Pants? Pants. Pants! A lecture on the shape of pants Gennette Gill Technical Communication (Comp 321) January 27, 2006

Pants Goals Using a sewing machine Creating your own pants patterns Making new pants styles Understand the shape of pants Visualize how to sew fabric together Alter existing pants to fit better Non-Goals

Organization Develop a pants pattern 1 look at the shape of pants 2 come up with a pattern 3 discuss resulting pants 4 if pants are not acceptable, goto 1 See pants being sewn together Discuss altering existing pants

The Shape of Pants legs in pants basic pants shape the shape of one pant

The Shape of Pants

Modified Pant Design (front)

What Goes Where waist hip thigh inseam

Modified Pants Design (back) same length longer wider

Putting It Together front back inseam Sew the front to the back of each leg along the inseam Sew right leg to left leg along the U Sew the front to the back of each leg along the outer seam

Making Alterations If the crotch is too loose, which line do we need to change? How do we change it, without adding any aditional fabric?

Making Alterations If the crotch is too loose, which line do we need to change? How do we change it without adding any aditional fabric? Shorten at the top What else changes? - Waist may get bigger - Legs are shorter - Zipper and belt loops cut!

Making Alterations If the crotch is too loose, which line do we need to change? How do we change it without adding any aditional fabric? Shorten at the bottom What else changes? cut here somehow - Less room across thigh - Legs narrower / differently shaped c1 discontinuity

Making Alterations If the crotch is too tight, which line do we need to change? How do we change it, without adding any aditional fabric?

Making Alterations If the crotch is too tight, which line do we need to change? How do we change it without adding any aditional fabric? What else changes? - Waist gets smaller - Less room across hips - Zipper gets cut!

Making Alterations If the crotch is too tight, which line do we need to change? How do we change it without adding any aditional fabric? What else changes? - Less room across thighs

Use Your Skills Visualize how pants are put together. Look at the pants you have: –How they are different from each other? –What properties will you look for when buying pants? How would you modify your existing pants: –Too lose? Too tight? What needs to change? –What side effects will possible changes have? Avoid mistakes when making pants –Visualize how the pattern will come together. –Small alterations based on your own measurements.

Thanks To… Chris Oates, my coach Jose Bastardes, my pants model Jeff Feasel, for my sewing machine and many valuable pants conversations

Questions?Pants? Pants. Pants!