Top Down Center Out - Pants

 The next thing on my list of garments that are hard to buy for my body is pants! I have a lot of butt, and a fair amount of thigh, and proportionally a much smaller waist. In a front view I'm reasonably straight up and down, most of the difference between waist and hip is "Z" dimension (where X and Y are horizontal and vertical). 

I am starting with the Meriam Trouser pattern from Cashmerette. On first inspection, it appears to be a very well drafted pattern. The center grain line is balanced at the knee on the front and the back, and the seam lines match up. I measured 40" at the actual waistband location (around my hips rather than my natural waist) and 48" hip. This puts me right at the size 18. I used the full butt option, since I know I'll need it. 

I am fitting them using the Top Down Center Out method by Ruth Collins, @ithacamaven on instagram (and described by The Crooked Hem on youtube - her how too guides were super helpful). It basically has you fit the waistband first, at the place on your body you would like the waistband to sit, and then pin the single pant leg at the center and out to the hips. I also used the laser level grain line placement from Hand Made PhD, which worked very well. I don't think I would have know how to fix the pant leg swinging in at the ankle without her demos of how the balance at the hip affects the way the leg hangs. 

Front view of single pant leg - left is the original, right is the adjusted

I ended up moving the grain line at the front 3/4" closer to the center front, split between the crotch level and the hip level. I did that because I know I have a fair amount of depth to my hips, so increasing the crotch hook length seemed like it would be helpful. I shifted the back 1" closer to the center back, again half at the hip level and half at the crotch level. 

Back view - left is the original, right the revised.

After I tried both versions, I sewed them together to make a combined full muslin. I mostly wanted to check that I had enough space to sit in the combined pant. And also compare the two leg versions. 

Combined original and modified pants


I'm super excited to go on to a finished wearable test - I have some bottom weight twill that I got at joanns a while back that I think I'll use - just need to get a zipper and closer (I might just use a button for the first one) and see how it goes!



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