail of the wardrobe! BUT, and I say this tentatively, I think I might have cracked it!
Over the many years I've taught pattern cutting, I've always used Winifred Aldrich's seminal textbook Metric Pattern Cutting for Womenswear and I've never been pleased with the trouser blocks in the book. My thinking is that if you input your own accurate measurements, you shouldn't need to spend endless hours then fitting your block to you. A little tweak here and there? Perfectly acceptable. Redrafting dozens of times? Nope! I've also used other formulas for creating trouser blocks, some to a better outcome, some not so much.
One of the lessons I teach over on Patreon, which is my online dressmaking and pattern cutting classroom, is how to draft your own foundation blocks to your measurements. Once you have these well fitting blocks {Bodice, Skirt and so on} and start to learn how to adapt them, the world is absolutely your oyster when it comes to creating your dream wardrobe.
I spent a great deal of time working on trousers and trying different formulas out and began to think that maybe trousers were my nemesis and beyond my capabilities as I was so unhappy with the results. Then I had a eureka moment!
I've often drafted Culottes for designers I've pattern cut for and with students in my classes and Culottes, which are essentially trousers, are drafted from the skirt block. I reasoned that exactly the same process could be used to draft trouser blocks. So I worked out a simple formula using culotte drafting as the basis and developing my trousers from my skirt block. This saved so much time and avoided so many fitting issues as the skirt block is already a fabulous fit so the work is half done for you. Genius, even if I do say so myself.
Further research in my vintage/antique dressmaking books showed several trouser drafting methods including a skirt based trouser block so I knew I was onto something!
I put together a detailed downloadable guide to accompany the step by step tutorial I filmed, so I could take my students through the process of drafting their beautifully fitting block from their skirts and the feedback has been fantastic, which is my main aim with my classes ~ to empower people to create clothes that make them feel FABULOUS. And often trousers simply don't!
I then went on to develop a design from my block, The Helen Trousers, which are inspired by those late 1930's/1940's wide legged styles worn by all the Hollywood stars and Helen from All Creatures Great & Small, for which the design is named.
I've sewn up my first wearable toile and other than a little amendment where I want to move the front waist pleats further to the centre front, I'm so pleased with them. They're so comfortable and, although this fabric creases like crazy, I'm enjoying wearing them more than I could ever have imagined.
Although I much prefer dresses and skirts, some days I really feel the call of a great pair of trousers and have felt a real gap in my wardrobe. Now I have my perfect pair and have already started making another, with that pleat amendment done and plans for more. How fab would they be in denim or a lovely velvet? And corduroy would be perfect too! They don't take too long to sew either and use about 2 metres of 150cm wide fabric so they make a lovely little project to work on in little chunks of spare time which is how I tend to work on my sewing projects these days.
I also put together some mini tutorials on common trouser fitting issues and solutions for use with commercial sewing patterns that you may already have and want to use. If you don't want to sign up for an ongoing subscription to my Patreon, you can buy my trouser drafting tutorials as a one off purchase to work on at your leisure! The collection includes both the Trouser block and Helen Trousers tutorials including downloadable resources and all the mini fitting tutorials, so a really useful and comprehensive Trouser pattern cutting and fitting guide.
Despite the fact that I don't look terribly thrilled in my photographs, I'm actually over the moon to have cracked pattern cutting trousers at long last and to be able to make the classic wide leg vintage style that I prefer for my handmade wardrobe. I may not reach for trousers everyday but it's nice to know that the wardrobe gap is filled and I can have so much fun styling up some fab outfits and also feel really comfortable and confident in my trousers.
Tara x
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