Perfect fitting pants seem to be the holy grail of sewing. Pants are difficult to fit due to various body shapes. I have been trying to perfect pants for a long time. To this end, at one of the Expos in October, 2014 I was fitted for the Fit For Art pants pattern called Eureka! Pants That Fit. Then I did nothing with the pattern. That is the problem – I am an unfocused sewist. I move on to the next shiny thing before I finish the one before. I am trying to do that less.

Fast forward to June, 2015. Our local ASG chapter hosted Rae Cumbie, the creator of the Eureka! Pants That Fit pattern for a pants fitting workshop. I debated long and hard about spending the time and money on this workshop since I had already shelled out for 1 fitting and did nothing with it. So, I decided to make a ‘mock-up’ of the pattern with the changes that were given to me at the 2014 fitting. If I could get this done in time, I would attend the class so I could receive more fitting advice from the instructor. Working full time interferes with my free time!

You see, this is at least the 3rd time I have been fitted for a pants pattern by someone and had not been happy with the results of the other fttings. I am unique – RTW pants fit me just fine. I just don’t like the high price, nor the small selection of colors and fabrics available in my size. Besides – being able to sew pants that look good is just a personal challenge and goal.

I got the mock-up done, registered for the class and dragged machine and other assorted materials and tools to the class. And, boy am I glad I did! It took 3 tweaks of my mock-up to have the pants fit as well as possible. I came home, made the adjustments to the pattern and proceeded to use “good” fabric to create a real pair of pants.

I chose a cotton/lycra spandex blend. I must have some stretch in my pants for comfort. The instructions say that you should trace the pattern and remove about 5/8″ from the seams when using a stretch fabric. Since fabrics can vary so much, I decided to cut the pants from the pattern I had just adjusted. You can always remove fabric, so if they were too big, that would be an easy fix. They were too big. Plus I wanted to narrow the legs and shorten them to ankle pants.

I basted the new pair together, took them in where needed, traced the pattern I had adjusted, and then cut off the extra from the pattern. This now gives me a separate pattern to use with a stretch fabric.

The pants are almost complete; they just need the waistband. They have a back zipper and I prefer a front zipper or elastic waist. Those are easy changes now that the pattern fits! Pictures to come when the are complete.