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Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations. 

Caroline: Hello and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too. Join us for today’s topic: sewing and fitting pants.

Helen: Hi, Caroline. 

Caroline: Hi, Helen. 

Helen: How are you? 

Caroline: Oh, I’m sad because it’s our last episode of the season. 

Helen: I know! It went by really fast, didn’t it? 

Caroline: Yes, It’s been so fun though. I feel like we did some really, really amazing episodes this season. And I want to take a second to just thank our listeners for listening along this season.

Helen: Yes, it has been a nice change. Thank you so much again for your support switching to seasons. If you’re new to the show, don’t worry about it. It’s all good. But we will be back in the fall with a whole new season of Love to Sew, and we’re going to spend the summer prepping for it. So it’s going to be amazing. And in the meantime, we’ll be airing some of our favorite Love to Sew episodes from the past, and you can just find those in your podcast feed as we release them. 

Caroline: Yes, and of course, we will be over on Patreon on the off-season doing our usual bonus content. So if you want to hear some behind the scenes updates on our businesses and our personal lives, you can support us over there for just $5 a month. You’ll get access to that bonus episode, and we actually have a lot of fun in those episodes. They’re a little bit more informal and chatty. I know a lot of the time, when people will listen to them for the first time, they’ll be like, Ooh, you guys are kind of different in your bonus episode. 

Helen: It’s true. And we don’t get a chance to, like, catch up that often, you and I. So it’s really, it’s just like our monthly catchup where we talk about everything we’ve got going on in our lives. And we also talk about all the fun, new pattern releases that came out that month, so it’s a really good time. And there are other perks too. If you support us at $10 or more a month, you get another bonus episode, a little mini-sode, and a discount code for both of our shops. So it kind of pays for itself if you are a regular shopper with Blackbird Fabrics and Helen’s Closet. And the bonus mini-sode for the month of May was actually a discussion about how to share your me mades because of course, it’s Me Made May, how to take pictures and feel confident in your me mades if you’re planning to share on social. So that was a really fun little mini episode. 

Caroline: Yeah, it definitely was. So if you want to support us on Patreon, go to patreon.com/lovetosew, and we’d love to see you over there. 

Helen: Yeah, and we’ll see you all or hear you all or you will hear us in September. 

Caroline: Yes! We’re going to have a fun summer. Okay. We also have an exciting announcement to make: we have transcripts for our new episodes! So our team transcriber, Margaret, has been making accurate transcripts for us. And we started posting them the day the episode comes out which is so awesome. We’re so happy to be able to do this. They’re on the show notes page for Zero Waste Sewing, Lyocell/Tencel, some of the other episodes this season. This episode will have a transcript, and Margaret is also going to start working on the rest of the episodes for the season soon, so look out for that very soon. We should have this whole season transcribed and have those transcriptions in the show notes. Uh, we’re really, really excited to make our show more accessible. If you want to find the show notes, you can just go to lovetosewpodcast.com, and they’re all listed for each episode. And just scroll down to the end; that’s where you’re going to find the transcripts. And if you could, spread the word about these transcripts to those who might need or want them, we want to get the word out about them. 

Helen: Yes! I’m so excited about this change, and thank you, Margaret, for all your hard work on these transcripts. 

Caroline: Yes. Okay. Let’s start the show. We have a really exciting one today because we love sewing pants. We love wearing pants. Pants pants pants!  

Helen: I really do love sewing pants. I like it more than I thought I would. I mean, pants are so hard to shop for. Sometimes it feels like you’re looking for that needle in a haystack. like, will I ever find a pair of pants that fits me properly? And you might even face the same problems over and over, like they fit in your hips, but they’re always too tight in the waist or vice versa. Or you might get bagginess or tightness in different places. And you’re just like, ugh, it’s so frustrating. 

Caroline: It is. It can be so frustrating shopping for ready to wear pants. And that’s one reason why it’s nice to be able to sew your own because you can customize the fit to get the perfect pair or multiple perfect pairs. But, and this is a big “but,” no pun intended… fitting and sewing your own pants can be a lot of work. 

Helen: Yes, we hope that beginner sewists hoping to sew their first pair of pants and longtime pants sewists will get something out of this episode. We’re going to guide you through getting started with pants sewing and fitting as well. And we’re going to share some expert tips and resources along the way to make this a little bit easier for you as you endeavor to sew your own pants. 

Caroline: Okay. I can’t wait to get started. So, the actual sewing of the pants is probably easier than the fitting part. Do you agree, Helen? 

Helen: I do agree. So let’s start with the sewing. If you’re a beginner to pants sewing, we have a few suggestions for pants types that will be a bit easier than traditional fitted trousers or jeans. 

Caroline: Yeah, so elastic waist pants are a great choice for this. With an elastic waistband, you don’t have to worry about a fly or an invisible zipper. You also don’t have to fit the waist precisely. Uh, so, the Arden Pants from Helen’s Closet are a great option for a beginner pants pattern because they have an elastic waist and jeans details. That way you can practice your jeans making skills without having to do any intense fitting. And I love the Arden Pants, but there are also so many great elastic waist pants patterns on the market these days so take your pick. I know I have several in my stash that I am just waiting, there’s, like, a lineup, waiting to try out the perfect elastic waist pants. 

Helen: It’s true. You can’t have enough because they are all, kind of, slightly different, and you want to look out for that perfect pants for you, the perfect crotch curve, the perfect rise. And of course, you can make these adjustments, but it’s fun to try out the new patterns as they come out and just see, maybe you’re going to find that little needle in a haystack. 

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. If you’re just starting off with pants, sewing wide leg pants are easier than pants that are more fitted through the leg because the fabric hangs loosely from the hips. So if you’re only fitting the waist and hips, you don’t have to worry about getting the back of the pants to cup your butt. I never thought I’d say “cup your butt” here on the Love to Sew Podcast, but here we are, Helen. 

Helen: Here we are. And Peppermint Magazine actually has a free pattern: The Wide Leg Pants pattern designed by Emily from In the Folds, and it’s a great option. It’s free or donation based. So there’s not a ton of risk there for your investment. I also love the Dawn Jeans from Megan Nielsen for that wide leg. And I agree. It’s nice to just fit that upper part of your lower half, the upper lower half of your body and not worry so much about the legs cause they just hang down from there.

Caroline: Exactly. And you could also try stretch pants or stretch jeans for a more forgiving fit. Some don’t have, like, a fly or belt loops. For example, the Jalie’s Eleonore Pull-On Jeans are well-reviewed on the Curvy Sewing Collective, and they have the top stitching and pockets that you love to see on jeans, but they’re just pull on. So this one would also be great for beginners. 

Helen: Yes, and shorts are a good option too. They can be a bit easier to fit because again, there’s nothing to fit from the thighs down, and you can use a shorts pattern or hack a pants pattern to turn it into shorts. We like the Megan Nielsen Flint Pants and Shorts. They’re super cute with a little pleat front. And any shorts that have, like, an elastic waist or an elastic back are a good option as well, because again, just easier to fit. So don’t be too intimidated as a beginner. You can definitely sew pants. If you can sew a top, you can sew pants. You got this.

Caroline: You got this. Exactly. So intermediate pants sewists might want to try pants that have more details and, maybe, require a little bit more fitting. So this could be non-stretch jeans and trousers cause this’ll provide a little bit more of a challenge for you. And they’re super wearable, the kind of thing that you can see yourself wearing all the time. So you’re going to need to pay attention to the fit of your muslin, but with all the great resources out there in the sewing community, you can definitely master this. Try Cashmerette’s Ames Jeans which have the fly, top stitching and all the jeans bells and whistles, or maybe the Seamwork Callaghan Pants which are beautifully fitted high-waisted pants with a pintuck down the front. 

Helen: There are so many fun features and techniques that you’ll encounter when you’re making pants that you might not have seen on other patterns which is one of the reasons why it’s so fun to make them. Don’t get too overwhelmed. We’re going to discuss these one at a time and hopefully, clear up some of these techniques for you. But I also just want to say one step at a time. Like with all things in sewing, it’s one step at a time. So, the instruction booklet for pants can look a little scary if you read too far ahead, but it’s all just one seam at a time, and you can totally do it. So first let’s talk about top stitching. Top stitching is a row of stitching that’s visible on the right side of the garment. And in pants making, top stitching works as both a design feature and a way to hold those seams down so they don’t irritate your skin when you wear them, as well as add strength to that garment. With something like jeans, it’s workwear typically, or at least that’s what it was designed for, so you want it to be extra strong. 

Caroline: Definitely. And we’ve talked about the edge stitching foot before. I absolutely love my edge stitching foot. It’s so great for really neat top stitching, although you can top stitch without it. But what I love about it is that it has this guide close to the stitch line that you can kind of fit into the groove that the seam has made. This is the ditch that people mean when they say stitch in the ditch. And this is going to help you stitch next to the ditch which is what you do when you’re top stitching pants. So you kind of line up that guide with the ditch and then you move your needle over however much you want, and it will just guide you through and create this, like, perfectly straight, perfectly aligned top stitching. I just think it creates such a beautiful finish. 

Helen: It does. It’s especially handy when you’re doing two rows of topstitching which you do see on jeans quite often. So getting that, like, first line without that stitching foot, I find I can do, but then the second line, if I try to do it without the edge stitching foot, it just looks super wonky, and I can never get them to be, like, equidistant. So getting that edge stitching foot, if you’re doing a lot of double top stitching is great. Another tip we have for this is to use a longer stitch length for top stitching. It tends to look a little bit neater. You can try it out on a swatch to see what you think. Try your standard two and a half stitch length, and then maybe try a three or a three and a half, and just compare and see what you like, especially if you’re using a thicker top stitching thread, I think a longer stitch length just makes it look that extra level of polished.

Caroline: And there are threads on the market that are just for top stitching; they’re thicker than all purpose threads. So they’re really visible, and they look great on the outside of garments. We love the Gutterman Mara 70 thread which you can get at Blackbird. You want to use all purpose thread in your bobbin when you stitch with top stitching thread, so you can adjust the upper thread tension. Make sure you use the appropriate needle, and you’re going to get really pretty stitches. Adjusting the bobbin tension usually means breaking out the screwdriver, so you can avoid doing that if you use regular thread in the bobbin. I don’t think you need to use top stitching thread on all projects. I have made a pair of black jeans before, and you can just use regular black thread, and I think that totally works or, like, a navy thread on a denim. If it’s your first pair of jeans and you’re intimidated by top stitching thread, it’s definitely not necessary, but it gets a really nice finish if you want to go for it. 

Helen: Yeah, exactly. I think both look good. I’ve done the same thing and just matched my all purpose thread to the jeans color. And then you don’t have to worry about that gold top stitching. 

Caroline: Exactly. And you can also use all purpose thread with a top stitching stitch that goes forwards and back to make a thicker stitch. I think it’s also called a triple stitch, and this can take longer. So, you know, heavier topstitching thread is always easier and faster, but if you want to get that look and you don’t have the top stitching thread, you can use regular thread.

Helen: Yes, and for many pants patterns, you’re going to finish your seam allowance, press it to one side, and then top stitch it down close to the seam line. Like we said, this just adds extra strength, and it also adds that decorative detail, and it keeps those seams from irritating. Especially on the inseam, you don’t want seams flopping around and irritating your skin, so you want to top stitch them down. A nice alternative to that method is flat felled seams. With a flat felled seam, you can grade one side of the seam allowance so it’s a quarter inch wide, and then you press the longer seam allowance over the quarter inch wide one, enclosing it, and press the whole thing to the side. So you’re basically, like, wrapping it up in a little blanket and pressing it to the side, and then you top stitch it the same way that you would if you had serged it. So this gives you that completely flat seam on the inside  which looks great and feels amazing to wear. If you’re using a top stitching thread for this method, you’ll want to have it in your bobbin as well, so that you can do your top stitching from the inside of the pants. This is super handy. I mean, if you can get the right tension with top stitching thread in your bobbin, it can be a bit tricky. But topstitching on top of a flat felled seam from the inside of the garment is a lot easier than trying to do it from the outside of the garment and it potentially unraveling, and you not noticing that it’s unraveled.

Caroline: So true. Yeah, so if you can get it to work, then do it with a topstitching thread in both the bobbin and the regular thread. 

Helen: Yeah. Love it. 

Caroline: Love it. This next pants feature that we’re going to talk about is something that intimidates a lot of sewists, and that is the fly. Dun dun dunnnnn. The part of the fly that we usually think of when we think of flies is that curved top stitched line on the pants front, and this is actually stitching down the fly facing. But flies have multiple parts to them. So another part would be the fly shield which is a separate pattern piece that goes between the body and the pants closure to, kind of, protect your body from the zipper rubbing right up against your skin. 

Helen: Right. Literally shielding you from potential harm. 

Caroline: Exactly. 

Helen: The most common fly type we see is a zip fly which typically lies a bit flatter than the other kind of fly which is a button fly. Button flies have a row of buttons in place of the zipper. They have a really cool like vintage feel to them, but they can be a bit bothersome if you need to rush to the bathroom.

Caroline: I don’t know, I’ve, I’ve really mastered my, like, ripping open of my button fly when I have to pee. You can do it pretty, pretty fast if you practice. 

Helen: It’s true. It was really stiff after you finish it, too. But over time as you wear them, it definitely starts to soften up, and you do get the hang of taking it off and putting it on easily. But button flies are a little bit harder, I think, than zipper flies. What do you think, Caroline? 

Caroline: Yeah, I think they’re just different. Especially if you’re used to sewing a zip fly, a button fly can feel like not your usual thing. So it takes a little bit longer to wrap your head around. Personally, I like button flies sometimes, but not when I’m wearing, like, a really tight fitting high-waisted pair of pants cause I find it doesn’t have that, like, closure power that a zipper has, and my pants tend to almost like stretch out in between the buttons and it almost draws attention to the fly. And when you sit down, it almost, like, can gape sometimes. So I personally prefer a zip fly where I can, but I think, like, a, a button fly looks really cool and vintage-y, so there’s a place for it for me, for sure. 

Helen: I think so, too. I love the look, and there are button flies that have the buttons visible, and there are also button flies that have them hidden inside the fly closure which is, like, next-level button fly. But you know, you just work your way up to these things.

Caroline: Yeah, and remember that there are so many methods for sewing flies. Once you learn the method you like the most, you can do it that way every time, even if your pattern instructions say differently. And one way that’s really cool is to sew the fly really early in the process when the pants are still flat, so this makes it a little bit easier to finagle. So Seamwork has an article all about sewing a zipper fly, so we’re going to link that in the show notes, but just remember, you can use whatever fly method you like and interchange flies in different patterns. You might have to do a little adjusting to make it work, but if you like the method, it’s worth it. I would say pay special attention to the fly extension, if there is one. If you’re using a method that uses a fly extension, you’re going to have to add that extension to the front pants leg piece. So it’s not just a matter of switching out the fly pieces, you also might have to adjust your pants leg. I have made this mistake in the past, so I’m just, kind of, putting that out there to anyone that might want to use your own pieces for making a fly, just pay attention to all the different components.

Helen: Yeah, and sewing flies is honestly not too hard once you try it a couple of times, but it always feels a little intimidating to get started. There’s a lot of steps, and there are quite a few little pieces sometimes. So like we said, just take it one step at a time and, you know, practice on some muslin or some scrap fabric. You don’t need to go right into your project with that zipper. You can practice the whole technique ahead of time, and then you can go to your project and, you know, even Caroline and I have to look carefully at instructions when we’re sewing flies. I cannot sew a fly from memory. Maybe after I make a jeans pattern, I’ll be able to do it because I’ll have to sew, like, 20 of them, But to this day, I still have to look really carefully at the instructions every time I make a fly, and I second guess myself, and I screw it up all the time. So you know what, it is a little bit tricky, but it is just one step at a time. 

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. And it’s also worth mentioning that not all pants have a fly. Some have an exposed row of buttons or an exposed zipper at the front, some close at the side or back with an invisible zipper or a conventional zipper. Others have a full stretch waistband or a back stretch waistband. Say that five times fast. Some have faux flies. So there are so many different closures for pants, and you don’t necessarily have to sew a fly if you’re going to get into pants making. 

Helen: Very true. Okay. This brings us to our next pants feature which is the waistband. Most pants have them…not all, but most. And usually waistbands are interfaced. Some people like to interface both sides of the waistband, so the side that faces out and the side that faces your body. Some people like to interface only one side of that for the extra stability. If your fabric is light or medium weight, you will probably want to interface both. Whereas if you’re using a really heavyweight fabric, you could probably get away with just interfacing one side. Waistbands face a lot of movement and strain, and they need to be able to stand up to that. So that’s why we interface them. If you don’t interface at all, which is an option, your waistband will be a little bit more malleable which means that if you’re sitting down and standing up a lot during the day, it’s going to start to stretch out and you’re going to notice that it’s just getting looser and looser. So the interfacing helps to, kind of, hold it in place, but it does mean that it can be a little bit more constrictive on your body, at least for the first half of the day. 

Caroline: I personally, I feel, like, for really heavy weight denims and canvases, like 13, 14 ounces, you might prefer not to interface your waistband at all, but you can also interface with like a lightweight, plain cotton so that you have that stability, but it still gives you just, like, a little bit of give. I’m thinking, especially for high-waisted styles, sometimes, like, it’s hard to even sit in a pair of jeans because the waistband can be so tight. So those kinds of styles, you might not want to interface, but it really depends on the fabric and also just, like, your comfort level. If you need to have a little bit of, like, breathing room in your high-waisted jeans, I would recommend no interfacing.

Helen: Definitely. A couture technique for strengthening waistbands is actually to sew in a grosgrain or petersham ribbon that’s the same width of your waistband. So you basically just sandwich it in between the two waistband pieces. There’s a great video on couture waistband techniques with our past guest, Susan Khalje, on the Threads Magazine website. We’ll link that in the show notes. And in it, she demonstrates this technique of adding this grosgrain or petersham ribbon in there, um, which is really cool. That would give you even more stability because grosgrain and petersham ribbons do not stretch at all. 

Caroline: Mhm, mhm, Yeah, that’s a really cool technique. Okay. Let’s move on to pockets. Pockets are a great feature of pants, and they get even better when you know how to sew them. You can make your pockets bigger than is found in ready to wear. You can add pockets to patterns that have none. You can fill your pockets with cool rocks to show people you meet in the grocery store. Pockets are seriously magical. There are a few different types of pockets you’re going to find on pants. So let’s talk about some examples here today. 

Helen: First of all, I was just collecting rocks the other day. So I really feel like this is applicable to me, and also who hasn’t bought a pair of pants and then you put your hand in the front pocket of your jeans and you’re like, what the? Like the pockets are only, like, two inches deep. It’s so stupid.

Caroline: Yeah. I find in ready to wear, a lot of the time, the butt pocket is too small for me. And I’m like, whoever did this grading didn’t know what was up. I love that when I make my own pants, I can make, like, extra large butt pockets for my extra large butt. I love it.

Helen: I love that too. Okay. So the first type of pocket we want to talk about is in seam pockets. And those are pocket bags that are sewn into the side seams of pants. They can be barely visible from the outside if you sew them completely into the seam, or they can have a diagonal or curved line from the side seam to the waistband, like in traditional five pocket jeans. So Seamwork has an article on how to design and sew your own inseam pockets with different shapes and variations. Um, you’ll often see inseam pockets in looser pants like elastic waist pants. You probably won’t see them so much in jeans. And the downside to inseam pockets is that they can add bulk to the side seam of your project, so that’s in the hip area. And they flop around unless you anchor them to the waistband or top stitch them to the pants front. So I know some people don’t like the way that they flop around, and there are ways to get around that with using the inseam pocket method. But if you’re sewing a pair of jeans, you want to do something that’s more connected to the waistband piece, so they’re more anchored to the front of the pants, or you can do a little patch pocket which we’re going to talk about next. 

Caroline: Mhm. That’s the beauty of sewing your own pants is that you can, like, try out a method and then be like, actually, I don’t like the floppiness of these inseam pockets so maybe I’ll redraft the pocket piece so that that inseam pocket goes up into the waistband and it doesn’t flop around anymore. Like, you have so many options, and you can figure out what you like and what you don’t like. Sewing is just amazing. 

Helen: It’s so true. Okay. Patch pockets are individual pieces that are top stitched onto the pants. So this is usually seen as a back pocket on a pair of jeans, for example, but they can also be really cute on the front. And I feel like I’m seeing a lot more jeans patterns with patch pockets on the front these days. It gives it a bit of a retro feel, and I’m really into it. If you want to do some decorative top stitching on these pockets, you do this before you attach the pockets, very important, or you’re not going to be able to put your hands into them. So you mark out the design using a template that you want and try to get it to be as symmetrical as possible if that’s the look you’re going for, and then you use your top stitching threads so you can really see that design. You know, on the back of a jeans pocket, you might see something like a horseshoe or a little swoop or a little swirl or a little triangle. There are so many designs that you can do with your patch pockets. 

Caroline: Yeah, and because patch pockets are super visible on the outside. You might want to wait until you’re almost finished making your pants to place those pockets. You can try on the pants, pin on the pockets, keep moving them around and repinning them until you like how they look, and then you can top stitch them on. 

Helen: Yes, you can even get a friend or family member to take a picture of your butt. This is so helpful because twisting around to look at yourself in the mirror is not going to give you a clear picture of what’s going on. But just remember, when you’re looking at pictures of the back of your pants, be kind to yourself, you should expect to see some wrinkles and lines around your butt, in the back of your knees. That’s just the way pants look. So don’t freak out when you see that picture and you’re like, these pants look terrible. If you look at anyone on the street, the back is full of wrinkles. It’s just how it is. So yes, you can do fit adjustments to fix some things, but most likely your pants are just fine the way they are, and you just got to worry about putting those pockets on. 

Caroline: I’ve totally been there. I almost think it’s like a rite of passage to, like, take pictures of the back of your body and then, like, analyze them when you’re a sewist. Cause it’s always, like, really shocking at first. You’re like, oh, is that, like, what my back looks like? Is that what my butt looks like? Is that what the behind my knees looks like when I’m wearing pants? But as you see more and more photos of yourself wearing clothes that you love, you’re going to notice that, like, wrinkles are totally normal. And, like Helen said, don’t freak out, be kind to yourself, remember it’s okay, and, you know, you’re going to have some fun analyzing those wrinkles and figuring out what to do next.

Helen: Yes, and I have one more tip about the back pockets, too, which is basting stitching is your friend. You can baste those pockets on, check the placement one more time because you know, it’s kind of hard to analyze placement of pockets when there’s pins sticking out everywhere. So baste them on, check the placement, and then they’re all basted and ready to go so the top stitching process is going to be even easier. And then you can just remove those basting stitches when you’re done. 

Caroline: Yes, absolutely. Okay. So welt pockets are the next kind of pocket we want to talk about, and they’re a more difficult type of pocket to make, but they can look so beautiful on a more tailored pair of trousers. They’re kind of like giant bound buttonholes. You cut into the fabric of the pants and bind the raw edges so that only one or two strips of fabric are visible on the outside and the pocket bag hangs on the inside. So if you’re wondering how to draft your own, Workroom Social has a great article on how to draft and sew these without any hand sewing, so check that out. We’ll link it in the show notes. I actually just printed out a pattern from The Fabric Store. It’s the Cass Pants, and they have a welt pocket on the back. And I have to admit when I first saw them, I was like, I really want to make these pants, but I may or may not make that welt pocket cause welt pockets are so stressful. But I’m feeling, kind of, inspired now. And I think I’m going to, I’m going to do the welts. I’m going to do the welts. 

Helen: I think you should. I find them fun, to be honest. I don’t do them often because trousers aren’t really my jam, so I just don’t have that many opportunities to do welt pockets. But when I do one, I think it’s so amazing. It’s like one of those sewing things, it feels like magic because you don’t think it’s going to work and then all of a sudden you have this beautiful pocket and it’s, it’s just, you feel like a superhero. 

Caroline: Yeah. It’s definitely, like, the moment when you’re, like, wait, I have to cut into my beautiful pants leg to, like, make this opening. That’s the scariest part, but then when you flip everything in and you see it come together, you’re like, oh, okay, it makes sense now. 

Helen: Yeah. 

Caroline: They’re so fun, too, so scary and fun. 

Helen: That’s the theme of this episode, I think. Okay. Let’s talk about belt loops. That’s another feature that you’re going to find on a lot of jeans patterns and some other pants patterns, and they’re pretty easy to make. So you just make a long, double folded strip of fabric, edge stitch it on both sides, and then you cut it into pieces. So if you’re using a lightweight fabric, you might want to interface this before you make these loops, but if you’re using a heavier weight, you probably don’t need to. And then to sew them on you just fold down each end of those little loops, and usually, you would sew the top edge of the loop into the top seam of the waistband and then sew the bottom edges on using, like, a bar tack stitch which we’re going to discuss a little bit later. 

Caroline: Yeah, and before we talk about bar tack stitches, here’s a trick for sewing belt loops on a heavy or bulky fabric. There’s a tool called a hump jumper that you put on top of your fabric under the presser foot. It keeps the presser foot horizontal rather than pointed up at, like, a weird angle which can sometimes lead to skipped stitches. And since belt loops can be pretty humpy, it’s a cool tool to have. 

Helen: They can be, it’s a tricky spot because oftentimes you have your waistband which could be double layered with interfacing, and then you have these belt loops which is another double layer because it’s folded under. So you’ve got four layers of potentially, like, 10 to 12 ounce fabric, and your machine might struggle with this. Make sure you’re using your denim needle. Go slowly. I break needles all the time when I’m sewing on belt loops. It’s frustrating, but it happens, and the hump jumper does make a difference. And if you don’t have the hump jumping tool, you can use a needle case like those little flat plastic needle cases that your universal needles or jersey needles come in. That’s usually quite a nice height. So you just put that under your presser foot and then use that as the hump jumper. Just make sure you don’t sew into the case. Oh gosh, you’ll break a needle, but you’ll probably break a needle or two doing this anyway. 

Caroline: Wear your protective goggles when you’re sewing your belt loops your belt loops. Protect your eyes from needles. Okay. So now back to bar tacks. A bar tack stitch is basically a row of zigzag stitches, really close together. And this is used to reinforce areas of pants that are put under stress, like pocket openings, fly openings, and belt loops. You might have a bar tack stitch built into your machine. If not, you can experiment with short, close together zigzag stitches. You can even disengage your feet dogs and move the fabric through manually to get super tight stitches. And to make it really strong, stitch a bar tack forward and then all the way back to where you started. You can even go back over it again if you want, so this is going to create really, really strong areas. I’ve actually seen jeans made where instead of using rivets, it’s just bar tacks in the areas where rivets would be which I think is a really nice look. So bar tacks can be really useful in pants making. 

Helen: Yes, and you can have fun with them, too. You can use a contrasting color. Maybe you have gold top stitching on your jeans, but you have red bar tacks. Or you can do a bar tack horizontally and then another one vertically, so you make a little plus sign or a little X. There’s so many cute bar tack details that you can put onto jeans. 

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. Okay. Now speaking of reinforcement, we have to talk about hardware, and this is something that seems intimidating but is so impressive when you just bite the bullet and do it. So let’s talk about zippers first, and then we’ll get to the fun stuff, like buttons and rivets. 

Helen: Yes. You might use an all-purpose plastic coiled zipper for your pants. For example, in a side zip or a back zip on lighter weight pants. On our Winslow Culottes pattern, we use an invisible zipper in that back seam, but for heavier fabrics, if you’re making that classic jean, you probably want to use a metal jean zipper. These metal jean zippers are a lot sturdier, and pants can take a lot of stress, so it’s important to have that strength and structure in there. 

Caroline: Yeah, and you can also do an invisible zipper if you want really sleek pants, kind of like… 

Helen: Really sleek pants, but not on your jeans though. 

Caroline: No, that would be, kind of, weird. Okay. Next up buttons. So you can use regular sew on buttons either flat or with a shank as a pants closure, or you can bust out your hammer and really get into hardware. Jeans buttons are stronger than sew on buttons. They give such a nice finish, and we’re going to tell you a little bit about them today because, don’t be intimidated, they’re really fun to install. So they actually come in two pieces, the button and the post, and here’s how you install them. First, you want to mark your button placement on your pants. Then, you make a hole there with an awl or with a hammer and a nail. You put the posts through the hole you made, and then you flip it over so that the post fits into the button. And the button should be on a flat surface that won’t get damaged by hammering so, like, on the back of a cast iron skillet. You might be tempted to put, like, a piece of fabric to protect your cast iron skillet. Don’t do that because the fabric is going to create some give, and it almost gives an opportunity for that post to break through the button because it’s not giving that button a really, really flat hard surface to sit on. So throw away that protective fabric, your cast iron skillet will be just fine. So you line everything up, and then you tap the hammer on the post a few times to get it to catch. Once it catches which means, once it, kind of, locks in a little bit and it has, like, a really nice straight placement, then you hammer it all the way in so it locks into place. And we recommend practicing this on some scrap fabric before you do it on your pants. A lot of the time, these jeans kits, like the ones we sell at Blackbird come with two buttons, so you have one that you can use for testing and one that you can use for the real thing. The only way to remove buttons like this is to cut them out. So I wouldn’t, like, do your first ever button on your first ever pair of jeans. I would definitely test first, but I have to say it’s really fun. 

Helen: It’s so fun. So satisfying. I recently put a bunch on an Ilford Jacket that I made, and I loved doing all of them. And I did a little Instagram story about that, too. So we’ll link that in the show notes. 

Caroline: Yes. Okay. And then rivets are also really impressive, and they do have a purpose. Metal rivets reinforce stress points. They’re super strong, and pants made with them will last a really long time. Traditionally, there are five places that rivets go. So they would go at the end of the front pockets where they meet the side seams on the outside edge of the coin pocket and on the outside edge of the back pockets. But you can kind of decide where you want to put your rivets based on your preference. Some people don’t like to have them on back pockets cause they worry about, like, the rivets catching on fabric or on, like, you know, a chair or something. It can cut something, can sometimes scratch surfaces. So it’s really a personal preference, and rivets, like the buttons, are made up of two pieces, the post and the top, but they’re a little bit different in the installation. So you need a really tough surface, like a cast iron skillet, again. I really, really love using my mini anvil. We sell them at Blackbird. So we’ll link that in the show notes if you want your own cute little mini anvil to hammer in your rivets and buttons. You want to use an awl to make the hole again, where you want the rivet to go, and then you push the post through that hole. And then you want to make sure that the post is only sticking out a little tiny bit. So remember when you hammer down your fabric, the fabric kind of compresses a little bit, so it might not look like it’s sticking out very much, but it’ll continue to, kind of, push through as you hammer it. And you really only want a couple of millimeters sticking out because, or else it’s going to break through the rivet. So this is like the most important part I think of installing rivets successfully is making sure that you’re trimming down that post as far as you can. And then once that’s trimmed down, you will put that top of the rivet onto the post, turn the rivet over so you’re looking at the back, place it on your metal surface, like your, the back of your cast iron skillet or your cute mini anvil, and then you just line everything up straight and hammer it in really hard. I’m sure that description was absolutely riveting. I’m sorry for meandering, but I will also say that different buttons and rivets have different instructions for installing. Some you have to trim, some you don’t. So I definitely look at the instructions that come with your package. I’m talking from experience with, um, the kits we sell at Blackbird. I’ve also used the kits that Closet Core Patterns sells that are very, very similar. So with those kits, you want to trim down that rivet post. Closet Core has a really good article on installing jeans hardware. We’re going to link that in the show notes. It’s videos, so it’s much easier to understand than my convoluted description, but in it, Heather shows how to snip off the extra length with wire cutters, and she kind of walks you through the whole process. Blackbird also has a video on YouTube where we show you the process of using our hardware. So we’re going to link all that in the show notes. Um, and I would say watch a video, like, watch some tutorials before you jump in, but then just go for it. It’s really fun. And so satisfying when you get those rivets and buttons and, and, uh, I think they really take your jeans to the next level. 

Helen: I agree, and you can improve as you go. If you notice that that post is breaking through the rivet on the front side of the pants, as long as it’s not, like, sharp, you don’t need to worry too much. But you’ll notice if there’s, like, a little bump or maybe it’s even piercing through the metal, then you know you didn’t trim your posts down far enough, and you do need to trim further than you think, like you said. I think it has something to do with whether the post is hollow or not, whether you trim it or not. Is that right? 

Caroline: Yeah. There’s different types of, like, rivet tops as well. So I think there’s just a lot of variety in that area. So definitely check out the instructions that come with your kit. Yeah. 

Helen: Yeah. The important thing to remember is that you want to trim it down if you’re using rivets, and if you’re using a button, you don’t need to trim it down because the post can go all the way into that button shank. So just keep that in mind, and try not to get it mixed up. 

Caroline: Yeah. Okay. Now for my favorite part: fabric shopping, I wanted to start off just with, like, kind of, a general overall tip for selecting good fabric for your pants. And that is to think about how you want to wear your pants or what you like about the pants that you already own. I think that lighter weight fabrics are not going to last as long as heavier weight ones; they’re probably going to need more mending along the way. It’s totally normal to have to mend pants in, like, high friction areas. But just think about, do you want a pair of pants that is, kind of, like, easy breezy, lightweight drapey? Or do you want something with a bit more structure? What are the pants that you reach for the most in your closet? And that could help you to figure out the types of fabrics that you want to pick for your home sewing pants projects. 

Helen: That’s a great tip. And there’s two essential things to consider when you’re picking out fabric for your pants pattern and that is: the weight of the fabric and the stretch of the fabric. So bottomweight fabrics will sometimes name their weights. For pants, you want a weight between six and 14 ounces. For example, at Blackbird, I know you have a six ounce lyocell twill that you can use to make a light and flowy pair of, like, culottes, for example. But, at the other end, you also carry, like, 13 and a half ounce denim that you can use to make great jeans that could potentially last forever if you take care of them and mend them. So to help you decide what weight to use for your pattern, look at the pattern’s suggested fabrics, look at the tag on Instagram to see what fabrics other people have used. It’s great to use the community as a resource for this kind of stuff. There are lots of sewing groups on Facebook as well, where you can ask, you know, will this fabric work for this pattern? And people might pop in there with good answers for you. I feel, like, for jeans, if you’re in that, like, nine to 14 range, you’re going to end up with like a good solid pair of jeans, but keep in mind that your machine might struggle with a fabric that’s over 12 ounces. If you’re working with a really beginner machine, sometimes those can just have a really hard time sewing through all those layers of thick fabric, unfortunately. 

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. And then the other, kind of, thing you want to be thinking about other than weight is stretch. So first of all, make sure to check whether your pattern is intended for stretch fabrics or not. This isn’t always evident from the photos and even a little added stretch can make a non-stretch pattern look baggy and going non-stretch on a stretch pattern could mean not even being able to pull your pants on. So it’s, it’s definitely something you want to look at. And when you’re sewing with stretch fabrics, it’s also really important not to cut on the cross grain cause there’s no stretch on the cross grain only on the, you know, regular grain line, will it stretch width-wise so just make sure that you’re cutting on the grain only when you’re working with stretch fabrics. 

Helen: Yes, and another tip for buying denim is to remember that raw denim is stiffer than ready to wear a denim. Often ready to wear jeans that we find in the stores are pre-washed pre softened, pre treated, even with, like, sandpaper or other methods to give it those faded looks in, like, the thighs and the knees and stuff. So garments made with raw denim are going to feel different when you finish them, but they will soften and mold to your body as you wear and wash them. If you really want your jeans to be soft, right from the get-go, you can wash your finished jeans a bunch of times before you begin to wear them. Just throw them in with your wash for, like, a month and they will be softer, but it really helps to wear them in because they will mold to your body. 

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. And you can check out our episode on denim for lots more info. And I do have one final thought about fabrics and that is that not all fabrics are going to work for pants. I know sometimes it’s tempting to use that, like, stripey linen or cotton print that you have in your stash for a pair of elastic waist pants, but you really want to make sure that your fabric has at least a little bit of durability. For example, some linens have, like, a really loose weave and that’s just going to pull apart where there are seams that take stress like your bum or inner thighs. So just be realistic about your fabric choice. You probably don’t want to pick, like, a really loose weave linen, and then, you know, maybe you could line the pants to make, make it work, but like, It’s not ideal and it’s not going to be a pair of pants that you’re going to love and wear again and again, because they’re just going to, kind of, deteriorate more quickly than other fabrics. So just keep durability in mind. Even for those lighter weight fabrics, you want to make sure that they have, like, a nice kind of tight weave to them. 

Helen: Do you have a fabric in your shop that you’re like, this is a perfect jeans fabric? Like the nine ounce bolt denim or something? Like, just like, a nice weight for a pair of pants?

Caroline: Definitely the nine ounce denim or the 10 ounce, organic cotton duck canvas. Those are both really great fabrics for jeans. A couple of other ones that I really love that we have in stock. We just restocked denim, so I’m hoping by the time this episode comes out, we’ll still have some stock, but our 12 ounce Japanese non-stretch popcorn denim is like, a favorite in the sewing community. We’ve carried it for a few years. I’ve seen so many amazing pair of jeans sewn up in this fabric. It has a little bit of, like, a speckly texture to it which I think is really cool. And Japanese denim is just super beautiful high quality denim, so I would definitely check that one out. We also have a couple of S-Gene denims in the shop, S-Gene denims are this, kind of, technology that Cone Mills coined. And S-Gene is, it means that the cotton has been blended with a bit of polyester and spandex, and it creates, like, a really hard-wearing yet comfortable denim. It has really, really good recovery. So if you’re wanting to try out a stretch pattern, like the Ginger Jeans, S-Gene denim is definitely the way to go. And we have a lighter weight, eight ounce, one in the shop and a 10 ounce one, so you, kind of, have your pick of, if you want something that’s a little bit more structured or not. But yeah, those would be my recommendations. I mean, I love all of our denims that we carry. It’s really hard to pick a favorite, Helen.

Helen: I’m sorry to put you on the spot. Listening to you talk about the S-Gene makes me want to try sewing a pair of stretch pants, like the Ginger Jeans again, because it’s been a while. I made a pair, I think, like, four years ago, and I haven’t returned to that pattern, but I’d really like to make a 10 ounce pair of stretch denim jeans. I think that would feel really good. 

Caroline: You should do it. 

Helen: Okay. Now that we’ve gotten through all of the sewing tips that we have, it’s time to get to the fitting which is probably the part that most of you are here for. Am I right? 

Caroline: Probably it’s definitely one of the more intimidating parts of pants making, so we’ll try to make you feel a little bit more prepared for jumping in today. So our top three tips for pants fitting are: first, you want to make a practice version. So make your toile out of a similar weight and type to your fashion fabric. If you’re making stretch trousers, using a woven muslin fabric to practice is not going to help. If you’re making a pattern designed for 12 ounce denim, using a cotton bedsheet isn’t going to look right. You are fitting for your body and the fabric. So try to get as similar as possible fabric for your toile, and you might even have to use denim for your test garment. It can feel weird to use a fashion fabric for a toile, but the goal here is to make a garment that is going to fit you well, and that you’ll be able to wear for a long time, so it’s all part of the process. I think with pants making, investing a little bit more in that toile fabric is going to mean that you’re going to end up with a pair of much more wearable pants in the end. So, it’s definitely worth it. 

Helen: Yes. Our second tip for pants fitting is to change one thing at a time. If you see lots of areas for improvement in your pants, don’t worry. You only need to address one thing at a time. So pick something, try to adjust for that, and then see what happens because all adjustments can affect other areas. So it’s good not to do too many at once, or you won’t know what it was that you did fixed what. 

Caroline: Exactly. Yeah. Take it step-by-step. And our third tip is to resist the urge to overfit. So pants need to move with our bodies. Looking in the mirror too hard can cause you to see wrinkles in your pants that actually need to be there. So you’re not going to get a pair of crease-free pants. Just keep that in mind, going into it. Don’t have that expectation, and I think you’ll come out a lot happier. 

Helen: Yes. Okay. Let’s go over some common pants adjustments. We know it’s hard to visualize pattern adjustments on a podcast. So we’re going to link lots of resources in our show notes for this episode. Figuring out what adjustment you need usually means trying on your toile and noting where the fabric is hanging in, kind of, a weird way. So sometimes you can tell a problem by the drag lines that are created. Drag lines are, like, dramatic wrinkles, and there’s some really great fitting guides out there that will tell you which fit problems create which draglines, and we’re going to link those in the show notes. You can also tell fit problems by where the toile is too tight or too loose, too restrictive. You want to make sure that you’re sitting, bending, squatting, moving the way that you would do in your everyday life in the finished pants to check that they’re going to be wearable for you.

Caroline: Yes, and grading between sizes is something every pants-wearer should get familiar with. Everyone’s body is different. People can have three different sizes for waist, hips, and legs. So check out the body measurements chart for your pattern to see where yours fall. And Cashmerette has a great tutorial for grading between sizes for pants that’s going to help you to get close to a good fit on the first toile. 

Helen: And many adjustments require you to trace out a pattern piece and then slash it and spread it or overlap pieces. Slashing is cutting along specific lines on your pattern, and spreading is moving those slashed pieces apart or together to change the shape. Overlapping makes it smaller, moving it apart to make areas bigger. And then you redraw the lines of your pattern so that they’re smooth. That’s called truing up the pattern lines. So again, we’re going to link lots of resources so you can get the visual on how to do these adjustments. 

Caroline: Okay, next thing we’re gonna talk about is the rise. This is sometimes also called the torso of the pants. If you have diagonal smile lines radiating from the crotch of the pants and the pants feel like they’re being tugged downwards at the crotch, you might need to lengthen the rise. If you have drooping frown lines radiating from the crotch, you might need to shorten the rise. Some patterns are going to come with a lengthen/shorten line for the rise adjustments. If not, you can just make a slash line parallel with the hip line above the crotch, cut along that line and then spread or overlap the pieces to create a shorter or longer rise.

Helen: Changing the rises is, like, a life changing adjustment to try because almost everybody either needs one or wants one. Like, it all depends on your personal preference where you want that rise to sit so jeans, you can change the rise. Elastic waist pants, you can change the rise. I mean, it’s just such a handy adjustment to get that waistband exactly where you want it. And waist adjustments are also really common for pants. So you can choose your pants pattern based on your hip measurements, and then you can go in and make adjustments to fit the rest of your body. That’s typically the easiest way to approach it. If your waistband is too tight or too loose, you might need a large or small waist adjustment. This adjustment is done on the side seam edge of the pants pattern pieces to add or reduce the width. It’s also done on the waistband to lengthen or shorten, it and jeans have that handy center back seam that can be adjusted as well, so you can take things in there. Oftentimes, you can preempt this by grading between sizes before you sew the pants. But if you still find that your waist is too tight or too loose, then you can go in and adjust that waistband. 

Caroline: And if your waistband fits okay, but the pants feel too tight at the lower belly, you might need a full tummy adjustment. Or if you have extra fabric hanging vertically at the lower belly, you might need a flat tummy adjustment. So this adjustment is done at the center of the pants pieces, you cut them into four and spread or overlap them, then redraw the lines. The difference between a full tummy adjustment and a large waist adjustment is that a full tummy adjustment adds length along the rise as well as width which is good for fitting rounded tummies. A large waist adjustment only adds width which is good for flatter, but wider. 

Helen: Yes, and then other area you’re going to want to look at is the back. And you might need a sway back adjustment if you have fabric pooling above your butt, around that lower back area. This is another slash and spread adjustment, and it helps to fit the past to bodies that have more, a dramatic curve or a sway from the back down to the butt. So a sway back can be the result of a body shape or posture, but no matter why it’s there, remember you’re correcting the pattern and not your body. As with all adjustments, we’re always correcting the pattern, not the body. Your body is right. No matter what. 

Caroline: All right, Helen, now we’re down to the butt. We’ve said the word “butt” a lot in this episode already. We’re going to say it a lot more. 

Helen: Now the next adjustment is a full or flat butt adjustment. If you have tight, diagonal draglines radiating from the fullest part of your butt, or if the back waist is pulling down almost into like a little V-shape at the center backseat, you might need a full butt adjustment. And conversely, if you have extra fabric pooling under your butt or the butt, in general, just seems too loose, you might need a flat butt adjustment. This is another adjustment that is made both lengthwise and widthwise, since you’re fitting a curved area. Caroline, this is one that you do, right? 

Caroline: Yes, I am all about that full butt adjustment. Um, yeah, it’s always necessary for me. And, uh, it really does make a huge difference. Like when you’re used to wearing, ready to wear where there’s either, you know, you get it to fit your butt and then you have a ton of extra fabric at the waist in the back, or if it fits your waist too maybe you have some like that V kind of dip that you just talked about. So being able to make that adjustment on the pattern pieces is a real game changer for fitting pants. 

Helen: Yes, and there’s also high and low butt adjustments. So if you have fabric pooling above your butt, you can adjust the back darts for a high butt adjustment. Or if you have fabric pooling below your butt, you can scoop out the crotch curve in the back for a low butt adjustment. So not only small and large, but also high and low, it, kind of, depends on how your butt is oriented in relation to that crotch curve on those pants. 

Caroline: Mhm. And you might need a round pubis adjustment. If your pants fit too tight across your pubic area. So this is something known as: camel toe. 

Helen: I hate the phrase camel toe.

Caroline: I know, I know. I’m using air quotes here, “camel toe.” Um, you can help this by scooping out the front crotch a little, even a quarter inch can make a big difference. And if you’re getting horizontal drag lines at the crotch, you might need a flat pubis adjustment. In this case, make the front crotch curve shallower. 

Helen: If the rise seems right, but you still have those smile or frown lines at the crotch, you might need to shorten or lengthen the crotch. So, for this, you reduce or extend the crotch right at the inseam to give yourself a little less or a little more room, and a little goes a long way, again, like a quarter inch at a time here, people. Don’t get carried away. 

Caroline: All right. We’ve made it down to the legs. So if your pants are too long or too short, you can adjust them by simply adding length at the hem. However, if you have a shaped leg, like a wide leg, tapered leg, flared leg, you might want to adjust the leg length by slashing and spreading the pattern so that you don’t change the design too much. Um, you could end up with two small tapers or extra wide hems. So just keep in mind the shape of the leg when you’re deciding where to add that length or take it away.

Helen: Yes, knock knees or bow-legged adjustments are for legs that curve inward or outward through the knees. If you have diagonal wrinkles coming inward from the side, seams at the knees, you might want to do a knock-kneed adjustment. If you have the opposite, diagonal wrinkles coming from the inseams at the knees, you might want to do that bowling.

Caroline: And then the next one would be full or small thigh adjustments. These can be done in several areas. If you find your outer thighs need adjusting, you can add width to the side seams and taper down to the knees. And for the inner thighs, you can adjust at the inseam, close to the crotch and taper to the knee.

Helen: And if you have tight wrinkles forming around your calf, like I do, you might want to do a large calf adjustment, and this is a slash and spread adjustment that adjusts the width at the center back pieces from the knee down. So you make room for all those gorgeous calf muscles. 

Caroline: And if you need more or less room down the entire leg, you’re going to want to do a large or thin leg adjustment. So this adds or subtracts width down the entire leg at the center front and center back of each leg piece. 

Helen: Oof, that was a lot of potential adjustments, Caroline. 

Caroline: It really was. It was fun to walk through it, but I have to say it’s so much more helpful to have visual cues when you’re working through these adjustments. So don’t go just by our words. Definitely.

Helen: I don’t think they will, right? 

Caroline: Yeah. Uh, definitely check out the show notes. We have tons and tons of links in there for all these different adjustments, so you can figure out how to do them at home. 

Helen: Yes, and you certainly won’t need to do every single one of them adjustments on every pair of pants. It’s more, like, a list that you can go through to figure out exactly what changes you might want to make. And again, make one adjustment at a time because they all kind of cascade and affect each other. And there are lots of great resources like Collette Patterns, which has now rolled in with Seamwork, has a pants fitting cheat sheet that lists the signs of fitting issues and links to tutorials for each adjustment. Closet Core Patterns has their jeans fitting adjustment post which has lots of illustrations to help you see those fit problems and what the drag lines are actually looking like, shows you how to do the adjustments to fix them. They also have a downloadable pants fitting worksheet that you can get for signing up for their newsletter which I have definitely downloaded because it’s super helpful to look in the mirror and then look at that cheat sheet and actually figure out what’s going on.

Caroline: Yeah, it’s so, so useful. And the Curvy Sewing Collective has a couple of posts on pants fitting that are filled with helpful links and tips, including suggested patterns for different skill levels, lots of pattern adjustments, and construction resources. You don’t have to identify as curvy or plus size or fat for these pages to help you out either, so they’re useful for everybody. 

Helen: The book Pants for Real People: Fit and Sew for Every Body by Patty Palmer and Maria Alto is a bit older, but it’s got tons of great fitting advice in it. If you’d rather have a book that’s a bit broader and helps you fit other patterns as well, the Palmer-Pletsch Complete Guide to Fitting is a beloved resource in the sewing community. Um, it’s by the same authors, and it’s super helpful for all of your fitting issues. 

Caroline: Yeah. Okay. So that is all of our resources and tips. The process of fitting pants can be, kind of, annoying. Just remember to be gentle with yourself during this process. It’s normal for it to bring up a lot of uncomfortable feelings. Try to react with kindness when these come up. Treat yourself like you would a beloved friend, and just remember, fit problems are part of the process of making pants. And it’s the pants that need to be adjusted to your body, not the other way around. 

Helen: On the other hand, making pants that fit your body can bring up a lot of positive emotions because it’s so cool when you finally get to that stage where you make this pair of pants that fits you perfectly. It’s like a true act of self-love; you’re so worth pants that fit you well. Maybe you’ve even avoided wearing pants because you can’t find ones that fit, and this could be a whole new style adventure for you which is so exciting. And I just think that once you get that pants fitting down, you get that one pair of pants. The next one’s going to be easier and easier, and you can even make that one over and over again, you don’t need all the fancy patterns out there. You just need the one that fits. 

Caroline: Yeah, totally. And on that note, we have just a couple more tips that we want to throw in before we wrap up. If you already have a pair of pants that fit you well, you can compare them to your pattern pieces so you can see the changes you want to make really, really clearly based on this pair of pants that you already have, that you already know fits well. And once you fit a pattern to your body, you can make it again and again. Like Helen said, it really makes that fitting process worth it. You can apply these fit adjustments to other patterns, too. It’s such a cool learning experience and a big sewing level up. So approach it like an exploration, and you’re going to have more fun. 

Helen: Okay. We’ve made it to the end of our pants episode.We had a pant-astic time recording this, and we hope you had fun listening, too. Please tag us in all of your pants sewing adventures. We want to see what you’re up to. You can find us @lovetosew.podcast on Instagram. 

Caroline: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com and Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com. 

Helen: We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, and you can get in touch with us and get links for everything we talked about in this episode at lovetosewpodcast.com. 

Caroline: If you’re loving the show and you want to help us out, or maybe you want to follow along with us in the off-season, you can support us on Patreon. Contribute $5 or more a month and you’ll get access to our really fun bonus episode feed. And if you contribute $10 or more a month, you’ll get a 15% discount code for both of our shops and the Love to Sew shop and a bonus mini-sode every single month. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info, and we can’t wait to see you over there. 

Helen: Yeah. Thanks to our amazing podcast team. And thank you all so much for listening to the spring season of Love to Sew. We will talk to you in the fall. Bye.

Caroline: Buh-bye. Have a great summer.

Caroline: The episode in which you will hear us say the word butts at least 20 times. Butts butts butts.

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