Muslin #1 Simplicity 8056

I’m tackling pants, I’m also working on my pants block.  Whatttt!  I know (insert eye roll), let me explain, I’m taking a pants block class and before I did that, I wanted to know if adjusting a pair of commercial pattern was comparable.  I know it’s not, but not everyone wants to draft a pair of pants or create a block/sloper!  I’m actually tempted to either have a friend  fit and draft me a pair or wait until the next sewing camp/retreat lol…  Sew camps and sewing retreats are perfect for this.  I think the issue for me is not being able to manipulate the back, this was the issue I had with my bodice block, but a friend helped with my shoulder and back and now I’m good on bodices!

I need to take out the under the butt tuck and size up on the back pattern piece and see how that looks.

I can’t wait because I’m impatient (insert eye roll lol) and I’d like to try before getting help, so I’m fiddling around with a pattern now.  This weekend on IG I talked about a pair I did a muslin for, but I lost the front pattern piece so ( quadruple eye roll) that one is on hold until the next Simplicity sale.  I have moved on to another pattern and it’s coming along, I need a few tweaks, but I think the base is good.  I think I can trace my crotch and use it as a good base for trouser type pants.  I think I can take in the sides a bit, I actually sized down since this had so much ease and one inch seam allowance.  I sewed the side seams at 5/8″ but I’m going to try the one inch at the waist and leave the high hip and full hip with the 5/8″ seam allowance.  I also think I want to slim the bottom portion of my thighs through to the hem.  I think I will do that on a separate pattern so I can have both a wide leg and and slimmer leg.  I think the hip and waist will be the same.

Front looks good, will keep this pattern piece and adjust the waist of the back.

So, for this muslin, I tried the Sandra Betzina trick to clone pants by measuring key points and ensuring your pattern matched those measurements.  In doing that, I used a pair of RTW paints that fit and according to those measurements, I sized down.  I used a light weight non-stretch twill for the muslin and the size 24W curvy back pattern piece.  I need about 3/8″- 5/8″ on the back pattern side seam, lower the front crotch another inch and raise the back crotch 1.5″.  I think the leg will relax and hang better from my hip once I add more fabric to the back.  The under butt fabric pooling really irks me, but for these pants, they are designed to be loose fit, I need to add more fabric in the thigh (back) to fix this.  For a fitted leg, I’ll need to tackle how to alleviate the pooling, there are a few “low seat” adjustments that range from and fish eye darts to an overlapped wedge and finally scooping.  Since these pants are not designed to be fitted under the but and thigh, I’ll unpick the tuck I have on the muslin and make them as is.

May need to add to back leg extension, raise back crotch more (insert eye roll), take in center back

So for this muslin, I did the following:

-Added 3″ to the back crotch length
-Lowered CF 2″
-Graded down to the next size (22W) at the waist

After all the advice I received on IG and in Carol’s Sewing Corner on Facebook, I’ll do the following:

-Add 1.5″ to CB crotch length
-Lower front crotch length 1″
-Add to back crotch inseam extension 1/2″
-Add 1/2 ” to back pattern’s side seam from waist to hip
-deepen back darts and grade down to a 20 W hip
-I may peg the knee a little

Until next time…