Adams Pants Fitting
ASG Guild Workshop
Background
I am sometimes asked to recommend a pants pattern. This is tough to answer because I would like my focus in the DIY making world to be fitting and design from my perspective as a consumer. It would be a conflict of interest for me to teach fitting and then say "buy this or that pattern" because the idea is that if one likes the design, one can learn the fitting skills to adapt the design for one's body. In addition, there are so many terrific patterns out there, it is just not possible to sample everything to the degree I would feel comfortable before making a recommendation. We all like having options to suit our personal aesthetic. Plus we want to encourage more designers to enter the slow fashion space and make patterns for inclusive size ranges.
Having said that, there are patterns that it will be more straightforward for people to make whether for fitting or other tasks associated with garment construction. There is a LOT to learn when fitting pants, especially if you are a beginner or learning by yourself. Spending time on basic foundational skills is always worthwhile.
When I was invited to visit the ASG Guild of central Iowa, I suggested we all make the same pattern so we could learn by watching each other fit. I also suggested the Adams pants from designer Daughter Judy Patterns because (1) this is an inclusive sized pattern, and (2) this is a pattern that IMO is not for beginners and many people will find they need adjustments all over. The one adjustment I was not worried about was leg length because the pant is cropped. That means for some it would end up being regular length, but at least having the leg puddling on the foot and interfere with fitting would not be an issue.
In this workshop we had just one day to accomplish everything. Every alteration takes time, more alterations and the time adds up quickly. Feeling rushed for time is not conducive to learning fitting. One feels vulnerable wearing just half a pant. You need time to ponder, to look in the mirror and relate adjustment decisions to the visual impact. It’s a collaboration between design, draft and body. Collaborations always take more time than one anticipates.
I am super grateful that the Guild invited me and was up for the challenge. As anticipated, between everyone in the group, every type of adjustment was covered. It was intense. The goal is more than just make the Adams pants or have a crotch curve that can be used for flat pattern adjustments. What I was most concerned about was that participants understand the rationale as the adjustments were being made so they can apply it to other situations. The skills of the experienced sewists in the group were a big help. The general camaraderie of the group means that there are sewing buddies and special interest groups to help with follow-up and practice.
The Adams Pants Draft
Before we discuss the adjustments, let’s take a moment to look at the design and draft of the Adams pant. It is a multi-size (20 sizes total) nested pattern that comes in 2 ranges (DD and JJ)
There are 3 sizes that overlap between the DD and JJ ranges (16, 18, 20):
If we superimpose the two size ranges, the variations in pattern outlines gives a sense of where we made adjustments:
Note in particular how different the crotch curve and inseams are between the two size ranges.
Going back to our menu analogy when using the multi-size pattern, the person fitting the pants might be a DD in hip circumference but proportioned like a JJ. There are so many possible combinations of adjustments it makes no sense to spend time adjusting the pattern before fitting, it is just more effective to work it out on the toile.
Customizing the balance of cross-body width and depth
Let’s start with a crotch seam adjustment that is commonly needed.
I will discuss the theory of why this adjustment is needed and how this played out in a quite dramatic fashion for one workshop participant.