On Drafting Trousers

As you know I have recently drafted two pairs of pants: my Marlene Trousers and my Denim Slacks. These were the first pairs of pants I have made drafting my own patterns. Most people seem to be scared of drafting pants and find it very hard to fit them. I didn't have this experience but did have to go through several pants drafts until I found what I liked.

I started off drafting my first pattern using Winifred Aldrich's Metric Pattern Cutting for Women's Wear:

This book includes a classic tailored trouser block and a very close fitting jeans block. I went with the classic tailored trouser block but found the options for variations on this block and its fit lacking. Now, I'm the kind of person who isn't happy to just get something done even if I don't entirely understand how it's done. I like to know everything and understand every how and why and Aldrich's book may give you practical pattern drafts but fails to give a good understanding of why or how something works the way it does. So, I ended up finding the trouser draft didn't give me the kind of trousers I wanted and wasn't able to change the fit because I didn't know how.

So I started researching a little and found the book Patternmaking for Fashion Design by Helen Joseph-Armstrong in my local library. Armstrong includes a chapter on the "Analysis of the Pant Foundations", with these excellent drawings included:

(Sorry, this is not a good copy)

She doesn't just show you one draft but how to draft for different trouser fits. My Marlene trousers were drafted using the trouser block in the book and the fit turned out well and only needed a little tweaking here and there. My Denim Slacks were done using the modified slacks pattern, which is a variation on the trouser pattern and is drafted with the trouser pattern as a foundation. This pattern worked out really well and the fit was great.

Since then I have been coveting this somewhat pricey book because it seems to be a very thorough and detailed book aimed at fashion design students. But I'm still hesitant because a lot of people have commented that this book is not very good. Only recently I received a comment on one of my earlier blog posts on Pattern Drafting Books by Jennifer Lynne, a fashion instructor:

"[...] I can actually comment on the Helen Armstrong book. I'm an instructor in one of the big fashion design schools. I am not a fan of this book. Even thought this book is updated every other year, it is not rewritten and is still nearly identical to the 1987 version I bought while in school. I have a call out to individuals everywhere to write a better pattern book. - oh wait, maybe I should write one."

Yes, please do! Because I still have not found anyone who can brag about and absolutely recommend a very, very good pattern book. Well, until a better book is available, I might have to go with this one. What do you think?