Thank you so much for this. I never realized how much info is actually in a pattern. I never knew how to make adjustments to make something fit, so I just gave up. I gave up sewing, I gave up shopping... I am now down to one pair of pants that fit horribly and a few T-shirts. I have to learn how to make pants fit so I can leave the house in something besides PJs. I'm so glad this method is here. ThankYou Ruth! And again thank you for explaining the design intent concept here. I never would have thought of it. I'm learning so much.👏😁
For someone who has sewn for decades, I am used to reading the pattern envelopes and pattern pieces to estimate ease. But I seldom think of reading photos of garments, as even a decade ago very few existed and then only if the envelope had a fit model on the cover and not just fashion illustrations (don't get me started). I had never considered the integrity of the design, but you and Ruth have convinced me. My takeaway from this video is that if I don't like the amount of ease as seen in photos or calculated from measurements I should keep looking for a other pattern. I admit I have a rather limited range of ease in the hip and thighs that I think is comfortable (not too tight) and does not make my long torso/short legs look too unbalanced (not too wide). I'll keep up my search for silhouettes I prefer, and then play Mr Potato head to add different pockets, etc. I am loving your Insta and RUclips posts on this topic - thanks so much h.
Thank you for this excellent series on TDCO...you are the perfect instructor, clear, concise instruction, easily understood and your love of teaching shines thru.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! for this segment. I have attempted to fit multiple patterns to my body shape and end up with basically the same design every single time. My mind was opened to a new process and I love it! I can have different style of pants in my wardrobe, spend less time altering, and love myself (both my body and my sewing skills) at the end of the process! Thank you once again!
You are so welcome! Before learning about TDCO, I had a very similar experience -- all of my pants fit exactly the same and mt wardrobe felt very one-dimensional. Now I can enjoy lots of different styles and spend less time fitting too. Enjoy using the method!
Wow! what a great way to look at a pattern and the different component of it. you are such a great teacher and I really enjoy watching this serie. Thank you for posting and looking forward to the next part of it. xoxo
Thank you for this series - so inspiring. I have never thought of looking at patterns like the way you described in this video - I certainly will be now
Hi from England. I have always had problems fitting trousers, hence, I wear skirts and dresses. This method seems so obvious! Yes, the whole garment hangs from the waist! Why have we been making trousers with the old method? Thanks for doing this video, I can see trouseres in my wardrobe!
I so appreciate your series on this. I was too late finding out about this method to be able to purchase the Threads magazine summer 2022 issue in which it was featured, so you are my hero. And you are a great teacher. Thank you so much.
This is such an interesting analysis. I was tempted to skip this step but stayed and was pleasantly surprised how valuable it is. To observe where the crouch is is so important and also not to start correcting things that are not errors but an intentional design. I had so much trouble with fitting in the past and ended with pants that I was not happy with and not wearing them Now I am full of hope that this method could change all this for me and bring back the joy of creating something I actually love and wear. Thank you for this information.
I'm so glad you enjoyed this one! This is one of the aspects of TDCO that seems easy to underestimate, but it makes an enormous difference in my fitting process. I couldn't have put it better than you have in your comment -- paying attention to the intended fit and the design of each pattern helps me bring back the joy of creating, and opens up new styles and different types of fit to explore. It's a mindset that feels like a radical departure from the traditional ways of thinking about fitting, and for me it feels like a breath of fresh air.
For the first pattern, to me it seems that the pants in the picture of the larger size look like they don't fit over the abdomen. Room to move is important, but this had fabric bunching up over the top of the legs and pooling beside the abdomen. I would never wear pant that fit that way.
A photograph of a finished garment is a fashion photograph, an evocative image showing the garment in action giving a sense of what the garment looks like. Pants can fit great but photographed as though they seemingly do not fit and vice versa.
Sometimes the pattern will include the crotch ease somewhere in the size chart or in the written instructions (I've seen patterns state that the rise should be 1" longer than the body, for example), but most of the time I have to study the sample garments in the product photos and make an educated guess. This is just a ballpark number that can be a starting point when you get to the toile fitting stage, and you can increase or decrease the ease in the crotch to refine the fit. I'll cover all of this in a future video!
I've sewn for decades as well, and I still have problems with fitting pants. While I really appreciate the information in these videos, I think you may be relying too much on the pattern photos. The first photo didn't fit the model well at all. There were drag lines on both legs and in the front. The white pants that are snug in the bottom may be because they just don't fit well, not because they are drafted that way. So I think that following the "design intent" may result in a pair of pants that you may hate. I see so many commercial pattern photos with ill fitting garments, both independent companies and the Big Four. That being said, I am looking forward to trying out this method. I have recently lost 45 lbs. and have no pants that fit at all, having lived in sweats for the past several years (even before COVID!)
Fashion images are guidelines to understand how the garment looks and functions on a body, these can also come from other sources or looking at videos of garments in department stores. There is a famous Helmut Newton photograph for French Vogue of models in various poses both with and without clothes. In the photos the models in pants show numerous drag lines which are not because of poor fit but because the model has one foot forward. or a hip that has slightly turned direction relative to the other hip. Good fit is when the 2D pattern blueprint is aligned with the 3D body and you have a pair of pants you reach for and wear constantly.
OK. I haven't watched the whole video yet, so maybe you address this later. But when looking at project pictures, we have no idea if the model altered the pattern before she sewed it up. So we really have no way of knowing how the pattern relates to the picture itself. In that first picture, the pants fit so poorly that I imagine the tester didn't make any alterations. But maybe she did and just didn't do a very good job.
The idea here is that I study the design so that I have some idea of what to aim for as I am fitting the pants. Photos from the designer showing the pattern on real bodies can be one way to understand how to designer intended the pants to fit. Whether the model needed to make body part-specific adjustments to achieve that fit is less important to me when I look at a design. Why? Because that model's body is different from mine, so of course we will all have to make our own unique adjustments. What I'm looking for are clues about how the garment is intended to fit -- how much ease is there in the crotch? in the hip? in the upper thigh? How much volume in the leg? Is the garment tight or loose? If the photos show the body in motion or with more weight on one side, how does the fabric drape and accommodate that movement? Looking very carefully at these details will often help me once I have the toile on my body, and I can make fitting decisions to customize the fit of the pants for my unique anatomy. Whether the fit in the photos is "good" or "poor" is a judgement call that each of us makes -- that's what makes fashion so personal for each of us. If you find the fit in the photos to be poor, then it's up to you to decide whether you want to try the pattern anyway and see where you can tweak the fit, or alternatively, keep moving and look for a different pattern with a fit that you like better.
A finished garment photo is just one way to understand the design of a pattern. Most indie pattern companies do not have the resources to conduct the extensive testing necessary for pants pattern development.
Funny that you find this to be a bad thing when as a plus size consumer with fit issues, I find it to be insanely valuable to see how the pattern will fit on as many different people as possible.
Yes, and this is where one needs to use good judgement when choosing what pattern to start with. If the sample photos fit poorly, then that reflects on the quality of the drafting, and I would be hesitant to choose that pattern as a starting point unless it's really offering something I can't find anywhere else. If you are on Instagram, I have more examples of the kind of information that I look for to assess intended fit -- I just did a deep dive of the Helene jeans, for example. Sometimes the sample photos are just one piece of the puzzle.
@@thecrookedhem it doesn't reflect on the quality though. The pattern can be excellently drafted and people will still need adjustments. That is the point of this series, is it not? That we aren't all identical and patterns fit us all differently? Pattern testers are people with various shapes and fitting issues just like every other sewist. We have to make the pattern as drafted or the consumer will have no idea what they are actually buying when in reality, many of us make adjustments when we make our own garments. The only adjustments most of us make when testing are grading between sizes because that is pretty standard. If designers only had people with perfectly proportioned bodies test their patterns, most people wouldn't have an idea on how those patterns will fit THEM.
Thank you so much for this. I never realized how much info is actually in a pattern. I never knew how to make adjustments to make something fit, so I just gave up. I gave up sewing, I gave up shopping... I am now down to one pair of pants that fit horribly and a few T-shirts. I have to learn how to make pants fit so I can leave the house in something besides PJs. I'm so glad this method is here. ThankYou Ruth! And again thank you for explaining the design intent concept here. I never would have thought of it. I'm learning so much.👏😁
For someone who has sewn for decades, I am used to reading the pattern envelopes and pattern pieces to estimate ease. But I seldom think of reading photos of garments, as even a decade ago very few existed and then only if the envelope had a fit model on the cover and not just fashion illustrations (don't get me started). I had never considered the integrity of the design, but you and Ruth have convinced me. My takeaway from this video is that if I don't like the amount of ease as seen in photos or calculated from measurements I should keep looking for a other pattern. I admit I have a rather limited range of ease in the hip and thighs that I think is comfortable (not too tight) and does not make my long torso/short legs look too unbalanced (not too wide). I'll keep up my search for silhouettes I prefer, and then play Mr Potato head to add different pockets, etc. I am loving your Insta and RUclips posts on this topic - thanks so much h.
Thank you for this excellent series on TDCO...you are the perfect instructor, clear, concise instruction, easily understood and your love of teaching shines thru.
Many thanks! I'm glad it's been helpful.
I'm really loving your detailed look at design features! Thank you so much for sharing these insights and the framework. ❤
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! for this segment. I have attempted to fit multiple patterns to my body shape and end up with basically the same design every single time. My mind was opened to a new process and I love it! I can have different style of pants in my wardrobe, spend less time altering, and love myself (both my body and my sewing skills) at the end of the process! Thank you once again!
You are so welcome! Before learning about TDCO, I had a very similar experience -- all of my pants fit exactly the same and mt wardrobe felt very one-dimensional. Now I can enjoy lots of different styles and spend less time fitting too. Enjoy using the method!
Wow! what a great way to look at a pattern and the different component of it. you are such a great teacher and I really enjoy watching this serie. Thank you for posting and looking forward to the next part of it. xoxo
Excellent series! Thank you for clear explanation.
Thank you for this series - so inspiring. I have never thought of looking at patterns like the way you described in this video - I certainly will be now
Hi from England. I have always had problems fitting trousers, hence, I wear skirts and dresses. This method seems so obvious! Yes, the whole garment hangs from the waist! Why have we been making trousers with the old method? Thanks for doing this video, I can see trouseres in my wardrobe!
Thanks so much for this great TDCO series and the extras like today’s pattern info! I’ve eagerly awaited each video!
Wow this is absolutely fascinating. Just getting into sewing pants so am so so grateful for your videos. Thank you!! 🥰
Such valuable info for looking at patterns, thankyou for sharing
I so appreciate your series on this. I was too late finding out about this method to be able to purchase the Threads magazine summer 2022 issue in which it was featured, so you are my hero. And you are a great teacher. Thank you so much.
Your local library might have it!
If you have Kindle Unlimited, the magazine is available in e-format! But this Crooked Hem video series is really helpful for extra info and visuals.
Interesting series! Thanks so much.
So interesting once again! really enjoying this series :) thank u for sharing your knowledge with us
This is such an interesting analysis. I was tempted to skip this step but stayed and was pleasantly surprised how valuable it is. To observe where the crouch is is so important and also not to start correcting things that are not errors but an intentional design.
I had so much trouble with fitting in the past and ended with pants that I was not happy with and not wearing them Now I am full of hope that this method could change all this for me and bring back the joy of creating something I actually love and wear. Thank you for this information.
I'm so glad you enjoyed this one! This is one of the aspects of TDCO that seems easy to underestimate, but it makes an enormous difference in my fitting process. I couldn't have put it better than you have in your comment -- paying attention to the intended fit and the design of each pattern helps me bring back the joy of creating, and opens up new styles and different types of fit to explore. It's a mindset that feels like a radical departure from the traditional ways of thinking about fitting, and for me it feels like a breath of fresh air.
Thank you 🙏 loved your input 😍👌🙏👏👏
For the first pattern, to me it seems that the pants in the picture of the larger size look like they don't fit over the abdomen. Room to move is important, but this had fabric bunching up over the top of the legs and pooling beside the abdomen. I would never wear pant that fit that way.
They don’t fit in so many ways!
A photograph of a finished garment is a fashion photograph, an evocative image showing the garment in action giving a sense of what the garment looks like. Pants can fit great but photographed as though they seemingly do not fit and vice versa.
Brilliant
This series is so great! How do you calculate the crotch ease?
Sometimes the pattern will include the crotch ease somewhere in the size chart or in the written instructions (I've seen patterns state that the rise should be 1" longer than the body, for example), but most of the time I have to study the sample garments in the product photos and make an educated guess. This is just a ballpark number that can be a starting point when you get to the toile fitting stage, and you can increase or decrease the ease in the crotch to refine the fit. I'll cover all of this in a future video!
💟💟
I've sewn for decades as well, and I still have problems with fitting pants. While I really appreciate the information in these videos, I think you may be relying too much on the pattern photos. The first photo didn't fit the model well at all. There were drag lines on both legs and in the front. The white pants that are snug in the bottom may be because they just don't fit well, not because they are drafted that way. So I think that following the "design intent" may result in a pair of pants that you may hate. I see so many commercial pattern photos with ill fitting garments, both independent companies and the Big Four. That being said, I am looking forward to trying out this method. I have recently lost 45 lbs. and have no pants that fit at all, having lived in sweats for the past several years (even before COVID!)
Fashion images are guidelines to understand how the garment looks and functions on a body, these can also come from other sources or looking at videos of garments in department stores. There is a famous Helmut Newton photograph for French Vogue of models in various poses both with and without clothes. In the photos the models in pants show numerous drag lines which are not because of poor fit but because the model has one foot forward. or a hip that has slightly turned direction relative to the other hip. Good fit is when the 2D pattern blueprint is aligned with the 3D body and you have a pair of pants you reach for and wear constantly.
OK. I haven't watched the whole video yet, so maybe you address this later. But when looking at project pictures, we have no idea if the model altered the pattern before she sewed it up. So we really have no way of knowing how the pattern relates to the picture itself. In that first picture, the pants fit so poorly that I imagine the tester didn't make any alterations. But maybe she did and just didn't do a very good job.
The idea here is that I study the design so that I have some idea of what to aim for as I am fitting the pants. Photos from the designer showing the pattern on real bodies can be one way to understand how to designer intended the pants to fit. Whether the model needed to make body part-specific adjustments to achieve that fit is less important to me when I look at a design. Why? Because that model's body is different from mine, so of course we will all have to make our own unique adjustments. What I'm looking for are clues about how the garment is intended to fit -- how much ease is there in the crotch? in the hip? in the upper thigh? How much volume in the leg? Is the garment tight or loose? If the photos show the body in motion or with more weight on one side, how does the fabric drape and accommodate that movement? Looking very carefully at these details will often help me once I have the toile on my body, and I can make fitting decisions to customize the fit of the pants for my unique anatomy. Whether the fit in the photos is "good" or "poor" is a judgement call that each of us makes -- that's what makes fashion so personal for each of us. If you find the fit in the photos to be poor, then it's up to you to decide whether you want to try the pattern anyway and see where you can tweak the fit, or alternatively, keep moving and look for a different pattern with a fit that you like better.
@@thecrookedhem Thank you for taking the time to make such a clear and thoughtful reply.
Many of the photos I see from "indie" pattern companies are clearly made by their testers -and the fit is poor.
A finished garment photo is just one way to understand the design of a pattern. Most indie pattern companies do not have the resources to conduct the extensive testing necessary for pants pattern development.
Funny that you find this to be a bad thing when as a plus size consumer with fit issues, I find it to be insanely valuable to see how the pattern will fit on as many different people as possible.
You are assuming that the garments on the product photos are well made and have been fitted to the model. I don't know that this is always true.
Yes, and this is where one needs to use good judgement when choosing what pattern to start with. If the sample photos fit poorly, then that reflects on the quality of the drafting, and I would be hesitant to choose that pattern as a starting point unless it's really offering something I can't find anywhere else. If you are on Instagram, I have more examples of the kind of information that I look for to assess intended fit -- I just did a deep dive of the Helene jeans, for example. Sometimes the sample photos are just one piece of the puzzle.
@@thecrookedhem it doesn't reflect on the quality though. The pattern can be excellently drafted and people will still need adjustments. That is the point of this series, is it not? That we aren't all identical and patterns fit us all differently? Pattern testers are people with various shapes and fitting issues just like every other sewist. We have to make the pattern as drafted or the consumer will have no idea what they are actually buying when in reality, many of us make adjustments when we make our own garments. The only adjustments most of us make when testing are grading between sizes because that is pretty standard. If designers only had people with perfectly proportioned bodies test their patterns, most people wouldn't have an idea on how those patterns will fit THEM.