Finished off the muslin for tailored pants this week. In-seam and lapped pockets were a chore.
Following the recommendations for the pattern produced pants with a classic 1975 fit using How Make Men's Clothes by Jane Rhinehart.
Now, I can't say I actually love them. There is plenty of room for improvement in the pattern. (drop that waist!) Good learning experience.
The book was great for creating the pattern but her construction explanations left plenty to be desired. I think instructions have changed a great deal over thirty five years. Long, convoluted sentences with tiny illustrations have been replaced by clear explanations and detailed photos. Thank goodness!
When I realized I couldn't follow her instructions I went with what seemed right.
How are you with instructions? Find it easier to work it out yourself?
16 comments:
I'm not very good at following instructions. I always think I can make stuff a faster and easier way. I think that's why I stopped sewing with patterns, not saying it always works out perfectly my way! But that's the fun of it :-)
Applause for your efforts, Don. I made tailored mens pants one time, when I was in high school, for a boyfriend. It was one of the most difficult sewing projects I ever did before or after, not made any easier by the purple velvet I was working with! I am ok following instructions if I have plenty of time to mull them over. More fun to wing it!
Gosh Don...feel so proud of you for doing this...that's so sexist isn't it...but I do...and re the instructions I usually follow them the first time and then adapt...ps Toowoomba is nice...I wake up to mist most mornings and am lucky enough to have some views of mountains and trees...and a little wallaby that visits most days...
Looks great for your first "taliored" pants. I find working out project rather than reading is always much more easier for me. Great job once again.
Oh I suck at following patterns - they never make sense to me but I can look at a garment and work out how to deconstruct it and make it. When my kids were little I used to lie them on top of a piece of material and cut around them to make their clothes - thank Heaven for stretch fabric. I was impressed with the pics of your draughted pattern (boggles actually)and to follow through and sew these suckers - I am dead impressed.
Ah! Don. Reminiscing here. Only thing missing are the pointy toe shoes or am I thinking of the wrong era? Not quite stove pipe. Great job! I usually follow instructions, however I I have been known to look at an existing garment and cut my own pattern, like the mother-of- the-bride dress I finished at 5am the day of my daughter’s wedding.
Oooh! Those are strangely attractive (ahem). Tailored stuff definitely has a mysterious sexiness denied to jeans.
It also goes to show that tailoring is a branch of engineering.
That is some serious sewing and I can't wait to see what happens next.
those look really good, but i'm sure not perfect for your first pants, so definitely a learning experience! very cool, i love seeing your progress and projects!! (keep it up you might win that spot of my UO assistant when I inevitably get hired ;))
Now sew up a Kilt with slash pockets on each side. I'll send you my measurements. I'd like knife pleats because they are easier to alter as I lose weight.
Great trousers, they look like they fit well. I haven't even made a pair of pants from a pattern yet, let alone drafting from scratch, Kudos!
That's your first try at tailored pants? Impressive.
I don't sew but with recipes I'm notorious for changing as I go rather than following directions.
Great job with those pants, Don. You're off to a great start with the self-drafting!
Those are pretty good, actually. I don't have a problem with directions, but certainly if one text isn't working for me, I do more research until I find a technique or instructions that work for me.
Thanks having joing my blog. It gives me great pleasure.Sorry for my brocken english. Ferget a lot and missing practice.
Un petit bonjour de Lausanne en Suisse..
Thought in my youth, I almost came to Australia to live. But always something stop this thaught. Close of the ambassade in Geneva for the *recensement * ( conpting peoples ) another time, a big feaste overthere. Well, it was not my destiny....
The goldpanners, went there for the worldpannig conpetition. As it was very difficult to travel alone throught the country, the others rent a camping car , ( in couple ) to go trhought, as alone it was to difficult. So I save the monney to realise a dream... go to Japan next year. Since I went there tvice. You probably sew the blog dedicate specialy to Japan.
Keep well.
Béatrice De... Lausanne.
Actually, these turned out darn well!!! I'm an instruction freak, but agree with you that we have more pictures now-a-days and that's an improvement. Words can't compete. It's interesting to see what you are up to!
Those dacks are totally marvellous for a first attempt. Have you found your niche, methinks good male fashion could be your forte Baby! You're sensaish. xo.
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