Hello, I'm Sally Cowan and I'd like to welcome you to the wonderful world of bond fit.
I'm going to show you how to use your bond fit non-paper pant pattern to get perfect
fitting fashions every time.
All fashions originate from the basics and so I'm going to focus on showing you how to
get the basics to fit you properly.
This will give you a solid foundation from which to explore your creativity and design
with confidence because you will know that your creations will fit properly.
Don't be intimidated, you don't need years of college to be able to make a pattern as
bond fit has made it simple.
A little effort will be required but just think of the benefits of nice fitting flattering
garments and you will realize the benefits are worth every effort.
Let me start by explaining what constitutes good fit.
The most important element of good fit is comfort.
In order for a garment to be comfortable it needs to be made a little larger than our
actual body measurements so that you can perform everyday activities like bending and turning
without restriction.
The amount by which we increase the garment measurements for this purpose is called wearing
ease.
The amount of wearing ease that is needed depends on the type of activity the garment
will be used for.
For example, a fitted formal pant will generally have far less wearing ease than a pant you
make to wear while exercising.
In the case of stretch fabrics, the fabric itself provides the wearing ease.
Wearing ease must not be confused with design ease.
Wearing ease is the amount by which a garment is made larger than your actual body measurements
over and above the amount added for wearing ease solely for the purpose of altering the
design of the garment.
The second element of good fit is that seams should not be pulling forward or backward
and your waistline and hemline should be parallel to the floor.
The garment must also hang smoothly on and over your body.
You should be free of any wrinkles or bumps and there are three types of wrinkles which
would indicate that you have a fitting problem that you need to correct, horizontal, vertical
or bias.
Each of these three types of wrinkles tells a story and a little later in the show I'm
going to teach you how to read these wrinkles, should you find them on your garment that
is, so you will be able to diagnose what is causing your fitting problem.
Then you will be clear on how to correct the problem to eliminate all the wrinkles.
Your BondFit non-paper pant pattern adjusts to your exact body measurements and proportions
as you slide its adjustable panels to your measurements.
So the first step toward achieving successful results using your BondFit pant pattern is
knowing how to correctly and accurately take your measurements.
A measurement guide and a table in which to record the measurements can be found in the
beginning of your instruction book.
Before you start measuring it is important to stand in your normal posture and to breathe
normally.
It is also important to take your measurements wearing the type of undergarments you would
ordinarily wear under the garment you intend to make.
Remember, don't cheat.
These are only numbers.
As your BondFit pant pattern can be adjusted for several family members, I am going to
record my model's measurements, but you need to record your own measurements on a separate
sheet to keep the records straight.
It's also a good idea to record the date on which you took the measurements so that if
your dimensions change in the future, you will be clear on which are the correct set
of measurements to use.
Your measurements can differ up to one-half inch during the day, so don't be too hung
up on taking the measurements in terms of a quarter of an inch or an eighth of an inch.
Let's take these measurements together so they are accurate.
The measurement process for BondFit may differ from other measuring methods you may have
learned, but please measure the BondFit way to guarantee success.
At this time I'd like to ask Lauren to join me.
Hi Lauren.
Hi Sally.
We're going to take your measurements Lauren.
Okay.
And one of the first things I need to do is put elastic around your waist and around your
hips because that gives me a place to start from.
I use elastic instead of string because elastic seems to stay hugged to the body.
String can slip up and down sometimes.
Now some people are not built with a nice curve like that.
If you're built straight up and down, you need to know how to find your waist.
So if you just bend over, right here where she bends is where your waist would be if
you didn't have a waist.
This is encouraging.
We have a waist.
Nice to know.
I'm going to tie this on you right here.
Now you want to make sure that this is parallel with the floor all the way around and not
hiked up on one side or the other.
And the waist allows for the ease by the way.
It's already built in so we don't have to worry about that.
But I'm going to go ahead and tie the string around your hips so that we can get to that
too first.
I'm going to tie it around the fullest part of your hips.
And first of all I'm just going to get it tied.
And then I'll adjust it because you want to make sure it's parallel to the floor.
Elastic is something that doesn't like to be tied by the way.
Okay, you want to make sure it's parallel to the floor.
And sometimes the easiest way to do that is to get literally down on your side and see
if it's at the fullest part of the body all the way around.
And now you have your waist and your hips set.
Now we're going to start to take the measurements and put them on this card.
I'm going to record them but I'll keep it secret.
Okay, I'll keep it secret.
On the waist measurement you simply hold the tape measure nice and snug.
Are you breathing?
Yes.
Okay.
Nice and snug.
Don't suck in the breath or anything and take a nice snug measurement.
Not too tight but not loose because the BonFit allows for that.
So I'm going to write down your waist measurement.
And the hip measurement is at the fullest part right where we did the elastic already
so that makes it convenient.
But here again this takes maybe another person to help you with it because you wouldn't know
if it was riding up in the back or not.
And I can see that it's right along the elastic so I'm safe in knowing that that is exactly
what your hip measurement is.
Write that down.
Now we need to measure the distance between your waistline and your hip line at the side
seam, center front, and center back.
This particular measurement will assist us in correcting the pattern to match your posture
or stance and body type.
It also ensures that we position the hip line of the pattern to match the hip line on your
body.
The key word is contour of your body, front, back, and side.
By comparing these measurements at center front and center back with the measurement
at the side seam we are able to determine whether the center front and the center back
of the pattern needs to be shortened or lengthened to accommodate for your body type or posture.
This corrects the pattern for amongst other things a flatter or fuller seat, a flatter
or fuller stomach.
If your side seam measurement is the same as your center front or back then no adjustment
is required.
If your side seam measurement is greater than your center front or back measurement then
a negative adjustment is required which means that the garment length at your side seam
is too long for what your body needs at center front or back.
Knowing this we need to shorten the center front or back of the pattern.
This is indicative of your stomach or seat being flatter than the curvature of your hip
line.
If your side seam measurement is less than your center front or back measurement then
a positive adjustment is required which means that the garment length at your side seam
is too short for what your body needs at center front or back.
Knowing this we need to lengthen the center front or back of the pattern.
This is indicative of your stomach or seat being fuller than the curvature of your hip
line.
So let's do the math.
Waist to hip at center front is from waist to hip at center front is eight and a half
inches minus waist to hip at the side seam and right on the side not towards the front
or towards the back right down the side which is nine and a fourth.
When you subtract nine and a fourth from eight and a half you get a minus three quarters.
Now we're going to measure waist to hip at center back which is nine inches.
Subtract the side seam that we've already had was nine and a fourth.
Now we have a minus one fourth.
Please remember that you may have either the same or completely different results for your
front and back patterns.
In this case you had a minus three quarters an inch between the center front and the side
which means that your curvature of your body is greater at the side than it is in the front.
In the back you had a minus one quarter of an inch which means the curvature of your
body on the side is greater than the center back to your hips.
That's good news.
I like that.
You like that.
That's very good news.
The waistline stance adjustment affects the length but does not affect the width of the
waistline darts.
With a positive adjustment the dart would become longer but would remain the same width
at the waistline.
With a negative adjustment the dot would become shorter but the width of the dart would remain
the same at the waistline.
Now the thigh.
We need to do the thigh and we measure two inches down below the crotch.
Do you ever notice how tape measures are never turned the right way?
That's normal.
That's very normal.
So you measure two inches down from the crotch at the fullest part.
And don't tell them.
Please hide that.
I'll hide that one down here and put it over here and you add a half an inch for ease and
then you divide it in half and that's what you do with the thigh measurement.
Next we're going to do the waist to the floor and you would want to be wearing your shoes
that you regularly wear.
And I'm going to take the waist all the way down to the floor and I'll subtract an inch
and a half and that will give you your normal ankle length pair of pants.
Right down the side all the way down to the floor.
Subtract an inch and a half from that so 42, an inch and a half would be 40 and a half.
Now the crotch depth at side seam needs to be done on a hard flat surface not something
with a pillow or a chair that caves in like this.
So if you can just prop yourself up right here.
This measurement is very, very important and I take a straight ruler.
This is not a tape measure but this is a ruler that will come up from the table up the side
and I have to get down and really look at where the elastic waist is and that's like
10 and a half from the table to the elastic waist.
Thank you Lauren.
10 and a half for that.
Now to that measurement you do have to add some ease.
It would be one inch most of the time but it would be a half an inch for example for
a very thin figure and one and a half inches for a plus size figure.
For the crotch length measurement you need to place the tape measure between your legs
and pull it fairly tight.
I'm going to start at the waist in the back and bring it up to the waist in the front
which is 27 inches and we're going to divide that in half.
27 divided in half is 13 and a half.
Now for the front we're going to subtract an inch so it's now 12 and a half and in the
back we're going to add an inch so it's 14 and a half.
What we have is 12 and a half in the front, 14 and a half in the back and 27 overall.
Which is our original measurement.
Which is our original measurement that's exactly right.
This one inch from the front to the back is a good rule of thumb, a great starting point
however there are always exceptions to any rule as we all know.
Most of us need more length in the back than in the front but if you have a large stomach
or a flat seat just using half of the total crotch length measurement may work or you
might have to add or subtract a half an inch instead of an inch.
This measurement will determine where the point at which the inseams join will sit on
your body.
Thanks for helping us out today Lauren I really appreciate your coming.
You're quite welcome Sally.
Thank you.
Let me stop and talk about the crotch curve for a minute because I think therein lies
what seems to be a mystery and it shouldn't be but I'm going to try to divide this all
up into pieces so that you are very, very clear on this crotch curve.
Now first of all I'm going to show you the front panel of the pants and you can see that
is long here and there's a very short curved part there.
This is the vertical and this is the horizontal I'm just going to break it up into two pieces
like that so that you have a better understanding.
So you have the vertical on the front and the horizontal and then you'll notice on the
back that you also have the vertical and the horizontal and let me show you something about
that.
I'm going to lay the two of these together and you'll notice that the back is deeper
and it is also wider in the crotch area that horizontal part.
And then if I lay it this way, let me show you something, if I lay it this way you have
your total crotch curve, you have your crotch depth that we talk about at the side seeing
that crotch depth and this is the front and this is the back.
So those are the components that make up the crotch curve that I want you to understand
very clearly.
Now when you're told to lay out your pattern and get ready to draw it, you're told to draw
from A over to the crotch line and then you're asked to take the tape measure and see if
this measurement is correct and at some point you might have to move this ever so slightly
but this is set on your waist measurement.
This is set on the waist measurement.
The back is set on the waist measurement and those shouldn't have to be changed but if
they are it would be a very little bit at best if everything is right.
Now you'll notice that this doesn't move very far.
This is a very small movement that the crotch panel moves.
Now this patterner goes from size 4 to 22 and that's all the difference between the
two.
Now if this has to go way out or way in, something is wrong.
You go to the back then and you would check your crotch depth, I mean your crotch length
actually that's what this is.
You would check it just like you did in the front and if for some reason that doesn't
seem right like it's either too long or one or too short or the other, there's maybe the
division is wrong.
So let me try to clear this up by looking over here for just a second.
If for example you've taken the patterner and you've laid it out and you've traced the
front and the back and you notice that you have to take the front end by an inch and
let the back out or vice versa then it's probably the division of the total length that seems
to be wrong.
For example, maybe you don't need an inch in the back and subtract an inch in the front.
Maybe you're a full figure and you need to add more in the back and less in the front,
something like that but the division of the total length is probably what's wrong at that
point.
Now let me go back and show you something that I think you're going to find interesting.
If for example it affects the side seam, think about this now for a minute, if it affects
the side seam it's going to affect both the front and the back.
So therein lies a secretive part of this.
If it is only affecting the front or in the back then it's just in the waistline stance
probably because everything seems okay on the sides.
So that's where we have to stop and think about it for a minute because as you're told
in the pattern you're told to just pivot it up or pivot it down for the waistline stance
so that total crotch length should be corrected by that point and also the depth.
But this side seam when it's affected affects both the front and the back.
So let me go back over here and show you.
So if we know the division of the total length is okay because you didn't have to change
the crotch panel, then the crotch depth at the side seam is probably where the problem
is.
That was that measurement we took when we sat down and put that straight ruler there
and sat down and got the exact, and maybe you need a little bit more, maybe a full figure
doesn't quite get a true measurement so that might need to be looked at.
But the crotch depth at the side seam is normally where the problem is because it affects both
the front and the back because it's on the side.
Now the total crotch length where you were told to go from the elastic in the front to
the elastic in the back and snugly do it because sometimes you might be used to doing it looser
because that's the way you're used to doing it, that could be a problem but not most of
the time.
So we're back to it's probably the crotch depth at the side seam.
Now if everything seems right on the side, everything seems to measure out, then it has
to be only in the front or only in the back, it has to be the waistline stance.
So those are the only areas you can analyze it yourself, you can think about those things
and when you eliminate one, let me just go to the board and show you when you've eliminated
that one and you've eliminated this one and it's not affecting just the front or the back,
it's affecting the whole thing, then it's probably going to be the crotch depth at the
side seam.
So you can basically analyze your own little problem and the crotch is going to fit great
from now on.
Let me recap this very important section.
When checking your crotch seam length, step number five, it should measure within three
eighths of an inch of the actual required crotch seam length.
If all your measurements have been accurately taken that is, if not, there is a problem.
In order to better analyze what the problem is, try drawing your back pattern up into
that point until you need to check your back crotch length and check it.
Then if both the front and back crotch lengths were longer than required, first remeasure
your total crotch seam on your body.
If your crotch seam length was accurate, shorten your crotch depth measurement on both your
front and back patterns by the amount that they were too long and note this for all future
patterns.
Now if both the front and back crotch lengths were shorter than required, first remeasure
your total crotch seam on your body.
If your crotch seam length was accurate, lengthen your crotch depth measurement on both your
front and back patterns by the amount they were too short and note this for all future
patterns.
If only the front or back crotch length measured incorrectly, adjust the waistline stance on
the side of your pattern to rectify the measurement.
If your front crotch seam length was out by the same amount as your back's crotch seam
length but one was too long and the other was too short, it means the apportionment
of your total crotch seam length is not suitable for your body type.
For example, if it was too long in the front and too short in the back, you may need to
in future only add, say, a half an inch to the back and subtract a half an inch to the
front when working out the apportionment of the total crotch length in the future.
Now the measurements are taken and we can get to work on the bond fit pant pattern by
using these measurements.
I will be making a basic fitted pant.
Now some of you might want to trace your pattern directly onto fabric and some of you might
want to start on paper.
For this demonstration, I will use paper.
Your bond fit pant pattern represents one-fourth your total pattern.
Let me show you what I mean.
When you dial in your measurement, it automatically adds wearing ease to your measurements.
Let me repeat that.
When you dial in your measurements, it automatically adds wearing ease to your measurements.
Now the amount of wearing ease that it adds depends on the measurement type and size.
The amount of wearing ease that you desire or need may differ from the amount automatically
provided by bond fit, but this can be easily changed to suit your taste.
This is best left until after you have made your first pattern so you can assess if any
changes are required.
If the garment is a little too loose because of the amount of wearing ease, just set your
measurements smaller when making your next pattern and vice versa.
Using these measurements, let me show you how easy it is to adjust your bond fit non-paper
pant pattern to make a customized basic pant pattern with darts.
By making these pants, we can determine if any fine tuning will be necessary and have
a clear idea of how much to adjust the measurement settings if at all needed.
It's always good to have a plan and our plan is a basic fitted pant with darts.
I will talk about some of the hundreds of styles possible later in the show.
First of all, I'm going to adjust the waist, but before I do that, I want to point out
a few things on the patterner.
First of all, this is your crotch.
This is the crotch panel.
And notice the waist, there's a window for the waist here and there's a window for the
waist here, centimeters and inches, but in this case I'm going to be talking inches.
And down here there's also the waist size and the waist size in this window.
And then back up here, you notice that the hips, this is the hip window.
And then the crotch line on the pattern, which I will refer to a little bit later.
Now as I said, and also I want to point this out, the hip enlarger needs to be flush with
the side and it needs to have zero.
It doesn't say zero, but there's nothing there.
There's one, two, and three, but this says absolutely nothing, which means it's set on
zero.
So once we know that, we can get started.
Now first of all, I'm going to loosen knobs one, two, and three.
And I'm going to set these windows, these four windows, on 30 inches.
We're going to pretend like it's 30 inches that we want at the waist.
I have 30 inches in this window.
I have 30 inches in this window, 30 inches in this window, and 30 inches in this window.
Now all four windows, one, two, three, and four, are set at 30 inches.
Now at this point, I'm going to check the thigh.
Remember we took that thigh measurement.
And the patterner automatically sets the thigh measurement proportional to your waist size.
So all that needs to be done at this stage is to ensure that the thigh width on the patterner
is greater than or equal to half of your actual measurement.
This step is only necessary if the widest area of your figure is below your hip line.
You'll notice that when I measure across two inches below the crotch, like we did on ourselves,
and I measure across, that is 11 inches.
And I know that's bigger and greater than what I need, so I'm not going to be concerned
about it at this point.
Let me just stop here for a minute and talk about the thigh.
We know that it's bigger than our thigh, and that's the way it should be.
Some of us get so worried about the fact that it's not fitting the thigh.
We don't want it to fit the thigh.
We want it to be flattering.
And so the design of the pattern is for it to fall from the hip line down, and that is
the most flattering to your figure.
And that is really the best choice.
But if you choose to change the width of the thigh, let me just show you how to do that.
We have this set on the waist size down here, but if you want to narrow the thigh, you can
always bring these in or let them out, depending on what you want.
But if you bring them in too much, you're going to find that this has a tendency to
buckle.
And the reason for that is it's just not going to be flattering for you.
You need to decide that you just want it to fall from the hip line, and it really will
be so much better, unless it's leggings or something.
But when you widen it or narrow it, you want to make sure that the number is the same on
both sides, like I have that on 28 and 28.
Or if you want to widen it, 31, for example, and 31, it can be reduced or enlarged a little
bit.
But I really think the design of the pattern is going to be most flattering for you, if
you leave the thigh measurement alone.
Now if you increase or decrease the thigh, you do want to look at the hip measurement
again, because that does alter it.
And you might have to either use the hip enlarger to move it in or out to get the hips to be
proper again.
So you want to check the hips after you've changed the thigh.
Now as far as the hip is concerned, I look in after I've got the 30 inches set, I look
into the hip window and it says 39 inches.
Now 39 inches, I want to set this on 41 inches.
So this is set at zero and I need two more inches.
So I'm simply going to move this out two inches.
And so now it says two inches here plus 39 inches is 41 inches.
And that is all set now.
Now I'm going to set the crotch.
This is the crotch panel and I pointed this out.
And we're also going to set that on our waist size.
So I'm going to put this on 30 inches right here in this window and set that at 30 inches.
So all the windows except for the hip are set at 30 inches.
Now I'm going to begin to draw.
It tells you to start at A and draw up and across your waistline area and down to the
crotch line that I mentioned earlier.
Let me point that out again, the crotch line and stop.
At this point, I'm going to do the stance adjustment that we measured for the distance
between the front and the side that we talked about earlier in the program.
And in this case, I'm going to make a half an inch stance adjustment, a positive half
an inch.
So I'm going to measure up a half an inch and hold the pattern on the side, the side
seam and bring it up that half an inch and then redraw the waistline area.
And put it back now to the original setting.
At this point, I'm going to mark in my dart.
And let me take it away for a minute so you can see that this is the new line.
This was the original line and this is my dart.
And I'm not going to lose any width or gain any width in the top of it.
Let me show you.
I'm going to just draw that up and the dart doesn't change at all at the top of the pattern.
It stays the same width.
It's just a little bit longer because of the positive adjustment.
Now I'm going to put this back on my original line like that.
And at this point, I'm going to measure my crotch depth.
Now in this case, I'm going to use eleven and a fourth.
Eleven and a fourth would be right here and I'm going to put a line right there.
Eleven and a fourth.
Now I'm going to move this crotch line down to that mark or up if that's what yours needed.
You might have a very flat butt and it might have to move up.
But in this case, I'm going to move it down keeping this parallel with the front.
So I'm moving it down so that the crotch line is right there.
And continue drawing down to there.
Now at this point, I'm going to check my crotch length.
I know that I need twelve and three quarters.
And I'm going to measure from the new line now.
From the new line all the way down and around.
And it is exactly at twelve and three quarters.
Now if it's not, if this has to be moved way out or way in or something just seems terribly wrong here,
please refer back to the section that I talked about, the crotch curve, and I think that'll straighten it out.
But in this case, it was exactly right with the way I had it set.
Now I would continue drawing on around all the way down.
Now I know in the book it says to stop here, but I have found it quite frankly a lot easier just to keep on going all the way down the leg.
Like that.
I think you'll find that a lot easier.
Now my length is thirty-nine inches.
I'm going to measure down the side seam.
Thirty-nine inches.
And put a mark right there.
Like that.
And if I take this out of the way for a second, I can lay a straight edge across at thirty-nine inches and just draw a straight line across.
Now in the front, most of the time the leg width is seven inches in the front, eight inches in the back, but this is totally up to you.
But let's say for example you want it to be seven inches.
Now if I measure across here, it measures about ten inches.
So that would mean I'd have to take an inch and a half off this side and an inch and a half off this side.
You can't take it all off on one side.
So I would take an inch and a half off each side.
And then you could just true it back up so that you have the width that you want in the leg so that it looks like that.
You can true that up with your pen, but that's the width that you want, the length that you want, and the stance that you needed.
And that's all there is to making a pair of pants.
You have now completed your basic fitted pant front pattern, except that these pattern lines represent your stitching line.
To get your cutting line, we first have to add seam allowances all the way around the pattern, except in areas that will be placed on the fold of the fabric.
The amount of the seam allowance depends on the fabric you use as well as the construction method.
Half an inch or five-eighths inch is suitable for most fabrics.
Let me just stop and talk about that for a minute.
First of all, there's two ways of doing this, tracing in your seam allowances.
You can mark out from your lines a five-eighths of an inch all the way around, if you care to, like that.
You could go all the way around the pattern and then just move it out and retrace it.
Frankly, I find this a lot easier.
To take this the first time, I have two pins that I simply just tape together and I just trace around it the first time.
And now you have your seam line and your cutting line all in one shot.
I need to discuss the importance of marking the grain line for your garment to hang correctly.
The pattern needs to be cut on the grain, so let me show you how to do that.
First of all, when I started doing the pattern, by the way, I could have moved this out and found the grain line, which is right here, or the bias grain line.
And I could have marked it right then and there, just like that.
And sometimes if your measurements are small enough, it seems hidden and that might be a little bit confusing.
So you might want to pull it out, mark it first, and then start setting your waist measurement.
But if you forget all of that and you get done and you pull it away and you're concerned,
you can fold the bottom of your pattern together and crease it up about 10 inches, it'll match.
And then just crease it up the rest of the way and you will have your grain line.
Now all that's left to do after you've done the front, you would, of course, take the back panel,
put it on where the front panel is, do the same procedure over again, except it might be different in the back as far as your waistline stands.
It might be a negative in the back. We had a positive in the front.
Just do what the numbers tell you to do and most of the other settings would be perfect.
So you would trace around it just like we did and then all that's really left is to notch your pieces if you care to
or simply put back and front, back and front, whichever piece it is.
And then you simply sew up your basic pants pattern and try it on and see if any fine tuning is required.
And that's all there is to it.
If your garment has fitting problems, they will show up as wrinkles when you put it on.
All garments will reveal wrinkles when you're not standing in your normal posture.
These wrinkles are of no concern to us.
We are only concerned with wrinkles that appear when you are standing in your normal posture.
As I mentioned earlier, there are three categories of wrinkles, horizontal, vertical and bias.
Taking that one step further, these categories can be split into folds and pulls.
Let's start with horizontal wrinkles.
First, the horizontal fold wrinkles.
These occur because of too much length like sway back.
This is usually corrected automatically by the waistline stance adjustment if it was measured and done correctly.
Should such a wrinkle appear, you will need to reduce the center back seam length.
This is done by pivoting your patterner from the side seam waistline corner downward to reduce your center back seam length,
like the negative stance adjustment.
Another horizontal fold wrinkle is often seen just below the seat.
This happens because the back crotch length is too long.
And so you will need to decrease the back crotch length on your future patterns by sliding the crotch panel inward a little.
Now, horizontal pull wrinkles suggest that too little width exists in the pattern where the wrinkles occur.
They are usually seen at the hip or waist.
To eliminate these wrinkles, widen your pant by reducing the seam allowance equally from the waist to hemline so you maintain the balance.
Now, in the future, simply make the patterner larger by the amount you had to add.
If the pattern is too wide, you will have a vertical fold wrinkle.
They usually are a function of style like pleats, in which case it is not a fitting problem.
But if the pants are fitted with darts and you have this vertical fold wrinkle, you will need to take in the side seams to eliminate the excess fabric.
In the future, set your horizontal measurements like the waist, the hip, and the thigh smaller when making a pattern.
Now, the vertical pull wrinkles are usually not found in pants.
Another category is the bias wrinkles.
The bias fold wrinkles usually appear in the form of a smile in the front crotch area and or on the upper back thigh.
If found on the front and back, you need to increase your crotch depth measurement at the side seam in the future.
If only found on the front or the back, you need to increase the crotch length by sliding the crotch panel out further.
Now, bias pull wrinkles indicate that there is not enough length and width where the wrinkles point toward.
These are usually found at the high hip area.
You will need more length and width in the pattern on the high hip side.
Correct this by lengthening the high hip side on your pattern as shown later in the show.
Now, darts are used to remove excess fabric width to assist in fitting a garment over a body curve.
Now, you can fine tune even further by checking the placement, shape, and length of darts.
Let me give you some guidelines.
Darts are usually placed between the center front or back and the side seam.
If your waistline is large, you might need to move the dart toward the side of the seam.
Let me show you what I'm talking about on that.
If the pattern is closed up like this, you can see that the dart is more or less in the center at the side.
But let me show you. If I pull, if you have a large waist, this is set right there.
And so it's moving, it's not in the center, it's more towards the front because this is going to stay the same.
So you might want to take this dart and move it over if the waist measurement is large.
And that's all you would need to do.
The point of the dart should lie about one quarter inch above the point at which either the stomach or buttocks area starts to curve.
And that is why front darts are usually shorter than back darts.
To lengthen the dart length, simply raise or lower the dart point and redraw the dart legs to the same position at the waistline.
If the dart is too long for your body, you will see a little bubble at the point of the dart.
Most darts have straight legs, sometimes reshaping the dart legs assist in fitting.
If you see a horizontal pull wrinkle across the dart, restitch the dart lines with an inward curve.
This releases some of the horizontal width and will eliminate the horizontal pull.
Now for sway backs, sewing the dart with an outwardly curved shape will remove the excess width found just below the waistline.
If you have very large hips relative to your waist size, it is often more flattering to use two smaller darts instead of one large dart.
Now reading side seam lines, if the side seam lines don't hang straight all the way up and down the body,
it indicates that you have a disproportionate figure,
which is really rectified by drawing your front and back patterns using different measurements as described in detail in your instruction book.
But if your side seams bisect your body, but not all the way down to the hemline,
you may have to remove some of the width from your front pattern and add it to the back or vice versa.
Let me show you what I'm talking about.
If you find that instead of the seam line running down the side of your pants, but it's pulling forward,
you need to add to the front and take some away from the back so that it gets to be in line.
And this is usually like from the hip line and down.
If the seam is pulling to the front, let me show you what to do.
You would add to the front and you would take some off the back and you have to take the same amount off.
For example, from the hip line down, I would add an inch.
I'm just going to use that as an example.
And then on the back, I would take that same amount off.
And then your seam lines would be perfectly perpendicular with your with the floor.
And that's exactly what we're trying to achieve.
If you followed all the steps correctly and taking your measurements correctly, you will have perfect fitting pants.
What I'm going to show you now are not fitting solutions in the true sense of the word,
but rather alternative methods to use your BondFit pant patterner if you have one of the two following body types.
One, you have a greater than 13 inch difference between your waist and your hip measurements.
And two, you have a difference of less than 10 inches between your waist and your hip measurements.
The reason for this is because the patterner only allows for a maximum difference
between your hip and waist measurements of 13 inches and for a minimum difference
between your waist and hip measurements of approximately 10 inches when used according to the standard sequence of steps.
This doesn't mean that the BondFit patterner won't work for you.
We just merely have to change the order of the steps.
Both body types require you to set the patterner to the correct hip measurement regardless of the waist size.
All other steps remain the same.
However, once we have completed drawing our patterns, we will have to correct the waist measurement.
Let's start with the first one, hips larger relative to waist.
Now, let's take this as an example.
The waist would be 29 inches and the hips 44 inches.
The first thing I need to do is to set the waist measurement.
Like we did before, except we're going to put 29 inches here, 29 inches in all the windows.
Let me point them out as soon as I get it set.
So I have 29 inches here, 29 inches here, 29 inches here, and 29 inches there.
So all four windows are set on 29 inches.
This is why we know we have a problem.
If I look at the hips, I see it reads 38 inches.
In the beginning, I told you that you needed 44.
All right, so we'll set the hip and larger to its maximum, and that's 3 inches.
38 and 3 is 41.
I still need 3 more inches.
What do I do?
The only thing we can do is to change the order in which we do something.
This is not a problem.
This is just a different change here.
So we know we need 44 inches.
So 41 and 3 is 44 inches.
So what we're going to do is set the hips first.
I'm going to loosen these two knobs first, and I'm going to set the hips on 41 inches.
Now what's important about this is I need to look at these two windows and line them up so that they read the same thing.
41 inches in the hips, and if I get this on, oh, let's say 32 and 32, these read the same, and we have 41 in the middle.
That's very important.
The next thing we need to do is also to come over here and change this waist to also 32 inches.
So I'm going to move this to 32 inches and this one to 32 inches.
Now we have it set.
We don't change anything else.
We just follow the same pattern that we did before, and I'm going to start to trace just to give, just to show you around the pattern all the way around.
Now there we know the hips are correct, but we know the waist, we originally said 29 inches, and what we have it set for is 32.
And that's three inches too big.
So we could make a wider dart, but that's not always appropriate.
But the easiest thing and the best way I think to handle it personally is simply to reduce it by three quarters of an inch.
Three quarters times four is three inches.
So I'm going to mark in three quarters of an inch and simply put the patterner back on.
And at the hips, I'm just going to pivot it and redraw up to the waistline again.
So now you not only have the hips correct, this is gone, but you have the correct waist measurement and the correct hip measurement.
And that's all.
Now for the second body type, we're going to talk about hips too small relative to waist size.
Now I'm going to use an example of a waist being 30 inches and the hips being 36 inches.
Let me just show you here quickly what I'm talking about.
I'm going to set the waist on 30 inches, 30 inches here, 30 inches in this waist size window,
30 inches in this waist size window, and 30 inches in this waist size window.
Now the hip enlarger is pushed in as far as it can.
It's on zero.
And I have 39 inches in the hips.
Now I only need 36 inches.
So what are we going to do?
We're going to do it in a different order like I showed you on the previous one.
We're just going to do the opposite.
So what I'm going to do is put the hips on 36 inches so that we get the hips right.
And you'll notice that when you pull it to 36 inches, you'll notice that it goes to 27 and 27.
But whatever it is to make it even, you want these numbers to be the same.
So you set those on 27, 27, and this is on 36.
But then also on this panel, I'm also going to put the waist on 27 inches.
So I have 27 inches in here and 27 inches in this window.
Let me get that exactly right.
Okay.
Now, we know the hips are going to be all right because we've got them set at 36 inches.
I'm going to start to trace everything else.
It should have been adjusted before because we've done all the adjustments.
This is just the difference in order because of the figure type.
I'm going to trace around it.
Now when I remove the pattern, you can see that our hips, I can't see it, of course,
but we know the hips are 36 inches.
But we want the waist to be 30 inches.
Now if I look back on here, it's only 27 inches, so we have to make it larger.
So we need it to be 3 inches larger divided by 4, which is 3 quarters of an inch.
So I'm going to increase the size by 3 quarters of an inch and put a mark.
Now I could make the dart a little smaller by narrowing the dart, but that's a reach.
So I think it would be better to do this.
And I'd put the patterner back on and at the hip, I would then pivot it out.
Pivot it out.
And then don't forget to close up the waist.
That's very important.
Close up the waist.
Now you've got the hips correct and you've got the waist correct.
And as you can see, that's the way it would look.
It's a lot straighter.
You'll notice that some people's bodies are just more straight than others
and some have more of a curve.
And in this case, because of the waist size, that's why it looks straighter.
If you have a high hip, it is important to remember to take your measurements
on your regular hip side of your body.
A high hip requires more length on the side seam of your pattern,
as a high hip will mean that the side of your body is more curved.
In other words, ignore the fact that you have a high hip.
Draw your pattern following the standard steps.
However, once your pattern is complete,
provide for at least one inch additional seam allowance at the waistline.
Then when you're attaching your waistband,
don't attach it on your high hip side until you have tried the pair of pants on.
Then lower the waistline on the high hip side
until the side seam lengths are equal on both sides of your body.
This will be where you need to attach the waistband on your high hip side.
I'm sure by now you can see the advantages of using the BonFit adjustable patterner
and how quickly you can get the proper fit.
For example, this wonderful jacket or these sharp slacks.
For you see, BonFit is not just about size.
It's about style.
Style Variations
Style variations can be brought about by design considerations
that cause pattern changes and those that don't.
For example, two pairs of pants are made from the same pattern
can have completely different looks due to the different fabric,
textures, colors, and the decorative finishes like the buttons and applique.
You can have such fun exploring your creativity.
Use embroidery, paint, multiple thread colors,
very pocket placements and more.
Then you can create style variations
which are brought about by differences in pattern design.
For example, two pairs of pants such as a basic fitted pant
and a palazzo pant clearly could not have been cut from the same pattern.
Garment length and fullness bring about these design changes.
Your BonFit pant pattern is so versatile
by either manipulating its panels or using the markings on the pattern
you can create any unlimited variety of designs.
Let me quickly show you how to make two of the most common pant styles.
Almost all pant styles are variations of the basic fitted pant with darts.
Let's start with a pant with a yoke.
I've already drawn a basic pant pattern with a dart.
A yoke is merely an additional seam that is provided for the design effect.
You can create a yoke in any shape you desire.
Let me show you what we're talking about.
On this right here, we want to draw the yoke.
You can make it straight, you can make it come from this direction,
you can make it a different shape.
The main thing is you want to be sure and stay below the dart.
So I could draw it here, I could make it wavy, whatever you desire.
This is where your creativity comes in.
And once your yoke has been drawn, you need to cut the pattern along the yoke line
to create a separate upper and lower pant pattern.
Look here, this would be the upper and this would be the lower.
Once the yoke is separated, we need to add seam allowance to the bottom of it
and a seam allowance to the top of the lower portion of the pant
so that the yokes can be stitched back to the lower portion of the pant
when we have cut out our fabric.
Prior to cutting out the fabric, we must also fold the dart closed
and tape it down prior to cutting out the yoke piece
so that the finished yoke does not show the dart seam.
Now you can either cut it in the same fabric as the rest of your pant
or use a contrastic fabric.
Now pleated pants.
To make pleated pants, we must first start again
with the basic pant pattern with dart already drawn.
We then merely provide for the additional width required for the pleats.
And this is how we provide for the additional width.
First, we need to determine how many pleats we would like
on either side of the center front.
Then we need to decide how wide we want each of those pleats to be once folded.
Then we need to do some math.
Number of pleats I've decided I want are two.
And the width I've decided is two inches.
That's one inch if they were folded, but two inch when it's not folded.
Two times two is four.
Now we deduct one inch for the additional width already provided by this dart.
So what we need actually is three more inches
in order to have two pleats in the front of the pant.
Then measure out this amount from the side seam waistline corner and mark.
I'm going to mark out three inches and put a little mark right there.
And I'm going to take the pattern and bring it back.
Now we have some options. This is where it's up to you.
We have options of where to pivot the pattern or to provide for the pleats.
One, we can pivot from the hip line like this.
You can just pivot by holding your finger on the hip line and pivot out.
That would be one option.
From the knee, this increases the fullness in the thigh, hip, and waist,
and this is the most common.
So what I would do would be to hold my finger on the knee area
and bring it out three inches and trace.
And then the ankle is another choice, and they would be full, of course, all the way up.
So that would be your options.
I'm going to start here at the knee and just trace that one.
Now what you can see here is we've increased it three inches,
but now we need to mark where the first pleat is going to go.
Your first pleat should start where your first dart leg would have been,
and your second pleat should start approximately one and a half inches away from the next pleat.
Let me explain.
I would start right here.
I'd measure over two inches.
That's the first pleat.
And then there's one and a half inches in between, and measure over two more inches,
and those would be your two new pleats.
Now we need to determine which way we want the pleat to go.
It can either go towards the side seam or towards the front.
Let me show you what I mean.
This is the one pleat.
This is the other pleat.
You can have it fold this way or fold this way.
That's the most common, but if you don't want that,
it can also be folded this way and folded that way.
The option is yours.
Your design possibilities are endless.
Don't be intimidated, as there are no wrong designs,
and designing is both fun and easy.
Just keep your eyes open, and if you see a stow you want,
try breaking it down into its basic design features.
Check the waistline treatment.
Does it have darts, pleats, or tucks?
Where are the pockets?
And simply recreate it by building your pattern
with the same design features you identified.
Well, I love my BondFit adjustable pant pattern
and have really enjoyed making this video for you.
In this video, I have dealt with only perfecting fit
using your BondFit adjustable pant pattern.
I have touched on some of the style variations,
and other videos are available for the BondFit adjustable
bodice and skirt patterns.
I'm Sally Cowan, and I invite you to join me again
for my next series of videos relating to designing with BondFit.
Because yes, you really can do this.
Remember to sew the times of your life with love.
And I'll see you next time.
I'll see you next time.