When do you feel most inspired to sew?

For me, the motivation is usually sparked by a change in seasons, a special occasion, an unsuccessful shopping experience or travel plans. I recently had a burst of sewing inspired by summer travel plans so I wanted to share what I made and give you a little “behind the scenes” view of the pattern work that allowed me to skip the sample and cut into the fashion fabric with confidence.

I was sure I was going to skip the jumpsuit trend this time around, but I found this pattern in my collection and it seemed the perfect piece to take on a summer vacation as well as an elevated way to stay comfortable throughout the entire summer. As an added bonus I already had the fabric and notions on hand.

Unfortunately this pattern is out of print, but I have no doubt you'll find a similar one if you're so inclined. Watch the video for a closer look at the pattern and a summary of how I altered the pattern to fit me without needing to sew a...

If you’re on my email list you already know that this week I’ll be showing you how to find the balance lines on the In-House Patterns Ellen pants. If you’d like to follow along with your own version of the Ellen pant pattern you can find the pattern HERE. If you’re working with another pant pattern you’ll get some insight on how to find the balance lines on that pattern too.

In the video I share details on finding the balance lines on the size 8 Ellen sewing pattern by In-House Patterns. If you're using another size use the information in the chart below to guide you in placing the Hip, High HIp and Calf balance lines on the size you're working with. Follow the video lesson for the method and the process of finding all the other balance lines.

Last week we talked about invisible darts on bodice patterns. If you happened to miss that video tutorial, take a moment to go back and watch, I think you’ll find it an interesting perspective on the fitting elements that many sewing patterns contain.

This week, I’m expanding on the topic to share the invisible dart locations you’ll find on pant patterns.

Take a moment and watch the video, you may not have considered the fitting elements that I share inside. 

Get your pant scaled block patterns HERE.

Enjoy!

All My Best,
Alexandra

The most challenging thing about fitting pants is getting the patterns crotch curve to reflect the shape of the body it is being fit to. An ill-fitting crotch curve results in draglines, wrinkles and excess fabric that can make pants uncomfortable and unflattering. The crotch curve needs to accommodate the length, width and depth of the body as well as align to the curves within those parameters. This area of the human body is as individual as your DNA so it’s no wonder we have trouble figuring out what to do when we’re not satisfied with the fit of our pants.

 This week we’re on to video #4 of the Fitting Pants video series. If you’ve missed the previous videos, I encourage you to go back and watch them. They contain important information that will help you understand the concepts I present today.

Fitting Pants: How to Get Started

Fitting Pants: The Tummy Adjustment

Fitting Pants: The Seat Adjustment

 When fitting the crotch curve of pants what you...

Today’s video is a continuation of the Fitting Pants video series. This is the third video in the series so if you missed the first two, follow the links below to catch up.

Fitting Pants: How to Get Started

Fitting Pants: The Tummy Adjustment

This week we’re going to look a little closer at the rear view of our pants and discuss the full and flat seat fitting issues. These are what I like to call companion fit issues because the solutions to each of these are essentially the exact opposite of each other. While one will require and increase in the pattern dimensions, the other will require a decrease, but both use the same alteration lines in the pattern adjustment technique.

Before we jump into solving this week’s issue, once again, there are a few things you need to confirm before you start the fitting process. Make sure you have your balance lines marked on your garment, be sure you’ve chosen the correct pattern size, and use the fitting order as I’ve...

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....