Patterns Pants Fitting Cheatsheet

Fitting pants is a bit tricky, lets face it.
There are a lot of differences among women in the areas between waist and ankles. Youve got hips and
waists of different sizes, butts of various shapes, legs of all different lengths, thighs that bulge in different
ways, calves that may or may not be muscular. And then there are the differences in posture!
With all these factors, no wonder pants fitting seems so mystifying. And no wonder its so hard for most of
us to find a good pair of RTW pants that fit.
I wanted to find a way to distill most of the pants adjustments you might need down into an easy to scan
format. The idea is that you take a look at the symptoms youre experiencing with your muslin, then find
them on the chart to see which adjustments might help you solve them.
Waist and Belly
Symptoms Potential Issue Adjustments
Tight diagonal smile wrinkles
radiating from the crotch
Larger waist Let out the waistband, add width at
the side seam, grading down toward
the hipline. (see Large or Small Waist
50
The Colette Patterns Pants Fitting Cheatsheet
Posted by Sarai | Leave a Comment
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Waistband feels too tight Adjustments)
Drooping frown wrinkles
Waistband feels too loose
Smaller waist Take the waistband in, remove width
at the side seam, grading down
toward the hips. (see Large or Small
Waist Adjustments)
Tight diagonal wrinkles around
the lower belly
Feels tight over the belly
Full lower belly Add fullness around the lower belly
(see Full or Flat Belly Adjustments)
Excess vertical folds of fabric
around the lower belly
Flat lower belly Remove fullness at the lower belly
(see Full or Flat Belly Adjustments)
Hips and Crotch
Tight diagonal smile wrinkle
Pants feel like theyre being
tugged downward at the crotch
Longer torso Lengthen the front and back above
the crotch (see Lengthen or Shorten
the Torso)
Drooping frown wrinkles
Shorter torso Shorten the front and back above the
crotch (see Lengthen or Shorten the
Torso)
Tight wrinkles forming around
the hips
Wide hips Add width at the side seams (see
Wide or Narrow Hip Adjustment)
Excess fabric hanging vertically
around the hips
Narrow hips Remove width at the side seams (see
Wide or Narrow Hip Adjustment)
Back and Butt
Excess fabric pooling
horizontally above your butt
Pants feel tight across butt
Diagonal smile wrinkles
radiating from crotch
Swayback Swayback adjustment (see Swayback
Adjustment)
Excess fabric pooling
horizontally above your butt
High butt Shorten the back darts
Excess fabric pooling under your
butt
Side seams seem to be bowing
Swayfront Swayfront adjustment
butt
Low butt Lower the crotch curve in the back,
for a deeper curve.
butt
Excess fabric around the fullest
part of your butt
Flat butt Flat butt adjustment (see Full or Flat
Butt Adjustment)
Tight diagonal wrinkles radiating
from the fullest part of your butt
Feels tight across the butt
Back waist is pulling down
Full butt Full butt adjustment (see Full or Flat
Butt Adjustment)
Legs
Pants too long or short Longer or shorter
legs
Lengthen or shorten, either above
the knee or at the hem.
Diagonal wrinkles around the
knee, coming out from the side
seams
Knock knees Add length at the inseam, remove
length at the side seam.
Diagonal wrinkles around the
knee, coming from the inseam.
Bow legged Add length at the side seam, remove
length at the inseam.
Tight horizontal wrinkles at the
upper thigh
Wrinkles forming from the
crotch to the side seam at the
thigh
Excess fabric pooling under the
butt
Large outer thigh
area
Let out the side seams at the thigh
Feels tight across the upper thigh
Wrinkles at the inner thigh, near
the crotch
Large quadriceps
(front thigh muscles)
Add width at the inseam of the pants
front, close to the crotch and tapering
down toward the knee.
Tight wrinkles coming from the
inseam, near the crotch
Large inner thighs Add width at the inseam of the pants
front, close to the crotch and tapering
down toward the knee.
around the inner thighs
Small inner thighs Remove width at the inseam of the
pants front, close to the crotch and
tapering down toward the knee.
Tight wrinkles forming around
the calf.
Large calves Add width to the pants back, down
the center back of your leg. (see Large
Calves Adjustment)
333
Some pants fitting
basics
First Look: Colette
Patterns Fall 2011
Fall patterns are
shipping and Clover
Sewalong in October!
Welcome to the Clover
Sewalong!
Tight horizontal wrinkles around
the whole leg
Large legs Add width at the center of the pants
front, and the center of the pants
back (see Large or Thin Leg
Adjustments)
all down the leg
Thin legs Remove width at the center of the
pants front, and the center of the
pants back (see Large or Thin Leg
Adjustments)
Citations:
Fitting and Pattern Alteration by Elizabeth G. Leichty, Della Poterburg-Steineckert, Judith A. Rasband
(A fantastic, comprehensive fitting book that helped tremendously with the research for this post), Pants
For Real People by Pati Palmer and Marti Alto, The Perfect Fit
Some related posts you may be interested in:
Some pants fitting basics: Plenty of info and links on some of the basics of pants fitting.
Welcome to the Clover Sewalong: This cheatsheet is part of our Clover Sewalong! Start with this
post to find out more.
Choosing the right fabric for Clover:How to pick out fabric for the Clover pants, with some ideas.
File Under:
Sewalongs
|
Tutorials, Tips, & Tricks
You may also like:
On Oct 6th, eunny said: | whitcombstreet.tumblr.com
omg. saved immediately.
On Oct 6th, Slvi said: | solvi.se | @delfinelise
This is fantastic! Thank you so much. Will come in handy, especially when sewing for others!
:-)
On Oct 6th, Alison said:
This is AMAZING. Thanks so much for your work compiling it and posting it!!
I have a question about the full/flat lower belly adjustments, where your suggestion is to
add/remove fullness at the lower belly. How would you go about doing this? Im picturing
slashing from the CF to the side seam, then spreading/overlapping the desired amount. I *think* this would
have the effect of adding/removing a horizontal wedge, widest at the CF and tapering to nothing at the side
seam. Would this work, or would that mess up lengths of other seams/grainlines/ etc?
On Oct 7th, Sarai said: | colettepatterns.com | @saraicat
Yes, you want to do that, but *also* add/remove width at the CF, tapering up from the
crotch. That way, youre not just changing the length, but changing the fullness over the
belly.
However, you might notice that adding width at the CF changes the size of the waist seam, right?
So on most pants, what you want to do is take that change and move it to the front dart. So if you added a
1/2! to the width (just an example), make the dart 1/2! bigger.
These pants happen to not have a front dart. You have two choices here. You can either add a front dart, or
you could remove the width at the CF seam, tapering down toward the belly.
This is sounding a bit complicated all written out. I will see if I can do a tutorial if I have time!
On Oct 7th, lsaspacey said: | lifeisexamined.blogspot.com
Yes, please? Ill be needing to add a bit of fullness or a PBA (pot belly adjustment) to my
Clovers too!
On Oct 7th, Alison said:
Thanks so much!! This makes sense (at least picturing it in my head), so I will try it and
see! Again: many many thanks for this chart!
On Oct 6th, Marlise said: | pomme-et-asperge.blogspot.com
This is great, thank you for putting this together! I gave up sewing pants because I wasnt
patient enough to fix all the fitting issues I had. But I might give it another try Btw, I love
your blog!
On Oct 6th, Rebecca said:
AWESOME! This is great!
On Oct 6th, Seraphinalina said: | seraphinalina.blogspot.com
Thats awesome, what a great resource. Thanks for compiling that, it will be great to see all the tutorials.
On Oct 6th, Melanie said:
Wow this is an amazing reference! Thanks for sharing this. But just one question: what
measurement is best for choosing which size to start with? I know to use my high bust for tops
because the shoulders are most difficult to fit. For pants, should it be the widest part so other
things could be taken in? Or are there other factors to consider like a large difference between
waist and hips or many large thighs? ( If the answer to this is take a class fair enough. You must have put
in an awful lot of work on this post and it seems greedy to ask for more. )
On Oct 6th, lsaspacey said: | lifeisexamined.blogspot.com
I think the common wisdom is to pick a size that matches the widest part, usually the hips
or the booty because the waist can be adjusted.
I agree with Lisas answer you usually want to go by the hip measurement.
On Oct 6th, knitmo said: | portraitofawannabedomesticgoddess.blogspot.com | @knitmo
I am so glad to see this distilled so simply. I cant wait to actually get my muslin made and
really identify what I need to do.
On Oct 6th, Robin said:
OMG. I love you. Thank you SO MUCH for posting this!! What a fantastic resource.
I always have a problem with just pajama and yoga pants I make pulling down at the back
waist, and I love that you told me I need a FBA and that youre going to tell me how to do it. If I
can have success with these easy type pants, then Ill be so much more likely to take on a more challenging
pair of real pants, like the Clover pants. :-)
I hear you, I have the same fitting issue a lot of the time, and in ready to wear too.
On Oct 6th, Debi said: | fashionsfromthepast.blogspot.com
Saraiyou are a sewing goddess!!! Thank you for this post!
On Oct 6th, Wendy said:
This looks completely fantastic!
I too would appreciate more information on the full lower tummy adjustment my cherubs
have not left my tummy in anything resembling its former glory?!
Check out my comment to Allison above!
On Oct 6th, Ginger said:
Thank you so much for the awesome chart. Im saving it, I know I will use it again and again.
On Oct 7th, Katie said:
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for this! I cant wait to see the tutorial for a larger waist
adjustment. I often have this problem and I cant find many tutorials online for it! I wont be
working on the Clover until my workload gets lighter, but Im glad you will be posting these
tutorials on here.
I do have a question for you: when cutting out the pattern for the pants, what measurement should I go with?
I was told its the hip measurement, but the waist measurement is significantly smaller than my actual waist
(I have almost a rectangular shape with a gentle waist curve). Should I go with my waist measurement and
then adjust the hips?
Id still go with the hip measurement. Its just a lot easier to adjust the size of the waist than
it is to fiddle with the hip area.
If you have a really significant difference, just cut two sizes to start with when making your
muslin! For example, if you have a size 8 hip and size 12 waist, cut most of the pattern in an 8, but grade
the line toward the size 12 at the waist. Then do your muslin and see how that works.
On Oct 7th, Mandy said:
Thanks so much for this extremely useful chart. I have saved it because I know I shall need to
refer to it.
What a lovely idea, to put it all together in a chart like this. I does make it so easy to use as a
reference.
Like Katie, I often have a problem deciding which size to go for in any new pattern I am trying for the first
time. Is there any advice on choosing the best size? In the past I have wasted time making muslins only to
decide I ought to have chosen a different size to start with.
Generally, you want to choose size based on the most difficult areas to fit. For bodices/dresses/blouses,
this is the bust and shoulders. For skirts and pants, its usually the hips.
Its a good idea to also look at the finished garment measurements to see how much ease is
included. The big 4 pattern companies include a lot of extra ease.
On Oct 7th, eghbravo said:
Hi, Im new to your site and Im glad I joined! This is so helpful and the most concise
explanation of how to address my getting-pants-to-fit dilema. I dont have problems making
pants for myself because Ive made enough mistakes on my own pants to know where my own
pattern-fitting nuances arebut this is so handy when it comes to making pants for other
people (I dont have to cringe at the idea anymore). I cant wait for the tutorials!
On Oct 8th, meagan said:
Thankyou Sarai. I have dwelling over making some capri pants as the last pair just didnt fit
right. now to make the corrections to the pattern and try again. Thankyou, than you
On Oct 8th, Jane said:
No matter how many times I measure myself I come out at a 27! waist and a 38! hip:
supposedly a Colette size 6. However, Ive made my muslin and its far too small, not even
close!
The problem seems to be that the pattern tapers inwards at the point where my hips are still at
their widest. The trousers are definitely a 38 just above the crotch but a bit higher they reduce to a 36 and at
that point I am still a 38. Im going to need at least an extra couple of inches just to get the zip to close. I also
feel the trousers sit very low and might be more flattering if they come up a bit higher.
Do you think I should try a muslin in an 8 or a 10 or is there some way I can adjust the rise to bring it up
higher?
Jane, Im going to be posting tutorials all next week, but from what youve said it sounds
like you might need to lengthen the torso. They definitely shouldnt feel like they are sitting
too low, but should be just below the waist.
Personally, I have a short torso (though Im an average height for my size) and they come up too *high*
on me without adjustment. Im just mentioning that because I think its a good illustration of how much
bodies can vary and why fitting is so important!
On Oct 8th, Jane said:
Thank you Sarai. Im looking forward to seeing the tutorials and getting on to the next
steps!
On Oct 8th, Emily-Jane said:
This is fantastic, Sarai! Thanks for putting it together for us all.
I have a question, though, that I think isnt addressed in your cheat sheet. Ill give you a little
background first, in case it helps:
RTW pants almost never fit me unless I really get lucky with the curvy fit, because I have a bit
of a swayback and my hips (40!) are a bigger standard size than my waist (28!). The back waist nearly
always gaps, and sometimes the sideseams arent straight. These things I can fix when Im sewing my own
pants, and sometimes correct in RTW pants.
But, the fit issue that just kills me and that Ive never been able to reliably fix with pants Ive made for myself
is that the hem of the pants hang funny. They stay close to the leg in the front, over my foot, but stick out
awkwardly in the back, over my heel. Ive seen this on lots of other women who are generously built through
the hip and butt, and it happens more with short pants, and pants with a flared leg.
But seriously, it would be nice to be able to make a pair of capris or ankle length pants (like Clover!) and
know I was going to avoid this pitfall. Do you have any suggestions?
Its really hard to diagnose a problem like this, but it sounds like it might be a symptom of
the swayback issue. The swayback posture can pull the fabric of the pants toward the back
like youre describing.
On Oct 10th, Chloe Mower said: | @madebymissmower
Sarai you have an amazing way of explaining pattern adjustments. Do you do master classes
or workshops?
Thanks, Chloe
Maybe someday! I dont have much time for teaching at the moment, but its a great idea.
On Oct 13th, Pamela said:
Cannot wait for the flat butt tutorial I do avoid making pants for this very reason!
On Oct 13th, EasilyAmewsed said:
Im curious what a SWAY FRONT is in relation to the excess fabric below the buttocks? Is
this another way of describing a backward hip tilt? My DD has this issue and Id really like to
see your take on altering for it if its not simply doing SWAY BACK alt in reverse.
So far all your alts are very clear and quite helpful.
On Oct 13th, becksnyc said:
I like your IDEA of trying to pair Symptoms with Issues and Adjustments. Its a great
concept! Kudos for tackling it!
However, even with 35 years altering RTW & sewing custom clothing, I cannot reconcile some
On Oct 15th, this post was linked from:
Sewing schadenfreude enjoy my Clover conundrum threadsquare
[...] expected with my hip:waist ratio. There were slight frowning wrinkles in the crotch. The Colette cheat
sheet says I have a smaller waist, so I made this adjustment, 1! total. Furthermore, knowing that I [...]
On Oct 22nd, this post was linked from:
Pattern pick: Clover | Fresa Handmade
[...] Its been awhile since Ive tried and Ive learned a lot since then. Besides, the Coletterie has had a series of
pants fitting tutorials that will help me immensely if I need to make major [...]
of your symptoms with the suggested adjustments. For example, a large waist does not necessarily create
smile wrinkles radiating from the crotch. It depends on where the person carries their weight. Ive seen many
a customer with a large waist (not tummy) and a flat seat or short rise (crotch depth), in which case the
wrinkles, if any, run across and usually just above the fullest part of the seat.
May I suggest that, a picture is worth a thousand words, so a photo in the first column would help us
visualize the fitting issues you describe.
Pants are complicated due to their construction and the tremendous variety in the human form. Hats off to
your efforts to break the adjustments down!
Becks
Yes, of course this is by necessity a simplification. If someone has a combination of different
fit issues, it can manifest in a completely different way. However, I think people need at
least a place to start.
Your photo suggestion is great! It sounds like a great concept for a fitting book rather than a blog post,
perhaps.
On Dec 2nd, Sunny said:
Oh my goshis that the premise of your second book? ::fingers crossed::
On Oct 13th, Linda said:
Concerning the waist, how do you address if the slacks pull down in the middle back due to
more room needed for the butt?
On Oct 18th, Em said:
Just want to express thanks for the wonderful hints and tutorials! Really helpful.
On Nov 1st, this post was linked from:
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[...] to my eyeballs and Coletteries Pants Fitting Cheat Sheet, my belly and butt are too big, and maybe also
my legs. Ive always considered myself a [...]
On Nov 9th, this post was linked from:
Clover: Fitting | Fresa Handmade
[...] They fit surprisingly well, but there are a few wrinkles here and there. I have been pondering the Colette
Patterns fitting cheat sheet and trying to figure out which issues apply to me, based on the photos I took of my
first [...]
On Jan 15th, this post was linked from:
Colette Patterns Clover trousersScruffy Badger Time
[...] had my fabric (4/ m from Birmingham Rag Market) but nothing more expendable. All the wonderful
fitting fixes prepared by the sewalong also convinced me that I was going to have to get heavily involved in
issues, [...]
On Jan 22nd, this post was linked from:
A call for testers! (not mine) Un Peu de Couture
[...] one called The Seam method of pattern alteration, and also had a look at the series on the Clover pattern
sewalong by Colette [...]
On Nov 18th, Ginger said: | summersdesigns.blogspot.com
I posted a pic and link to one of your tutorials. I hope you dont mind, but let me know if you
want me to remove it and I will do it right away. Thank you for this chart, it is great!
On Jan 2nd, Nancy said:
Where can I find the swayfront adjustment?
On Jan 2nd, EasilyAmewsed said:
I also had this question about the swayfront. Ive not heard the term before so does it mean
using the front pattern alt shown for the swayback adjustment or something entirely different?
I noted the term is not linked so it makes me think the latter.
Thanks for any clarification.
On Apr 2nd, Kathi s said:
Wow! I am printing this out and laminating it for my sewing room! This is the first tutorial
that addresses my leg issues.
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On Apr 16th, mary j. said:
This is a great list. I use Palmer and Pletch, and will put this in my alteration book
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Fitting pants is a bit tricky, lets face it.

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