Shorts. Burda 06/2010 mod 115. Fabric – suiting of unknown content, very soft and stretchy

Jeans. Base – pattern taken from my old favourite pair. Fabric – stretch denim

Emerald blouse. Base – custom bodice block. Fabric – polyester crepe, very nice drape, LOVE the colour

“Leaves” blouse. Same as above, Fabric is a poly chiffon, gave me some grief, but we got there!

Pj pants and top. Trouser base: Classic tailored trouser pattern ( don’t laugh! ) by Aldrich in my size. Yup, no added fullness there. I removed side seam shaping and added 1.3 cm at CB and CF. I had severe shortage of fabric, because it was so expensive ( for pajamas I mean ), but I had to have it, it is just too cute. If I had more fabric, I’d definitely make CB longer by about 3.5 cm for added bagginess.

Fabric is cotton flannel with adorable pictures on it.

Lena, I have large upper arms, and a nice “fluff” of fat just behind it. As a result, slim sleeves (as in Vogue Patterns) are a nightmare to alter and fit whilst maintaining the high curve of sleevehead.
Got any tutorials to address this?

Dear ElleR,

thank you for suggesting a great tutorial. Yes, you can certainly adjust a close fitting sleeve with high sleeve cap for a fuller arm.

The conundrum

As you widen the sleeve to accommodate a fuller arm, you at the same time increase the sleeve cap length.

If the armscye length remains unchanged, at later stage you will have to deal with much more sleeve cap ease. To prevent this, some seamstresses decrease sleeve cap height. This might cause the sleeve fit and look differently.

The solution

To preserve height and the amount of sleeve cap ease at the sleeve cap you will need to do the following:

1. Take the amount you are widening the sleeve by ( let’s call it A ) and divide it by two.

2. Add A/2 to each side of the sleeve

3. Widen back and front of the bodice at armscye level by the same amount ( I’ll call it B ) thus lengthening the armscye

B = A*0.8

And so your sleeve has been widened, sleeve head cap height remained unchanged and amount of sleeve cap ease is under control.

You can find this and many other formulas and calculations in Sleeve and armscye ratios, relations and manipulations file.

In several weeks I have made stretch jeans, shorts, PJs and about to start working on VS dressy trousers.

Perfect trouser patterns are so rare I have never seen one. Every single trouser pattern I touched ended up sliced and diced and altered to such degree, there was nothing left of the original.

I tried commercial ones, I did knock-offs, I drafted myself… There is always so much work involved – measuring, fitting and tweaking is endless.  I found that a clear idea is a MUST when you are making your future favourite trousers – how high will they sit? How wide at the hips, thigh, knee? How much flare?

Do you know what your favourite trousers would look like? Do you know exactly what you want?

Sometimes there are a several trousers in your wardrobe that, combined, would make the best, most good looking trousers ever – The Frankenpants . The Super Pants.

What would they feel and look like on?

Any trouser pattern you own right now has the potential to became THE ONE. Using it as a base you can sew a whole lot of the best fitting trousers.

In my trouser alterations and pattern modifications I don’t leave many things to chance. I am a bit of a control freak, to be honest. There is a system I use to deal with my trouser patterns. I did not plan to write it down until my friend and very experienced seamstress ( and an educator ) Larisa Klepacheva suggested it. Together we have written all the notes down and have shaped it into a single file.

This e-book is about adjusting any trouser pattern to fit you ( or your client ) while it is still on paper. It is about how and where to measure and how to change it to eliminate major fitting flaws before you sew a muslin. It has lots of pictures, a very interesting way to measure and determine the most comfortable seat height and lots of tips on measuring, cutting, pattern marking and muslin sewing.

So take a look, this book might save you lots of time and money.

I was cutting out my stretch jeans and was almost finished – only small parts left ( pockets, fly pieces, etc ). I found a lovely piece of denim and began cutting out my pockets. After awhile I started to wonder where such a lovely long piece came from. I looked up and to my horror discovered that I have cut my pockets out of my trouser front piece. Bang! Right at the knee.

What to do?? I could cut out another front maybe? Unfortunately for me, there was not enough length left – I was 10 or 15 cm short.

How about pre-wash another piece of denim? But would I want to waste so much fabric because of my temporary insanity? I certainly would not.

Well, there was only one thing left to do – improvisation.

It took me some time to start thinking straight again and to come up with a plan. I decided to cut my trouser front in two parts with seam running horizontally about 15 cm below the waist and insert a zip there pretending that it was the plan all along.

And so, my simple stretch denim trousers became a bit more complex. In the end I ended up with two entrances into my right pocket and shiny zazzy zipper which I happen to love. And no extra denim wasted!

And here is the big view

I like this type of cut, I think they look better on me than skinny jeans – a slight flare balances out the leg.

How many times have you found yourself in a tough spot due to being inattentive? How did you get out of it? And did the result look better than the original plan? Do share :)

So, after long deliberation and search I found what I was looking for – a very smart pair of trousers (spotted on Victoria’s Secrets website) without pleats. I think my fabric looks exactly as the one pictured, it should be a satisfying project!

On top of this I am busy deconstructing my woollen jacket.

I love the fabric, it is so soft and light. The problem is that it is two sizes too big for me now ( size 44 ). This is what you get after loosing 30 kg. I wish I took the pictures of me wearing the jacket before I ripped into it, but I was so inspired to make it work, that before I thought of it the lining and sleeves were gone. Let’s just say it is hopelessly big, with bust darts about 10 cm too low, shoulders too wide, etc.

At first I thought I would have to completely re-cut it, but the pockets are in the way and I will have to work around them by taking in at CB and side back seams, shortening and lowering shoulders, re-setting sleeves and re-sewing collar. Is it all worth it? I guess I’ll soon find out.

Wish me luck.