The quest for pants...

On the recent "Speakeasy" tour, one of the journeys I noticed many in our group shared, was the quest for better pants.  Some are taking classes to learn better techniques, and some were looking for better fabrics. Some just needed some guidance to find the "right" fabric.

If you want to come on a Speakeasy tour, the next one happens pretty soon, so sign up!

Choosing the right fabric for your pants is very important.  You stress pants in ways that you don't challenge other garments.  When you sit for a time, you want your pants to be comfortable, and continue to look as good when you stand up again.  When you bend, make big movements, or walk, you don't want to need to "readjust", if you know what I mean.  Where they wrinkle, stretch, fade, and how well they'll launder are all things to consider as well.  The combined expertise of our group really helped the shoppers find what they wanted/needed.

There are plenty of places to buy great fabric for pants, but here are a few from my recent jaunts, where I have found places with great choices:

Classics:

Try Rosen and Chadick for wool, cotton twill, washed linen, corduroy.  Wool sateen makes particularly wonderful "dress up" pants.

Fun/Artistic/Colorful:

Try New York Elegant for exciting denims and great bottom-weight cottons (far back wall, kinda to your left).

Fashionistas:

Try Metro Textiles for great, affordable cotton twills... But get 'em now, because his inventory is ever-changing!

Try Fabrics & Fabrics for wonderful brocades.

Budget conscious/classic:

Try AK Fabrics for very affordable wools and poly-blends.

So, let's say you need some help making them.  Where to adjust, etc?  You can't find or buy this article anywhere (below), and it did appear in the Butterick Home Catalogue in the Fall of 1998, where I worked as an employee at the time. I just found my copy today, buried in a book I probably haven't opened in a year.  What is missing from the article, which I chose not to share, if the personal pant measurement chart.  Why didn't I share it? Because mine has my own measurements written in.  Here's what to record for your own chart:

Date: _____ (because you may need this later!)

Circumference measurements:

Waist ___
High Hip _____ (Measured ___" or cm down from waistline)
Full hip _____ (Measured ____" or cm down from waistline)
Thigh ____
Knee ____
Calf ____
Instep ____

Length Measurements:

Side length to floor ___
Side length to knee _____
Side length to calf ____
Crotch depth ______
Front crotch length _____
Back crotch length _____

If you have scoliosis, or any other left/right difference, take a left and right measurement for each affected area.  This may mean that you have to divide some circumference measurements into "left" and "right", and that if you are using a commercial pattern, you may need to make left and right versions or halves of pieces originally designed to be identical on each side. Make sense?

Let me know if you can't see these.  I have a hard time with pictures and scans... Note: I can read them on my screen, and I can drag and drop them to my own desktop and enlarge them.  Can you?

* I am sharing copywritten info here, giving full credit to the publisher, who has no copies available to share.  If anyone knows where a person can purchase or obtain a copy, feel free to let me know in the comments.