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A woman's dream come true -- sewing and wearing a pair of pants that FIT! During my extensive travel, seminars and working on a one-to-one basis with women of all shapes and sizes, the most common complaint I hear is that pants are the most difficult clothing item to fit on the body. Is it any wonder? From the waist down, the female figure has at least four different sets of curves to contend with. There is the waist circumference, the hip circumference and shape, the crotch depth and curve and the upper thigh circumference and shape. When trying to get a pair of pants that fit, you are basically taking a flat, two dimensional piece of fabric, and attempting to conform and mold this fabric into a three dimensional shape that covers all your curvatures, Not only do we want the fabric to cover all the curves, but we also want the pants to look good on when they are finished, and have no tell tale signs of wrinkling and pulling, indicating a poor fit.
To accomplish this goal of the well-fitting pant, there are a number of alternative sources and references in the home sewing market place. Obviously, all the major patten companies have a basic pant pattern, and most of them offer fitting guidelines to help you achieve your ultimate goal.
Normally, you would purchase your size of pants pattern by using your hip measurement and choosing the pant size with the closest hip dimension to yours. These pattern companies often offer you suggested techniques to measure your body, and them compare the pattern to your individual needs. You would make necessary alternations and then proceed from there. You could have alterations that include lengthening or shortening the crotch depth, changing the waist dimension, altering hem length, or making adjustments for an asymmetrical body. Generally, no matter what your body shape, at least one, if not all of these pattern alterations would need to be done to accommodate for your uniqueness.
Then there are also the multi-sized patterns. They provide many sizes on one pattern. You as the consumer can then trace off your personalized pattern, often drawing in between the grading lines of each size to accommodate and adjust for your body circumference changes, however, personalized crotch depth and curvatures, and individual leg length must still be evaluated in the patterning stage in order to ensure an acceptable outcome.
There are other alternatives in the sewing market place to help you achieve your ultimate goal -- pants that fit! One such pattern system is Sure-Fit Designs TM, It too is a multi-graded patten, but unlike most multiple size patterns, Sure-Fit Designs TM is graded according to your actual body measurements. Extensive research and testing has produced a pattern that will ultimately fit on most body types. The seamstress takes four easy measurements: waist, hip, crotch length, and pant length. Your personalized measurements are then marked on a full-scale sized master pattern. When your personalized measurement marks are connected together the resulting pattern fit is one that reflects your body curves, circumferences and lengths, referred to as your "body blueprint." Your waist measurement can be as small as 18" (45.7cm) to as large as 52" (132.1cm) around. Your hip measurement can range from 28" (71.1cm) to 62" (157.5cm) around. In very few circumstances, there may need to be a few minor tune-ups or refinements done to the resulting pattern, however, if the oringinal measurements were completed accurately refinements often never need to happen. The Sure-Fit Designs TM master pattern system is accompanied by a well-illustrated and defined instruction manual. As well, many design suggestions on how to make style changes to your basic pants pattern are also offered.
More information on Sure-Fit DesignsTM
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