75: Preparing to Sew Pants

a: Test the pattern in muslin
to make sure the pattern
fits well. 

Here are the steps involved in preparing to sew pants

1. If you are using a new pattern for the first time, even before you buy the fabric, test the pattern in muslin. Then either look in a three-way mirror to see the fit in the back of the pants, or as a trusted friend to tell you have they look. You can also have your friend take a picture of the back of the pants to make sure they fit well (diagram a).

b: Lay the pants out on the cutting table to determine how much
fabric will be needed. 

2. Determine how much fabric you will need to cut the pants. Lay all of the patterns the same direction. This presents the possibility of shading in the finished garment. Sketch the layout on the front pant pattern.

d: Swatch the fabrics in a notebook.
Add the length and width of the
fabric and where it is stored.

c: Keeping swatches in a swatch book makes
it easy to prevent buying fabrics
you already have while in a fabric store .

3. Before buying the fabric, check fabrics that you already have. A good idea is to have your fabrics inventoried so you can quickly check without going through your stored fabrics.

Keeping swatches in a swatch book with the fabric's width and length makes it easy to check the fabrics you already have (photo d).

Write the yardages on the front, needed to cut favorite patterns. Add your contact information so if lost the booklet can be easily returned (photo c).

4. Consider buying enough fabric (10 yards is a good length) to make not only the pants, but also a top such as a jacket or blouse depending on the fabric's weight, and a skirt. This will provide an ensemble that matches, making it easy to put together a complete outfit whenever needed, for whatever occasion. Buy a color that matches your color palette. Ask other shoppers in the store if the fabric's color is good for you. 

 

e: Check with an L-square to make
sure the fabric is on grain.

f. If the fabric is badly off grain, pin as shown and steam
toward the fold. Stop just before the fold so as not
to press a fold into the fabric.

g. Cut from right-to-left if right handed,
left-to-right if left handed.

5. Prepare the fabric. Check with an L-square that the fabric is on grain (diagram e).

6. If the fabric is badly off grain pin then press as shown in diagram f.

8. Lay the fabric as determined by the previous layout. Refer to the sketch on the front pant pattern (diagram b).





9.  Cut the pants. Cut from right-to-left if right handed, left-to-right if left handed. This way the eyes are always the same distance from the shears. Slide the shears on the table as you cut (diagram g).

More about sewing pants next week.

Diagrams for this post are from
The Basics for Sewing Pants and Skirts.

Your comments are most welcome - Laurel

Check out my new website.

If interested in reading more posts about fashion technology, please consider adding your name to this blog's circles. Please consider following me on Facebook where I post links to fashion feeds and other fashion related topics.

Look for the article about seam allowance modification that I wrote for Threads Magazine. It will be in their 199 issue that will be on the newsstands in late August (2018). 

https://cfashionedu.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurelHoffmann1

Phone: 215 884 7065

© Laurel Hoffmann, 2018. 

74: How to Measure Crotch Depth

The information in this post is from The Basics for Drafting & Fitting Pants and Skirts. Written by an industrial production pattern maker, tested in the college classroom with Continuing Professional Education Students, the book addresses all custom fit issues, including asymmetrical fit. Drafting instructions are included for inserted back pockets, inserted front pockets and front diagonal pockets with pocket stays, lining, and much more.

Combined with its companion book, The Basics for Sewing Pants and Skirts, the two books present the step-by-step, classroom-tested information you need to produce professional, beautifully fitted skirts and pants.

Below is an overview from The Basics for Drafting & Fitting Pants and Skirts. of how to measure, draft, and fit crotch depth:

Measuring the crotch depth

2-16: Measure the crotch depth by
having the person being fitted sit on a chair.
Write the measurement in
cell 18.

Complete the chart to determine how much depth
should be drafted into the pant pattern.

1. Have the person being fitted sit on a chair that has no arms. Measure the crotch depth. 
2. Write the measurement in cell 19 in Chart 2-17, Crotch Measurements.
3. Add the desired amount of ease in cell 20, usually one inch.
4. Complete Chart 2-17.

2-15: The crotch length 
starts at the body's
center front at the waist,
continues down the
center front, around
the crotch, and up
the center back
to the center back
at the waist.

About crotch length

The pattern’s crotch length is the seam that runs down the center front from the waist, under the crotch, and up the center back to the waist. It combines vertical and horizontal lines. The desired crotch length is written in cell 18, in Chart 2-17, for future reference.

The pattern’s crotch length is longer than the body’s crotch length because the pattern’s crotch length includes ease.

Even if the crotch length is correct, the pants may not fit correctly through the crotch. That is because the crotch length is comprised of both vertical and horizontal measurements.

If the front and back vertical measurements are too long, the front and back horizontal measurements will be too short causing the crotch’s curves to pull in under the crotch.

If the front and back vertical measurements are too short, the crotch’s curves will be too high and may cause blousing above the hip line.

This diagram from The Basics for Drafting & Fitting Pants and Skirts
shows the pant patterns' crotch length drafted over a skirt sloper
that was previously fitted on the model. 

Drafting pants to fit involves three separate fitting areas

Women have very different fit issues. Fitting pants can be a challenge. Drafting and fitting pants in the classroom with adult women has proven that fitting pants involves three separate fitting areas which are:

1. The waist to hip area. Draft and correct this area to fit by drafting a skirt sloper (a basic pattern used in the industry to draft patterns for garment styles) to measurements, then cutting and fitting the skirt sloper in muslin.
2. The crotch area. Draft this area from measurements over the skirt sloper, as shown in the diagram above, so as to incorporate the skirt muslin's fit corrections into the pant pattern.
3. The legs. Draft from measurements, then muslin fit the crotch and legs. The crotch area is affected by the fit through the legs. If the inseam at the knee is too tight, it will create pulls at the base of the back crotch area, a common problem seen in mass-produced pants. 

  

Effective drafting, fitting, and sewing pants involves:

1.  Careful measuring - charts are needed to record and determine measurements
2.  Skillful fitting - transparent clothing in The Basics for Drafting & Fitting Pants and Skirts shows how the fabric lies over the body.
3.  Precise sewing - step-by-step instructions in The Basics for Sewing Pants and Skirts show how top seamstresses in the industry's designing departments produce high-end pants.

Your comments are most welcome - Laurel

Check out my new website.

If interested in reading more posts about fashion technology, please consider adding your name to this blog's circles.

Please consider following me on Facebook where I post links to fashion feeds and other fashion related topics.

Look for the article about seam allowance modification that I wrote for Threads Magazine. It will be in their 199 issue that will be on the newsstands in late August (2018). 

https://cfashionedu.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurelHoffmann1

Phone: 215 884 7065

© Laurel Hoffmann, 2018. 

73: Efficient Feed Dog Usage

The presser foot and feed dog work together to
feed the fabric through the machine
 as the seams are sewn.

Effective understanding and use of feed dog speeds the sewing and enables professional results. 

The presser foot and feed dog work together to feed fabric through the machine as the seams are sewn. 

However, the two work differently making several procedures, such as sewing to match and easing in fullness 

easier to do.

The feed dog moves up, then back as it
pulls the fabric through the machine.

The feed dog moves up, then back as it pulls the fabric through the machine.

The presser foot lifts slightly, then lowers, allowing the feed dog to pull the fabric back as the fabric is sewn together.

The presser foot lifts slightly up, then down as the
feed dog moves the fabric back through the machine. 

Because the presser foot does NOT move back, if one does not have full control of the sewing the top ply of fabric will move slower through the machine than the bottom ply of fabric. 


Sewing notch-to-notch solves this problem.

Snip the center of notches
printed on home sewing patterns
so as to be able to align the
two  plies of a seam as the plies
are sewn together.

To prevent the lower ply being sewn faster than the top ply, snip the center of notches that are printed on home sewing patterns. This makes it easier to align the two plies of a seam as it is sewn. 

There are times when allowing the bottom ply to sew faster than the top ply speeds sewing.

Allow the feed dog to ease in the sleeve cap's fullness
as the sleeve cap is sewn into the armhole.

Easing Fullness 

Allowing the feed dog to ease in a sleeve cap's fullness speeds sewing. Pin the notches, then pin in the ease. Sew the cap into the armhole before the side seams are sewn. Then sew the side seams. Finally sew the armhole closed where it is still open at the underarm. 

In this diagram
the bottom ply is
shown slightly extended
to the right to
illustrate how the
bottom ply is laid
slightly behind the top
ply before the
seam is sewn.

Sewing to Match

Holding the bottom ply slightly behind the top ply, enables perfect matching.  

In the diagram on the left the bottom ply is shown slightly extended to the right to illustrate how the bottom ply is laid slightly behind the top ply before the seam is sewn.When sewing to match lay the plies edge-to-edge with the bottom ply laid slightly behind the top ply.

Used in the industry, first test with sample fabric, just how much to hold the bottom ply as the fabric moves through the machine.

Three important considerations:

1. The garment must be cut to match.
2. The two plies of fabric must be cut on the same angle to the grain line.
3. The fabric cannot be basted or pinned.

The amount of the bottom ply that is held back varies with different fabrics, but is usually no more than 1/16 of an inch, making the fabric look as if it is about to be miss-matched as it approaches the needle.

As the fabric moves under the needle, the feed dog will pull the bottom ply in, causing the fabric to match perfectly. 

Your comments are most welcome - Laurel

Check out my new website! 

Look for the article about seam allowance modification that I wrote for Threads Magazine. It will be in their 199 issue that will be on the newsstands in late August (2018). 

Pattern making books, sewing books and sewing classes:
https://cfashionedu.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CFashionEdu
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurelHoffmann1

Phone: 215 884 7065

© Laurel Hoffmann, 2018.  

72: Sustainability

The fashion/ textile industry is second largest industrial polluter on the planet 

Only to the oil industry pollutes the planet more  

This is a huge concern for the fashion industry and was a major topic at the Texworld USA and Apparel Sourcing USA trade show at NYC Javit's Center, last week (July 23-25, 2018). 

Americans discard 40 pounds of
clothing a year. Buying better, using
longer is one solution to this problem.
Learning to sew quality clothing
 is another. Quality, custom sewn clothing
made using high-end industrial
procedures, is comfortable,
a delight to wear,
and will still look new
30 years later. 

Some of the reasons for this problem:

1. Insecticides used in growing cotton result in Texas cotton farmers experiencing a high rate of cancer.
2. Many chemicals used to produce synthetic fabrics are toxic
3. Polyester fibers are made from oil - clothing made from these fibers stain easily, causing the clothing to be quickly discarded
4. Many chemicals used in the finishing of fabrics are toxic. One can smell these chemicals when one enters a clothing or fabric store
5. After 50 washings to remove the chemicals, some may still remain
6. Dyes can be toxic
7. Consumers buy cheap clothing, which has a short life

   

   Color analysis enables better selection of wardrobe
   items, and the ability to create a wardrobe
    that requires fewer pieces.
   More information

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8. Not all manufactured clothing is purchased, creating waste
9. Global transportation of fabrics and manufactured clothing requires considerable energy, adding to the pollution
10. The average American discards 40 pounds of clothing a year.
11. Land fills are filling up with discarded clothing
12. An excessive time frame is needed for discarded synthetic fabrics to decompose

Sustainability comes up over and over again in the fashion feeds. Here is one I received recently:

Prada will host a conference on sustainability titled “Shaping a Sustainable Digital Future”,in partnership with the Yale School of Management and the Polytechnic University of Milan’s School of Management. Set to take place on November 20 at the Prada Foundation in Milan, this is the second event in Prada’s “Shaping a Future” series of cultural conversations. Launched last year, the initiative aims to bring academics and businesses together to discuss how to build a sustainable future.

• “‘Shaping a Sustainable Digital Future” will explore the large impact and implications of digitalization on business and societal sustainability”, said Prada in a statement. Representatives from several businesses and institutions will take part in the discussions, which will be attended by the business students from both partner universities.

Fit is one of the main
reasons so much clothing
is either not purchased
or is discarded.
Far too many manufactured
 pants pull in the crotch.
A custom fitted pants pattern solves that problem.
Drafting & Fitting Pants and Skirts
shows how to draft to
prevent pulls under the crotch.

• But you don’t have to study at Yale or the Polytechnic University of Milan to watch the conference, as it will also be live-streamed on Prada’s website. More information about the live-streaming, as well as the event's program and speakers, is to published on Prada's website soon. ##

At the trade show's seminar, Consumer Engagement and Shifting Consumer Preferences, Bruce Thomson, Co-founder and CEO of Bright Label, discussed how he is working to bring transparency to manufacturers' clothing labels. 

As stated in his seminar's description he said: Increasingly, brands are investing in sustainable sourcing, certified materials, and transparency; meanwhile, consumers, especially millennials, are demonstrating a greater desire to know more about how their clothes were made before they buy.  Texworld USA Summer 2018 - Seminar Series Schedule.

Your comments are most welcome - Laurel

Check out my new website! 

Look for the article about seam allowance modification that I wrote for Threads Magazine. It will be in their 199 issue that will be on the newsstands in late August (2018). 

Books: https://cfashionedu.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CFashionEdu
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurelHoffmann1

Phone: 215 884 7065

© Laurel Hoffmann, 2018.