Your teaching skills are absolutely AMAZING. I was glued to my laptop watching every single video in this series. I tried to watch a video of TDCF once and was so confused and thought I'd give it another go upon finding you. I am so glad I did. I have tried so many times to make pants only to be disappointed and hating the way they looked. I can't wait to try this method. Again, thank you so much for taking all the time you must have taken to make these videos. I have bookmarked this series for reference. You are fabulous. Well done you.
This series has totally blown my mind! I am truly amazed at the fit you achieved. Thank you for showing us what the pants looked like without any adjustments - to be able to compare the two was so enlightening. I am so so happy that you took the time to gift this series to us, your community of fellow sewists. Your insights were both practical and philosophical. Wow, this method rocks.
This is THE BEST explanation of TDCO I have seen. I'm anxiously awaiting your video to address using TDCO for fitting elastic waist pants. You are a great teacher. I hope you do other sewing videos in the future.
I’m trying the TDCO method for the first time, following along with your detailed yet very concise videos. I’m 100% converted. Up until now I’ve always had to make a long list of adjustments in order to get trousers to fit. I grew to dread making trousers. But with this there was a waistline adjustment and that was it 🤯 This method is a game changer! Thank you again Stacey.
That's so awesome! I'm so happy to hear that these videos are helpful and that the method is already giving you great results. It was a total game changer for me too. Happy sewing!
You are a totally outstanding teacher. Very clean. Very thorough without being overly wordy. Absolutely the BEST. I’ve been sewing for 40 years. I’ve recently been diving deep into making my own moulage and slopers. I have all the Palmer Pletsch books. This method melds all of that into one process. Your explanation of TDCO is heads and shoulders the best. THANK YOU for all the effort I know this took and blessing us w it.
This was SOOOO hugely helpful! I feel empowered to finally fit pants, which has been such a roadblock for me in my sewing journey. I've tried and become frustrated to tears with conventional fitting methods, so this seems like such a revelation. I think it was Part 8, seeing the difference in the original pattern if you had used conventional fitting (sooo many adjustments, changed the overall look of the garment) and the top-down center-out method (very fine adjustments, garment stayed true to the design) was so revelatory! I also love that this method uses way less fabric in making the toiles. Thank you for the excellent explanations!!
The only thing I'm wondering is, what to do if the pattern doesn't have a side seam? I'd like to make the Anna Allen Persephone Pants, and this pattern doesn't have a side seam. Should I add one in, or adjust without it?
Hi there! Sorry I missed this question earlier. The Persephone pants are a very unique pattern with a niche design. No side seams means that we have fewer options for tweaking while fitting, so they are an advanced pattern to fit with any fitting method. To use TDCO with Persephone, you would add temporary side seams to the toile and use those to fit. So, to break it down: 1) you would trace the original pattern piece and then draw a vertical line approximately where the side seam would be and cut the pattern piece along this line, creating a front and back piece, 2) use this side seam to add your extra seam allowance to the side as you normally would with any other pattern, 3) fit using the TDCO method -- you can use the side seams to add or remove circumference from waist to hip, just remember that if you add or subtract fabric you must do it evenly from waist to hem to keep the side seam straight (for example, if you need an extra inch of fabric at the hip, you will add that inch along the entire side seam, then adjust the darts to remove the excess fabric from the waist). 4) when you have transferred your adjustments back to the front and back pattern pieces, simply tape the front and back pieces back together to close the up the temporary side seam. This is why you cannot add any shaping to the side seam as you fit, they need to fit back together in the end. Be aware that the crotch curve of the Persephone pants does not grade up or down as sizes change. This means that the crotch hooks are the same for all sizes, and the cross-body depth measurement does not change from the smallest to the largest size. This is highly unusual for pants, and it is the reason why many folks in the larger sizes sometimes feel that the pants are pinching or riding up in the crotch. There are a few ways to compensate for this drafting quirk (using stretch fabrics, or re-grading the crotch seam yourself), but it requires a bit more work than the typical pants pattern. Of course, there are folks who find these pants to fit well with few modifications, it depends on where you fall in the size range and your personal fit preferences. Hope this helps, and happy sewing!
@@thecrookedhem Wow, thank you so much!! That is super, super helpful. And very interesting about the crotch curve, how curious. I'm going to give it a go :)
I watched your series once, then watched someone else’s series, then came back to yours to watch it again. Yours is so much simpler to understand. The concepts are easy to understand without a lot of chatter about things that are not relevant to a beginner. I can’t wait to try this! You are a great teacher.❤
Thank you so much! That's wonderful to hear -- I put a lot of time and effort into making these videos as helpful as possible. Have fun and enjoy your pants fitting journey with Top Down Center Out!
This approach is indeed conceptually simple but there are many sewists who learned traditional approaches based on body part assessment and find it more challenging to learn #TopDownCenterOut than beginners who have the advantage of not having to unlearn assumptions. Part of the power of this new approach is that it creates a platform where you have different options for adjusting the toile. When one creates the toile as directed in #TopDownCenterOut as a half pant with a separate fitted waistband but then use "assess your body" techniques, it is tremendously helpful. Hopefully that will motivate such sewists to seek out accurate information and take it to the next level.
I’ve really enjoyed this series on Top Down Centre Out pants fitting! As a fellow molecular biologist (retired now) who has also sewed for much of my adult life, I appreciate your methodical approach. I will definitely try this out. I always found pants adjustment exhausting previously so this looks like a nice change. I look forward to your next video! Cheers Rosanne 😊
You have completely convinced me try this method! I struggled to follow other videos and tutorials explaining TDCO but your series is so comprehensive and well explained I'm anxious to get started and create my first pair of well-fitting pants. Thank you so much for taking so much time and effort to produce these videos. They are incredibly well done. I'm definitely looking forward to watching you produce more!
Thank you so much for these clear, intelligent and practical explanations. Up to now I have felt overwhelmed by all the "traditional" fitting adjustment possibilities, and you have shed such helpful light on this newer method that I can't wait to try it!
Thank you! I'm so glad you are excited to try it! I, too, felt overwhelmed by traditional fitting techniques, even though I had been using them for years. It seemed that there were dozens of adjustments, sometimes multiple different ways to "correct" for a specific body part that would all have different consequences for the fit. It was frustrating to me that there were so few resources that actually explained *why* any particular adjustment worked and how it affected the rest of the pattern. Top Down Center Out allows me to explore those relationships in real time, on my own body, and without making a zillion toiles. It was a lightbulb moment for the the first time I fit a pair of pants with TDCO. I hope it is for you, too!
I'm so glad I found your video series about TDCO, I always thought that making clothes for myself was far out of my abilities... You convinced me to try it and I'm so glad I did, at the moment I'm still working on the transfer of the changes to the pattern pieces and I'm so excited to begin with sewing the actual pants!
I just discovered your series and have watched all nine videos in a row - they are fantastic, so clear and well explained and helpful! I appreciate so much the time you took to explain the philosophy as well, as so many aspects of it resonated strongly with me. I can’t wait to try this. THANK YOU!!!!!
Thank you so much for this incredible video series on Top-down Center-out pants adjustments!! I never learned traditional tailoring methods, and just recently began sewing clothes after being a quilter for years now. This method is so intuitive, especially the way you teach it, that making my own pants seems totally feasible. You gave me the confidence to try and im already working on my second pair!!
I have to thank you so much for sharing all of your journey with this method! I’m ready to transfer my adjustments to my pattern and hopefully it will be successful 🙏
Have watched all your videos in this series of 9, as well as the 2 add'l ones. First, let me say that you are the most articulate, well-organized and thorough individual I've ever watched for any sewing technique! And your graphics, videos and props are outstanding! Kudos to you! Quick question. I have recently lost about 25 lbs and have a lot of pants to alter, I'm wondering if the TDCO concept will work for these alterations. I'm thinking I should disassemble at least part of the waistband from the pants as well as opening up back and side seams to a point, and try the reconstruction using the TDCO method for refitting. Do you think that would work? The majority of the alterations consist of reducing waist size and reducing circumference to slightly above the hip. Thank you for all you have posted. I do hope you continue to add to your videos. They are exemplary!
Thank you for the kind words! Yes, TDCO can work for alterations, too. I've recently watched Rachael (who is @MinimalistMachinist on Instagram, if you are on there) use the method to alter a number of different me-made trousers for the same reasons you describe. I think your approach sounds very reasonable, and that is what Rachael did, as well -- unpick the waistband and fit it separately to find your preferred circumference and location. Then, pin the trousers to that newly fitted waistband and evaluate the vertical crotch length (you may not be able to add length but you could reduce length in the rise, if needed), then take in the darts/pleats and side seams. Have fun!
Just fabulous, thank you so much. I will be watching some parts again, but I already feel like I have a good understanding of what I need to do to try this method.
I don't necessarily recommend this method to anyone else, but I use the toile itself as the new pattern. After doing the TDCO fit, I would just trim down the toile to the fit, with the seam allowances, and carefully serge around the edges. Then when I need the pattern, I carefully iron the muslin (if needed), and put it down onto my fashion fabric like the muslin is paper. (Easier for me to store the muslin and iron it than store the paper pattern and not be able to flatten it easily)
I love this. I think TDCO is a method where the maker is empowered to customize these execution steps as much as we like. It's all about making the method work for us! Your process sounds very efficient and I'm going to give it a try next time!
Thank you so much for putting this series together. I have been frustrated with patterns, pattern-makers, "the industry", my crooked body, my lack of skill, my lack of experience,...I could add to the list. Here is an approach, expertly explained, that seems so doable! I will try and post on Instagram. Take care. C
Thank you for doing this series! A really clear and easy to follow set of videos. I'm half way through the process and just taking my time getting familiar with it, but it makes so much more sense. Looking forward to the finished product
Thank you so much for making this series. I've watched it all though and you have really helped demystify the process for me. Hopefully in the coming weeks I will have an opportunity to get started on my own top down centre out fitting journey knowing I can easily pop back on here at any stage.
Excellent and well done! I love the whole series. Your instructions are clear, concise with great graphics. Thanks so much for taking the time to do all this. I am anxious to try this with my next pair of pants.
Thank you so much for this great and so well explained série on the TDCO method! You are a TRUE teacher. It’s in your blood. I’m really looking forward for your adaptation on other style. We definitely be following you!!
I think I'll need to see this about 10 x before i ever attempt this...there are so many steps. You are a super teacher but I don't have the confidence to jump right in . I've had so many pants failures I'm ready to give up.
I have just finished taking a pattern drafting course and find fitting pants to my body to be quite challenging. Some of that is because my body shape is somewhat unusual, and some because of the "traditional" fitting techniques. So I found your 9-part series very interesting. Thank you! You are a GREAT teacher! I really like the ideas of fitting the waistband first, and of working with a single-leg toile. When it comes to fitting the toile to the body, though, I have some concerns. My fitting difficulties are mostly about vertical dimensions, rather than girth. I have a very short torso and long legs. Within the short distance )from waist to crotch, the fullest part of my girth measurement is notably higher than most people's, well above the beginning of my thighs. This means that the back crotch curves of purchased patterns are a different SHAPE {somewhere between J and L shape}, not just a different size, from my body {which is between a parenthesis ) and an angle bracket >}. Raising the base of the crotch seam by pulling up at the waist isn't going to accommodate that shape difference, is it? Does TDCO have a technique to address such a situation?
I'm glad you've found this series interesting! The question about the shape of the crotch curve is a really good one. It’s a DEEP topic, with many different layers and points of view. TDCO takes a different approach to crotch curves than the conventional drafting/fitting techniques that you may be used to. I will try to summarize here. Conventional fitting advice treats the crotch seam as a shape. It’s a void that must be carved out of the paper pattern to mimic the body’s shape. It makes a lot of sense if you think about a paper pattern piece fitting up snuggly against the body. But this is a misrepresentation of how crotch seams work. There is another way to understand the crotch curve. TDCO treats the crotch seam as a line, not a shape. Imagine you are wearing your favorite pair of pants, and you take a pair of scissors to the garment. You cut off everything except for the waistband and the crotch seam that hangs from it. This crotch seam may have originally had a specific 2-dimensional shape when it was cut out of fabric, but it is free to move, bend, and sometimes stretch with the body once it’s sewn in denim or wool or whatever fabric you chose. I’d be willing to bet that on your body, that crotch seam is no longer the exact same shape it was when it was a 2-dimensional piece of paper. One of the reasons why the crotch seam is so flexible is because part of it is on bias. The curviest part of the crotch curve, where the seam transitions from being more vertical to being more horizontal, falls along the bias of your fabric. Seams along the bias have some flex - they allow the fabric to bend underneath the body smoothly, and they allow the pants to move with you as you squat, sit, run, etc. So the important variable here is how much of the seam is on the bias -- designs with an “L” shape have a less bias, designs with a “J” shape have more. Whether to draft less vs more bias in a crotch seam has to do with the style and intended function of the pants. For example, close-fitting jeans need more flex in the crotch to be comfortable, so they will usually have a J shape. So if we view the crotch seam as a flexible line, then the idea that the curved shape of the pattern piece has to match our body shape no longer applies. If we think of the entire crotch seam as resembling a “U” when sewn up into a 3D garment, the important variables to optimize are the vertical length from top to bottom (aka length from waistband to crotch level), and the horizontal cross-body depth (aka distance between center front and center back across the “saddle”). As long as vertical and horizontal dimensions have been optimized (and assuming you are working with a well-drafted pattern), the inherent flexibility in the crotch seam will accommodate any unique curves of your body - whether you are a bracket shape [>] or a parentheses [)]. So to get back to your question: adjusting vertical length is fairly straightforward with TDCO. Adjusting the horizontal cross-body depth may take some tinkering - you may need to go up one or two sizes in the crotch and inseam if you have more cross-body depth than the pattern assumes for your hip size. You can experiment with going up a size or two just in the back crotch seam or in both front and back. Finally, it’s important to note that TDCO doesn’t take sides in the debate of whether an individual maker should redraw the crotch curve on a pair of pants. If that’s what works for you, then by all means do it. TDCO takes the stance that good design will accommodate a wide variety of body shapes, and by tweaking the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the crotch seam, one can get into a zone of good fit regardless of body shape or size. Hope that helps!
Thanks for this video! Question about the pocket bag - in your example, it looks like you're losing about 1.5/2" of the width of the pocket at the top. Just wondering how that affects the pocket design/usage. Does that make it harder to put your hand in? Maybe I'm not quite seeing the whole 3D idea of it post alteration.
This is a great question. In this video, when I show the pocket bag example, let me clarify that the red line is the new seam line for the waistline and side seam. The solid blue line is the original cutting line for the pattern, and the dashed line is the extra fabric I added for fitting. So, I'm only moving the side seam inward by about 3/8" from the original seam line. It looks like A LOT more than that on the tracing because the distance between my new, red seam line and the blue, solid line on the tracing includes a 5/8" seam allowance. The original seam lines for this pattern are not marked on this pattern piece, but I should have done that for clarity. Moving a side seam in (or out) by 3/8" at the waistline has not interfered with pocket design or function, in my experience. It's also worth mentioning that in this example, the pocket opening itself is unchanged -- I'm not removing length from the scooped opening, or narrowing the width of the pocket piece, I'm only making changes at the waistline above the pocket. But to get back to your original question: what if I actually did need to take off 1" of fabric or more from the side seam? In that case I would explore a few different strategies to see what worked best for my body and the design. First, if I needed to take out (or add) a lot of fabric to the waistline, I would try to do it evenly between the side seams and darts or pleats, which may help to evenly distribute the amount I'm changing each seam (e.g. 1/2" taken out of the dart + 1/2" taken out of the side seam rather than 1" taken out only at the side seam). If I truly needed 1" or more taken out of the side seam from top to bottom, then that WOULD eat into the pocket opening and may make it hard to use. In that case, I could go back to my nested, multi-sized pattern to look at the pocket placement for a smaller size (one that corresponded to my new side seam placement) and I could trace that pocket instead. This strategy is in line with the idea of choosing from a menu of options when tracing seam lines for Top Down Center Out, and it would maintain the design and function.
@@thecrookedhem Thanks Stacey, that actually makes total sense now that you say it all! I think there's definitely an element of just having to dive in and try this method in order to completely understand the steps. I really appreciate your guidance on getting me to the point that I'm actually ready to attempt it!
@@PergantJohnson Absolutely! I had the same experience -- I had to dive in and do the steps myself before I completely understood the method. Good luck and hope you enjoy using it!
Thank you for this incredibly well taught series. One Q : why can’t we use our toiles as patterns? (Once trimmed down to seam-width?). Forgive a potentially stupid question from a pretty new sewist: 😊
Good question! The reason why we generally don't go straight from toile fabric to final fabric is that your fabric can shift and warp as you are fitting. Unlike paper pattern pieces which are very stable, your toile fabric pieces may stretch out or distort as you are manipulating the toile -- especially along any seam or cut edge that is on the bias or close to it (like the crotch curve, the hip curve, or even the waistline). So the best way to make sure that you are cutting accurately is to transfer your changes from toile fabric back to the paper pattern, then from altered paper pattern to your final fabric.
Thank you so much for taking the time to make these instructional videos. They are great and you explain the process so well. My question is regarding the new pocket bag. When you made the adjustments on the front piece it made the side seam narrower at the top. So when you traced the pocket piece new side seam it looks like the new pocket will be narrower than the original. Is this correct, and if so what would need to be done in order to make the pocked the original size as before the alterations?
Good question! In this example, my original pocket piece does get narrower at the top above the pocket opening since my side seam is taken in near the waist. However the pocket opening itself and pocket width below the opening are unchanged from the original (the red line showing my alternations is the new seam line without seam allowances, the blue outline of the pocket bag that I overlayed is the cutting line with seam allowances -- I should have marked these more clearly in this video!). So in this example, the amount of space for my hand inside the pocket remains unchanged from the original design. But let's say I had taken in my side seam from waist to hip, which would narrow the entire pocket and the opening. In that case, I have a few options for how to proceed. One option would be to measure how much width I'm removing from the pocket at the side seam (in this example on the right edge of the pocket), and add it back to the left edge. This would effectively shift the pocket bag toward the center of the garment and preserve the original width (make sure to transfer any notches associated with the pocket location, too). The other option would be to look at the front pattern pieces on nested, multisized pattern and find the size that is closest to my new, altered front piece, then use the pocket location for that size to help guide me in placing my pocket.
Thanks for such clear explanations. Would this work in making a master pants pattern, with no initial design? I'm trying to create a perfect sloper which I can adapt to different styles
This method is intended for use with commercial patterns where you start with the multi-sized, nested pattern pieces. Commercial patterns typically have been through some sort of testing process already, so they will theoretically need fewer adjustments than those that haven't been tested (although of course there is a huge degree of variation here). However, there's no reason why you couldn't apply this fitting workflow to a self-drafted pattern, and I know many people have done that. The difference will be that you may need to do more work if/when you decide that you want to tweak some aspect of the fit. For example, if you need to change the crotch/inseam size to give yourself more or less body space in the seat of the pants, then you will have to redraft the pattern rather than just selecting the next size in the envelope.
Thank you for the great series of videos! You're a great educator. I'm at this point in the process, and I have a question about the waistline seem. I ended up adding to the center front and removing height from the side seam - based on my pinning and markings, i have a subtle s-curve between these points - is that right, or should I make that into a straight line? The original waist seam is straight.
I would tend to trust whatever I've drawn on the toile. So if the seam line you determined when fitting is slightly curved, then I'd keep that detail when transferring adjustments. Have you tried basting your changes (including the S-curve) to see how things look without pins? That is usually a good way to check that you've dialed in your seam lines just right.
@@thecrookedhem thanks! I didn't baste because my waistband is elastic and I didn't want to deal with removing the elastic... I've taken my toile apart to transfer markings so I'll just trust my curve and try it out 😁 thanks again for your help!
Your teaching skills are absolutely AMAZING. I was glued to my laptop watching every single video in this series. I tried to watch a video of TDCF once and was so confused and thought I'd give it another go upon finding you. I am so glad I did. I have tried so many times to make pants only to be disappointed and hating the way they looked. I can't wait to try this method. Again, thank you so much for taking all the time you must have taken to make these videos. I have bookmarked this series for reference. You are fabulous. Well done you.
I'm so glad these videos resonate with you! And thank you for the kind words. ☺️ Hope you enjoy using the method when you try it.
If only everything on UA-cam was this thorough and well-thought-out! You've taught us so much. Eternal thanks!
This series has totally blown my mind! I am truly amazed at the fit you achieved. Thank you for showing us what the pants looked like without any adjustments - to be able to compare the two was so enlightening. I am so so happy that you took the time to gift this series to us, your community of fellow sewists. Your insights were both practical and philosophical. Wow, this method rocks.
This is THE BEST explanation of TDCO I have seen. I'm anxiously awaiting your video to address using TDCO for fitting elastic waist pants. You are a great teacher. I hope you do other sewing videos in the future.
I’m trying the TDCO method for the first time, following along with your detailed yet very concise videos. I’m 100% converted. Up until now I’ve always had to make a long list of adjustments in order to get trousers to fit. I grew to dread making trousers. But with this there was a waistline adjustment and that was it 🤯 This method is a game changer! Thank you again Stacey.
That's so awesome! I'm so happy to hear that these videos are helpful and that the method is already giving you great results. It was a total game changer for me too. Happy sewing!
You are a totally outstanding teacher. Very clean. Very thorough without being overly wordy. Absolutely the BEST. I’ve been sewing for 40 years. I’ve recently been diving deep into making my own moulage and slopers. I have all the Palmer Pletsch books. This method melds all of that into one process. Your explanation of TDCO is heads and shoulders the best. THANK YOU for all the effort I know this took and blessing us w it.
This was SOOOO hugely helpful! I feel empowered to finally fit pants, which has been such a roadblock for me in my sewing journey. I've tried and become frustrated to tears with conventional fitting methods, so this seems like such a revelation. I think it was Part 8, seeing the difference in the original pattern if you had used conventional fitting (sooo many adjustments, changed the overall look of the garment) and the top-down center-out method (very fine adjustments, garment stayed true to the design) was so revelatory! I also love that this method uses way less fabric in making the toiles. Thank you for the excellent explanations!!
The only thing I'm wondering is, what to do if the pattern doesn't have a side seam? I'd like to make the Anna Allen Persephone Pants, and this pattern doesn't have a side seam. Should I add one in, or adjust without it?
Hi there! Sorry I missed this question earlier. The Persephone pants are a very unique pattern with a niche design. No side seams means that we have fewer options for tweaking while fitting, so they are an advanced pattern to fit with any fitting method. To use TDCO with Persephone, you would add temporary side seams to the toile and use those to fit. So, to break it down: 1) you would trace the original pattern piece and then draw a vertical line approximately where the side seam would be and cut the pattern piece along this line, creating a front and back piece, 2) use this side seam to add your extra seam allowance to the side as you normally would with any other pattern, 3) fit using the TDCO method -- you can use the side seams to add or remove circumference from waist to hip, just remember that if you add or subtract fabric you must do it evenly from waist to hem to keep the side seam straight (for example, if you need an extra inch of fabric at the hip, you will add that inch along the entire side seam, then adjust the darts to remove the excess fabric from the waist). 4) when you have transferred your adjustments back to the front and back pattern pieces, simply tape the front and back pieces back together to close the up the temporary side seam. This is why you cannot add any shaping to the side seam as you fit, they need to fit back together in the end.
Be aware that the crotch curve of the Persephone pants does not grade up or down as sizes change. This means that the crotch hooks are the same for all sizes, and the cross-body depth measurement does not change from the smallest to the largest size. This is highly unusual for pants, and it is the reason why many folks in the larger sizes sometimes feel that the pants are pinching or riding up in the crotch. There are a few ways to compensate for this drafting quirk (using stretch fabrics, or re-grading the crotch seam yourself), but it requires a bit more work than the typical pants pattern. Of course, there are folks who find these pants to fit well with few modifications, it depends on where you fall in the size range and your personal fit preferences.
Hope this helps, and happy sewing!
@@thecrookedhem Wow, thank you so much!! That is super, super helpful. And very interesting about the crotch curve, how curious. I'm going to give it a go :)
This was amazing. A little overwhelming for a 79 year old who has sewn the “old way” all these years but I might give it a try. Thank you so so much.
You give the best explanation and illustrations. Thanks to your videos I have a better idea of how this method works.
I watched your series once, then watched someone else’s series, then came back to yours to watch it again. Yours is so much simpler to understand. The concepts are easy to understand without a lot of chatter about things that are not relevant to a beginner. I can’t wait to try this! You are a great teacher.❤
Thank you so much! That's wonderful to hear -- I put a lot of time and effort into making these videos as helpful as possible. Have fun and enjoy your pants fitting journey with Top Down Center Out!
This approach is indeed conceptually simple but there are many sewists who learned traditional approaches based on body part assessment and find it more challenging to learn #TopDownCenterOut than beginners who have the advantage of not having to unlearn assumptions. Part of the power of this new approach is that it creates a platform where you have different options for adjusting the toile. When one creates the toile as directed in #TopDownCenterOut as a half pant with a separate fitted waistband but then use "assess your body" techniques, it is tremendously helpful. Hopefully that will motivate such sewists to seek out accurate information and take it to the next level.
I’ve really enjoyed this series on Top Down Centre Out pants fitting! As a fellow molecular biologist (retired now) who has also sewed for much of my adult life, I appreciate your methodical approach. I will definitely try this out. I always found pants adjustment exhausting previously so this looks like a nice change. I look forward to your next video! Cheers Rosanne 😊
You have completely convinced me try this method! I struggled to follow other videos and tutorials explaining TDCO but your series is so comprehensive and well explained I'm anxious to get started and create my first pair of well-fitting pants. Thank you so much for taking so much time and effort to produce these videos. They are incredibly well done. I'm definitely looking forward to watching you produce more!
Thank you so much for these clear, intelligent and practical explanations. Up to now I have felt overwhelmed by all the "traditional" fitting adjustment possibilities, and you have shed such helpful light on this newer method that I can't wait to try it!
Thank you! I'm so glad you are excited to try it! I, too, felt overwhelmed by traditional fitting techniques, even though I had been using them for years. It seemed that there were dozens of adjustments, sometimes multiple different ways to "correct" for a specific body part that would all have different consequences for the fit. It was frustrating to me that there were so few resources that actually explained *why* any particular adjustment worked and how it affected the rest of the pattern. Top Down Center Out allows me to explore those relationships in real time, on my own body, and without making a zillion toiles. It was a lightbulb moment for the the first time I fit a pair of pants with TDCO. I hope it is for you, too!
I'm so glad I found your video series about TDCO, I always thought that making clothes for myself was far out of my abilities... You convinced me to try it and I'm so glad I did, at the moment I'm still working on the transfer of the changes to the pattern pieces and I'm so excited to begin with sewing the actual pants!
Yes! You can absolutely do it! All it takes is patience, a curious mind, and a willingness to experiment. Hope you enjoy the process!
I just discovered your series and have watched all nine videos in a row - they are fantastic, so clear and well explained and helpful! I appreciate so much the time you took to explain the philosophy as well, as so many aspects of it resonated strongly with me. I can’t wait to try this. THANK YOU!!!!!
Thank you so much for this incredible video series on Top-down Center-out pants adjustments!! I never learned traditional tailoring methods, and just recently began sewing clothes after being a quilter for years now. This method is so intuitive, especially the way you teach it, that making my own pants seems totally feasible. You gave me the confidence to try and im already working on my second pair!!
You are an amazing teacher! Thank you, thank you!
I have to thank you so much for sharing all of your journey with this method! I’m ready to transfer my adjustments to my pattern and hopefully it will be successful 🙏
Have watched all your videos in this series of 9, as well as the 2 add'l ones. First, let me say that you are the most articulate, well-organized and thorough individual I've ever watched for any sewing technique! And your graphics, videos and props are outstanding! Kudos to you! Quick question. I have recently lost about 25 lbs and have a lot of pants to alter, I'm wondering if the TDCO concept will work for these alterations. I'm thinking I should disassemble at least part of the waistband from the pants as well as opening up back and side seams to a point, and try the reconstruction using the TDCO method for refitting. Do you think that would work? The majority of the alterations consist of reducing waist size and reducing circumference to slightly above the hip.
Thank you for all you have posted. I do hope you continue to add to your videos. They are exemplary!
Thank you for the kind words! Yes, TDCO can work for alterations, too. I've recently watched Rachael (who is @MinimalistMachinist on Instagram, if you are on there) use the method to alter a number of different me-made trousers for the same reasons you describe. I think your approach sounds very reasonable, and that is what Rachael did, as well -- unpick the waistband and fit it separately to find your preferred circumference and location. Then, pin the trousers to that newly fitted waistband and evaluate the vertical crotch length (you may not be able to add length but you could reduce length in the rise, if needed), then take in the darts/pleats and side seams. Have fun!
Just fabulous, thank you so much. I will be watching some parts again, but I already feel like I have a good understanding of what I need to do to try this method.
I don't necessarily recommend this method to anyone else, but I use the toile itself as the new pattern. After doing the TDCO fit, I would just trim down the toile to the fit, with the seam allowances, and carefully serge around the edges. Then when I need the pattern, I carefully iron the muslin (if needed), and put it down onto my fashion fabric like the muslin is paper. (Easier for me to store the muslin and iron it than store the paper pattern and not be able to flatten it easily)
I love this. I think TDCO is a method where the maker is empowered to customize these execution steps as much as we like. It's all about making the method work for us! Your process sounds very efficient and I'm going to give it a try next time!
Thank you so much for putting this series together. I have been frustrated with patterns, pattern-makers, "the industry", my crooked body, my lack of skill, my lack of experience,...I could add to the list. Here is an approach, expertly explained, that seems so doable! I will try and post on Instagram. Take care. C
Thank you for doing this series! A really clear and easy to follow set of videos. I'm half way through the process and just taking my time getting familiar with it, but it makes so much more sense. Looking forward to the finished product
Great job simplifying something new! Some have tried to explain this and I was very confused. You took the confusion and added great clarity!
Thankyou so very much. This has given me the boost to try more pants patterns.
Thank you so much for making this series. I've watched it all though and you have really helped demystify the process for me. Hopefully in the coming weeks I will have an opportunity to get started on my own top down centre out fitting journey knowing I can easily pop back on here at any stage.
Excellent and well done! I love the whole series. Your instructions are clear, concise with great graphics. Thanks so much for taking the time to do all this. I am anxious to try this with my next pair of pants.
Great series of videos with lots of attention to detail, presented clearly and efficiently! Looking forward to more!
Thank you so much for this great and so well explained série on the TDCO method! You are a TRUE teacher. It’s in your blood. I’m really looking forward for your adaptation on other style. We definitely be following you!!
Wow! thank you so much for this explanation. I am really excited to try and finally have a pair of pants that fit!!!
This is a very intriguing method. I will give it a try. Thank you.
Thanks again for doing this video and I am also looking forward to see future videos on how you use this in other pants like elastic waist.
Very interesting concept. I will definitely give this a try! You are very good at explaining. Thank you
Look forward to further tutorials you have to share, truly appriated and valued...huge thankyou
Excellent series!! I am about to embark on fitting an elastic waist pattern, so looking forward to the next videos! 😊
Thank you so much for these entirely awesome tutorials!
Thank you so much.
I have enjoyed watching and learning the TDCO method. You are great at explaining how to do this.
Thanks
So clear, empowering and exciting 🤩. Many thanks!
Thank you for sharing this and explaining everything so well, I'm eager to try out this method! :)
So have enjoyed this series. I can’t wait to try it.
I wonder if it’s possible to do this type of fitting with a bodice?
Great , thanks very much for all you have done. Cheers Mary
I think I'll need to see this about 10 x before i ever attempt this...there are so many steps. You are a super teacher but I don't have the confidence to jump right in . I've had so many pants failures I'm ready to give up.
Utterly splendid! Thank you.
Thank you!!!!
Brilliant, just brilliant!!
I have just finished taking a pattern drafting course and find fitting pants to my body to be quite challenging. Some of that is because my body shape is somewhat unusual, and some because of the "traditional" fitting techniques. So I found your 9-part series very interesting. Thank you! You are a GREAT teacher! I really like the ideas of fitting the waistband first, and of working with a single-leg toile. When it comes to fitting the toile to the body, though, I have some concerns. My fitting difficulties are mostly about vertical dimensions, rather than girth. I have a very short torso and long legs. Within the short distance )from waist to crotch, the fullest part of my girth measurement is notably higher than most people's, well above the beginning of my thighs. This means that the back crotch curves of purchased patterns are a different SHAPE {somewhere between J and L shape}, not just a different size, from my body {which is between a parenthesis ) and an angle bracket >}. Raising the base of the crotch seam by pulling up at the waist isn't going to accommodate that shape difference, is it? Does TDCO have a technique to address such a situation?
I'm glad you've found this series interesting!
The question about the shape of the crotch curve is a really good one. It’s a DEEP topic, with many different layers and points of view. TDCO takes a different approach to crotch curves than the conventional drafting/fitting techniques that you may be used to. I will try to summarize here.
Conventional fitting advice treats the crotch seam as a shape. It’s a void that must be carved out of the paper pattern to mimic the body’s shape. It makes a lot of sense if you think about a paper pattern piece fitting up snuggly against the body. But this is a misrepresentation of how crotch seams work.
There is another way to understand the crotch curve. TDCO treats the crotch seam as a line, not a shape. Imagine you are wearing your favorite pair of pants, and you take a pair of scissors to the garment. You cut off everything except for the waistband and the crotch seam that hangs from it. This crotch seam may have originally had a specific 2-dimensional shape when it was cut out of fabric, but it is free to move, bend, and sometimes stretch with the body once it’s sewn in denim or wool or whatever fabric you chose. I’d be willing to bet that on your body, that crotch seam is no longer the exact same shape it was when it was a 2-dimensional piece of paper.
One of the reasons why the crotch seam is so flexible is because part of it is on bias. The curviest part of the crotch curve, where the seam transitions from being more vertical to being more horizontal, falls along the bias of your fabric. Seams along the bias have some flex - they allow the fabric to bend underneath the body smoothly, and they allow the pants to move with you as you squat, sit, run, etc. So the important variable here is how much of the seam is on the bias -- designs with an “L” shape have a less bias, designs with a “J” shape have more. Whether to draft less vs more bias in a crotch seam has to do with the style and intended function of the pants. For example, close-fitting jeans need more flex in the crotch to be comfortable, so they will usually have a J shape.
So if we view the crotch seam as a flexible line, then the idea that the curved shape of the pattern piece has to match our body shape no longer applies. If we think of the entire crotch seam as resembling a “U” when sewn up into a 3D garment, the important variables to optimize are the vertical length from top to bottom (aka length from waistband to crotch level), and the horizontal cross-body depth (aka distance between center front and center back across the “saddle”). As long as vertical and horizontal dimensions have been optimized (and assuming you are working with a well-drafted pattern), the inherent flexibility in the crotch seam will accommodate any unique curves of your body - whether you are a bracket shape [>] or a parentheses [)].
So to get back to your question: adjusting vertical length is fairly straightforward with TDCO. Adjusting the horizontal cross-body depth may take some tinkering - you may need to go up one or two sizes in the crotch and inseam if you have more cross-body depth than the pattern assumes for your hip size. You can experiment with going up a size or two just in the back crotch seam or in both front and back.
Finally, it’s important to note that TDCO doesn’t take sides in the debate of whether an individual maker should redraw the crotch curve on a pair of pants. If that’s what works for you, then by all means do it. TDCO takes the stance that good design will accommodate a wide variety of body shapes, and by tweaking the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the crotch seam, one can get into a zone of good fit regardless of body shape or size.
Hope that helps!
Thank you!
Thanks for this video! Question about the pocket bag - in your example, it looks like you're losing about 1.5/2" of the width of the pocket at the top. Just wondering how that affects the pocket design/usage. Does that make it harder to put your hand in? Maybe I'm not quite seeing the whole 3D idea of it post alteration.
This is a great question. In this video, when I show the pocket bag example, let me clarify that the red line is the new seam line for the waistline and side seam. The solid blue line is the original cutting line for the pattern, and the dashed line is the extra fabric I added for fitting. So, I'm only moving the side seam inward by about 3/8" from the original seam line. It looks like A LOT more than that on the tracing because the distance between my new, red seam line and the blue, solid line on the tracing includes a 5/8" seam allowance. The original seam lines for this pattern are not marked on this pattern piece, but I should have done that for clarity. Moving a side seam in (or out) by 3/8" at the waistline has not interfered with pocket design or function, in my experience. It's also worth mentioning that in this example, the pocket opening itself is unchanged -- I'm not removing length from the scooped opening, or narrowing the width of the pocket piece, I'm only making changes at the waistline above the pocket.
But to get back to your original question: what if I actually did need to take off 1" of fabric or more from the side seam? In that case I would explore a few different strategies to see what worked best for my body and the design. First, if I needed to take out (or add) a lot of fabric to the waistline, I would try to do it evenly between the side seams and darts or pleats, which may help to evenly distribute the amount I'm changing each seam (e.g. 1/2" taken out of the dart + 1/2" taken out of the side seam rather than 1" taken out only at the side seam). If I truly needed 1" or more taken out of the side seam from top to bottom, then that WOULD eat into the pocket opening and may make it hard to use. In that case, I could go back to my nested, multi-sized pattern to look at the pocket placement for a smaller size (one that corresponded to my new side seam placement) and I could trace that pocket instead. This strategy is in line with the idea of choosing from a menu of options when tracing seam lines for Top Down Center Out, and it would maintain the design and function.
@@thecrookedhem Thanks Stacey, that actually makes total sense now that you say it all! I think there's definitely an element of just having to dive in and try this method in order to completely understand the steps. I really appreciate your guidance on getting me to the point that I'm actually ready to attempt it!
@@PergantJohnson Absolutely! I had the same experience -- I had to dive in and do the steps myself before I completely understood the method. Good luck and hope you enjoy using it!
Thank you!
Thank you for this incredibly well taught series.
One Q : why can’t we use our toiles as patterns? (Once trimmed down to seam-width?). Forgive a potentially stupid question from a pretty new sewist: 😊
Good question! The reason why we generally don't go straight from toile fabric to final fabric is that your fabric can shift and warp as you are fitting. Unlike paper pattern pieces which are very stable, your toile fabric pieces may stretch out or distort as you are manipulating the toile -- especially along any seam or cut edge that is on the bias or close to it (like the crotch curve, the hip curve, or even the waistline).
So the best way to make sure that you are cutting accurately is to transfer your changes from toile fabric back to the paper pattern, then from altered paper pattern to your final fabric.
Thank you so much for taking the time to make these instructional videos. They are great and you explain the process so well. My question is regarding the new pocket bag. When you made the adjustments on the front piece it made the side seam narrower at the top. So when you traced the pocket piece new side seam it looks like the new pocket will be narrower than the original. Is this correct, and if so what would need to be done in order to make the pocked the original size as before the alterations?
Good question! In this example, my original pocket piece does get narrower at the top above the pocket opening since my side seam is taken in near the waist. However the pocket opening itself and pocket width below the opening are unchanged from the original (the red line showing my alternations is the new seam line without seam allowances, the blue outline of the pocket bag that I overlayed is the cutting line with seam allowances -- I should have marked these more clearly in this video!). So in this example, the amount of space for my hand inside the pocket remains unchanged from the original design. But let's say I had taken in my side seam from waist to hip, which would narrow the entire pocket and the opening. In that case, I have a few options for how to proceed. One option would be to measure how much width I'm removing from the pocket at the side seam (in this example on the right edge of the pocket), and add it back to the left edge. This would effectively shift the pocket bag toward the center of the garment and preserve the original width (make sure to transfer any notches associated with the pocket location, too). The other option would be to look at the front pattern pieces on nested, multisized pattern and find the size that is closest to my new, altered front piece, then use the pocket location for that size to help guide me in placing my pocket.
I was also wondering this, thanks to you both for asking and answering!
Thanks for such clear explanations. Would this work in making a master pants pattern, with no initial design? I'm trying to create a perfect sloper which I can adapt to different styles
This method is intended for use with commercial patterns where you start with the multi-sized, nested pattern pieces. Commercial patterns typically have been through some sort of testing process already, so they will theoretically need fewer adjustments than those that haven't been tested (although of course there is a huge degree of variation here). However, there's no reason why you couldn't apply this fitting workflow to a self-drafted pattern, and I know many people have done that. The difference will be that you may need to do more work if/when you decide that you want to tweak some aspect of the fit. For example, if you need to change the crotch/inseam size to give yourself more or less body space in the seat of the pants, then you will have to redraft the pattern rather than just selecting the next size in the envelope.
Thank you for the great series of videos! You're a great educator. I'm at this point in the process, and I have a question about the waistline seem. I ended up adding to the center front and removing height from the side seam - based on my pinning and markings, i have a subtle s-curve between these points - is that right, or should I make that into a straight line? The original waist seam is straight.
I would tend to trust whatever I've drawn on the toile. So if the seam line you determined when fitting is slightly curved, then I'd keep that detail when transferring adjustments. Have you tried basting your changes (including the S-curve) to see how things look without pins? That is usually a good way to check that you've dialed in your seam lines just right.
@@thecrookedhem thanks! I didn't baste because my waistband is elastic and I didn't want to deal with removing the elastic... I've taken my toile apart to transfer markings so I'll just trust my curve and try it out 😁 thanks again for your help!