-----PATTERNS & PATTERN-MAKING-----

[gothvamp]

Hi fellow crafters!

I am currently finishing a military short sleeved jacket for my husband and he is dying to have some matching trousers.

Thing is I have no clue about how to make trousers. They would have to be rather cut like usual tailored trousers, not skin tight.

I was thinking about making at first some kind of latex shorts to which i would later on attach some "legs". So it'd be easier to try to find the good fitting without struggling with loads of fabric at first.

What do you think of this idea? By any chance, would any of you have some shorts pattern you'd be willing to give me? I can share my patterns as well and I would put some HOW TO MAKE garments with my techniques if I had some schemes on my comp instead of big piles of patterns drawn on old newspaper.

Then, do you think I could make some proper trousers without using any zipper? I have mastered the way of including a zipper but I fear it would complicate the pattern a lot. Would some zipper-free trousers fit and hold properly?

Thanks for your advice!

[rubmeup]

Hello Gothvamp.

An idea is to get a cheep pair of trousers that fit your husband,
or a old pair,
pull the seems apart and use each part as a pattern, give a little for overlapping glue joint, and you will have a perfect fit, also in the length.
good luck
Rubmeup.

[Famous_Moose]

Hi fellow crafters!

I am currently finishing a military short sleeved jacket for my husband and he is dying to have some matching trousers.

Thing is I have no clue about how to make trousers. They would have to be rather cut like usual tailored trousers, not skin tight.



Thanks for your advice!

I could probably can in and email you a couple of pages from my male pattern cutting book if you're interested. That contains patterns for various sharped and flat patterned trousers as well as jeans.

If you're interested give me a shout.

Moose

[gothvamp]

Famous_Moose: I'd be very grateful! Have you tested any of those patterns with latex? I have never modified a regular pattern for latex... anyway, I'm PMing my email to you!

rubmeup: I am used to take garments and make patterns out of them even without taking them apart but I am afraid a pull on latex pants wouldnt need the same shape than lets say a pair of jeans, I dunno.

[in2myrbr]

Hi gothvamp, I have posted a pic of the patern that I use to make pants with. Alhough the pants I am making currently or of plastic, the design itself was created form a pair of latex pajamas that werre made for me.

It will be the deisgn I use to make my latex pants and catsuits when I have enough money to pick up some latex for my own garment making purposes.

Rather than go hunting for that post, I'll just attach the thumnails again.

[Wired]

Hi gothvamp,

Your idea for zipperless trousers should work fine, I recently made a pair for a friend who reported a very good fit ans as long as you make the waist size of the trousers a couple of inches smaller than your hubbys actual waist size you shouldnt encounter any slippage issues.

Your more than welcome to a tracing of my pattern which you'd only need to adapt to size. Its way too big for a scan though so would need to be snailmail.

[Famous_Moose]

Famous_Moose: I'd be very grateful! Have you tested any of those patterns with latex? I have never modified a regular pattern for latex... anyway, I'm PMing my email to you!

If you're looking for a standard fit then the only adaptation you really need is to adjust the seam allowances. Putting zips in isn't too tough, you just soak the fabric sides with liquid latex or copydex, let it dry, then glue as normal and finish off with some re-enforcing strips and a zip guard.

I'll pass you scans of the pattern blocks for slim cut trousers this weekend.

Moose

[Glaftex]

Hi Gothvamp,

I have made several pairs of latex trousers and I have found that the best appearance and fit is a jeans pattern. I have used in2myrbr,s pattern, in which you only have one piece for each leg - ie two pieces for the whole garment, but now only use this method for loose fit garments such as pyjamas.
If you have developed some skill working with latex, and it appears that you have, I would recommend using an old pair of jeans of your husbands and pulling them to pieces for a pattern. or buy him a cheap pair of jeans that fit him well and using these. By having each leg in two pieces, and most particularly by have that little separate piece at the top of the back of each leg [only found in jeans type patterns], you will find that you get an excellent fit.
Here is the procedure from the pattern pieces
1. Fit the pockets to the front part of each leg if you are going to have pockets
2. Glue the small piece that fits between the waist band and the back part of both leg pieces.
3. Glue the front and completed back pieces of each leg together, starting at the crotch. You should make all the leg pieces longer than the pattern by several cms and cut the length right at the end. It is almost certain that the front and back pieces will not meet up at the cuff, so its important to start glueing at the crotch.
4. If putting in a zip, [fiddly, but not impossible], glue both legs together from the seam point of the crotch up to the bottom of where the zip will go. Remember the left leg laps over the right leg.
5. Put in the zip.
6. Only after the zip is in do you join the backs of the two legs together, and this is where you can try the jeans on, and if necessary take in the waist if necessary.
7. Put a waist band on the jeans.

In my experience, the best thickness for jeans/trousers is .50/.63 [if using 4D latex, now designated .55mm], although .43/50 [now designated .45mm] is not too bad.

If you want more information, especially about constructing pockets or putting in the zip or waist band I suggest you send me an IAR email. I have worked out some easy strategies, but them are probably of no interest for anyone not actually making jeans.

The jeans that I have made using the reverse side of the latex, have also been stitched, but only through the top thickness of the lap joint, ie I made a hem on the latex to go on the top of the lap, then my wife ran a row of stiches down the hem, and then I glued the stiched hem over the the bottom of the lap joint, giving the appearance that the seam was stitched. These jeans look more normal for street wear than jeans which are just glued, especially glued jeans which are lapped joined with a cut edge. We usually only take this trouble for the join down the outside of the leg, but not the inside lap join.

All the best,

Glaftex

[gothvamp]

Glaftex thanks for your explanations! It seems tough but not impossible!

Moose, thanks as well.

I have some spare .33 olive latex so I might try one or the other method with it, adapting it to make some shorts or undies. So I'll see if I manage that!

[gothvamp]

in2myrbr thanks a lot as well! the server seems to be down a lot today, I didn't see you post before!