Hi Everyone,
Today is a short post to share another remade pattern. Second time around is always sweeter! Behold, a second pair of trousers made using Simplicity 8389. Like the first version, this version was also made using a fine wool suiting from Fabworks (sorry, now sold out, but other options available), but this version has a small amount of stretch to them and the fit is improved. See here for my first version (with fitting details), and here’s a picture to remind you of how they looked.
I know perhaps you can’t tell what’s going on in the first pair much, but trust me, they needed improvement in the tummy area. For this pair I did a 0.5 inch full tummy adjustment (I like this tutorial) and scooped the front crotch out by 0.25 inches, and added 0.25 inches to the side seams to compensate. That’s all. And I am so much happier with the fit. I think another thing I did differently on this pair was to shorten the leg properly at the lengthen/ shorten lines, rather than lopping them off at the bottom, so overall the shape of the leg as designed is preserved, and looks so much more elegant.
Any fit experts out there want to tell me what they think the diagonal lines are that are under my bum? I have noticed them on a few of my pants and would love to get rid of them! Let me know.
Until soon!
sewmanju 
Hallo Sewmanju, beautiful pants, just a little adjustment in the back: sew the back crotch seam lower by 1/4“ at a time. Trim seam allowance to 1/4“ and try on. I hope this works for you! Greatings from Germany from Petra
Thanks Petra!
Those are really nice looking pants. I would not have guessed that they were pull-ons. Perfect with the leopard shoes!
JenL
Thanks Jen.
Very, very classic pants. I bet these get worn a lot. And, thank you for the comparison photo with the earlier pair. I am experimenting with higher hems on my pants (I am curvy and have short legs), and your photos helped me see what works best.
I agree with Petra on the pants adjustment. I’d sew only the horizontal part of the back crotch seam, blending to nothing as you come to the curve that heads upward. If this adjustment works for you, you might find that you end up with a wonky upward “hump” right at the crotch/inseam intersection. There might be an official way to deal with this, but I just trim the seam allowance to even it off. The Palmer/Pletsch pants book concurs. (Also, since this adjustment removes fabric that is excess, you can do it to your existing pants (practicing on a muslin first, of course) and it shouldn’t require releasing side seams.)
Thanks for the suggestion Judith!
I absolutely love these trousers on you, beautiful! I will say that I have the same issue with lines or almost (( )) under the bum. I have no solution for you but would love to better understand the above comments as I can not envision the changes they are trying to direct. I will keep watching your blog as I am confident that you will sort it out.
Thank you for sharing your lovely makes
Thanks Eliza. I will share the solution when I have tried it. I think the answer is to lower and widen the back crotch curve slightly (without actually scooping the back crotch out as this can affect the fit at the hips).
Yes! Essentially, you are sewing an “L” instead of a “C.” You are removing fabric from where it does not need to be — no need to compensate by adding it back in anywhere else.
The incremental difference seems so small, but makes such a big difference in fit. When I was young, I had a full, low bottom. I needed all the extra fabric I could get back there!
Now that I am officially old, my bottom is much less full. I need to take out extra fabric from the back crotch seam. A 1/4″-1/2″ swing down and back in at the bottom of the back crotch seam makes the trousers pull in where they need to pull in, instead of pooling extra fabric and creating weird wrinkles.
Lovely pants and interesting to see the two versions compared. Definitely sweeter the second time.
I think the adjustment you seek is a full inner thigh adjustment. I have the same issue and have read that wherever the drag lines are pointing to is where extra ease is needed.
This guide is very useful for all manner of pants adjustments! https://closetcasepatterns.com/pants-fitting-adjustments-best-tips-for-pants-fitting/
Love seeing your makes 🙂
Thanks Anna.
These are called “smile” lines and are a common problem. Offhand, I don’t know how to fix the problem but I did some research and found an article with suggestions: https://7pinedesign.com/crotch-width-what-causes-crotch-smiles/. I just Googled “smiles” pant fitting and there’s also a video for fixing smile lines in the front but Googling smile lines pant fitting gets better results. Hopefully this will help you get started on fixing the problem. I sew my own trousers and there’s nothing better than having a well-fitted trouser to wear!
Thank you so much Rhonda!
Manju, take a look at Peggy Sayers’ (Silhouette Patterns) “Fit 2 Stitch” videos on YouTube. She’s got several about jeans, but there’s one for regular trousers. Watch past the waistband section and you’ll see how she pins out the smile lines and changes the pattern or sloper. Her explanation of the difference between depth and length is great! Hope this helps.
Thanks so much Del. I will check it out.
I’ve watched it several times, as well as a couple om jeans. They seem to make sense to moi. 😘