Pants are notoriously difficult to fit. This is considered common knowledge in the garment sewing community and has most likely caused many of you to not even bother trying to sew pants. Even I have avoided making pants for fear of spending countless hours trying to get the fit just right. So let’s see if we can tackle this difficult subject together.

In last week’s video I gave you some basic information and a few resources to get you started with fitting pants. This week I wanted to start with a solution to a fitting issue I’ve often seen with my private clients, the tummy adjustment, but before we get to that there are a few things you need to confirm before you start the fitting process for this fitting issue.

1. Make sure you have your balance lines marked on your garment. You’ll need them to assess the fit.

2. Make sure you’ve chosen the correct pattern size. There is no use to fitting a garment that is too small.

3. Use the fitting order as...

If you’ve completely given up on sewing pants, you can be sure you’re not alone. Fitting pants is not easy, fast or fun for most of us, but just in case you want to give it another go, I’ve got a series of videos lined up that will help you understand how to go about fitting pants and hopefully eliminate some of the confusion on your next attempt.

Today we’re going to kick off the video series with some basics so you understand why pants are so difficult to fit and what you can do to make the pant fitting process go a bit more smoothly.

Let’s start with why pants are so difficult to fit. In order to fit, pants must address the crotch length, the crotch depth and the crotch shape as well as the distribution of the measurement around the waist, hip and thighs. The fit of pants are complicated even further by the shape of the legs, the posture of the person wearing them and the dynamic movements our body can make when we’re walking or sitting....

If you had a chance to watch last week’s video, you’ll know that this week I’m going to cover some of the most essential pattern making skills you’ll need when working with existing commercial patterns or designing your own patterns. The skills I highlight today will, without a doubt, give you better results with fitting your garment and simplify your sewing. Follow through with these tips and you’ll finally achieve the professional results you’re looking for. Watch the video to get all the details.

Resources Mentioned in this Video:

#1 Taking Pattern Measurements

The Perfect Fit Guide a free downloadable fitting guide that walks you through a seven step fitting process.

The First Fitting Session: How to Prepare: This video features a demonstration of how to measure a sewing pattern to prepare for the fitting process. (Free downloadable resources included!)

Four Things that will Get You to a Better Fit Faster: This video cover the...

Recently this question popped into my inbox: Once I have a block, what do I do with it? I get this question a lot so I thought it would be good to address it so everyone can get the benefit of my answer.

Before I do, here’s my definition of what a block is:  A block, sometimes referred to as a sloper, is the foundation of all other patterns. A block can come in the form of a bodice block, a skirt block, or a pant block for either woven or knit fabrics, but in essence, it is the most basic form of a pattern drafted to a specific set of body measurements and fit to a specific body shape. In my definition, a block includes wearing ease, which is the minimum amount of ease needed to accommodate regular day-to-day activities like breathing, reaching, sitting, and walking. This wearing easy can be anywhere between 2” and 4” or 5 to 10 cm and depends entirely on what you feel comfortable in.

Once the basic bodice block is drafted and refined to fit, it’s...

OK so, truth be told, I'm taking a little break from filming this week.

You see, I know you may not have been keeping up with the weekly posts, after all you have a life to live and it doesn't always involve your sewing hobby. So I'm declaring this week a catch-up week! 

Here is a list of some of the fitting tutorials you may have missed or simply would like to review again. Everyone needs a refresher now and again.

The Forward Shoulder Adjustment (Two Ways)

The Broad and Narrow Back Adjustment

The Shoulder Width Adjustment (Two Ways)

Now if those don't sound interesting to you and you'd like to work on your sewing techniques instead, I've got these tutorials just waiting for you:

The French Binding Tutorial

How to Construct a Single Welt Pocket

The Front Fly Tutorial

Of course, if you've missed the last few weeks of video tutorials, poke around the blog or try out the search bar in the top corner of this page, you just might discover exactly what you need today.

Oh!...

In this week's video I wanted to answer a question that I got from a member of the In-House Patterns Studio Facebook Group.

She asked:  How do you get started with pattern making?

She wanted to know where to go to get the best pattern making instruction and basically how to begin designing her own patterns that fit.

I believe this is a growing desire among garment sewing enthusiasts. As we gain and master more advanced sewing skills we become intellectually and creatively ready to level up. We become tired of constantly making the same fitting adjustments to commercial patterns and compromising on styles that are close but not exactly what we were looking for. I believe this question or desire is a natural step in growing your creative abilities.

If you're interested in this topic, watch this video to hear my answer.

After you've finished watching you can explore the links to the FREE resources I mentioned in the video:

FREE Scaled Block Patterns (get your...

This week I wanted to continue the conversation about neckline fitting so in this video I'm talking about the gaping front neckline and a method of correcting it that you may not have seen before. 

When you start drafting your own patterns or really study a pattern in depth, you begin to notice certain consistencies between all patterns and one of these consistencies I call neck balance. Neck balance is the relationship between the front and back neck width. You see, in order for the front neckline to fit smoothly without gaping and eliminate excess fabric across the front chest, the back neck width needs to be larger (wider) than the front neck width.  If you want to understand more clearly what I mean, simply watch the video, I cover the theory and the practice to correcting this fitting issue.

Enjoy!

All My Best,
Alexandra

Hello!

I've got a bit of news for you this week and it's something I'm really excited about. If you've been following on Facebook, you may have noticed a photo I posted about a week ago.

This is Marjie. She's a new member of the In-House Patterns team and will be serving you soon with some really great fitting and pattern making lessons! Watch the video to learn all about her! (Only I could get this excited about a dress form.)

Mentioned in this video:

Alvanon: https://alvanon.com/
Alvanon Measurements and Specs: https://alvanon.com/measurements-specs/

All My Best,
Alexandra

For my more advanced sewing enthusiasts, this weeks video may be a little on the obvious side but I find that I get this question a lot so I thought I would cover it for those of you who are new to pattern making and fitting. 

Watch the video now and then come back here to continue reading because there's more to the story...

If you are a bit of a pattern making and fitting veteran the fact that the front pattern is wider than the back isn't new, so to keep you engaged, I've got a puzzle for you to solve instead.

Virtually all pattern drafting systems assume a B cup size which results in a front pattern that is wider than the back by 1/2" on each side. As you increase the bust cup size, the front pattern width increases accordingly so for a D cup you may find that your front pattern is wider by 1" on each side.

So here's something for you to consider. Bust circumference and bust cup size do not necessarily correlate, meaning two people with the same bust...

Recently I got an email from Gigi. She shared a lovely compliment, made a very valid comment about a blog post I did some time ago and asked a very good question. She suggested that her struggle with bicep girth adjustments was shared by many so in this week's video I share my reply to her email.

Watch the video now to get the whole story.

If you enjoyed this video, let me know! I'd love to get your feedback. If you've got a question or want to share your experience with this particular fitting adjustment, just comment below.

If you'd like to learn more strategies for recognizing, assessing and solving fit issues, there are just 3 spots left in The Fitting Fundamentals Workshop being held on March 10th right here in beautiful Victoria BC. (The cherry blossoms should be out in full bloom just for you.) 

All My Best,
Alexandra

PS
If you happen to be a Threads Magazine insider, you might also find this article by Kathleen Cheetham useful: Fitting Plus Size...