How to Make a Pattern from Your Existing Pants

Here's how to easily copy any existing pant or trouser so you'll have a pattern for making new pants that fit the same, and a starting point for designing your own already fitted pants, or for fine-tuning the fit of pants that almost fit. It's a followup to my earlier video on copying a shirt and ONLY COVERS WHAT'S DIFFERENT about copying pants, so you should definitely watch the shirt video, below, first if you haven't seen it already.

Please post any questions you may have as comments here, so everyone can see them along with my responses. Or, email me if you'd prefer; email's in my profile…

Why Should I Buy Your New Pants Book?

Received this email question this morning:

Hi David,

I have been reading the reviews about your new pants book and every one of them has been very positive. I already own your first pants book from 2004 and found it to be a wonderful resource. So what is new and different about this new book? Is it just a newer version of the 2004 book? Or, does it contain new material not found in the first book? I watched the video clip on your blog, but it didn’t really tell me what the difference is in the 2 books. Thanks for your help.

Good question! The new book grew from the CD version, which I self-published in 2004 as a digital-only "virtual book," and the book is certainly based on the original material, so there's much anyone who has the CD will recognize, finally available on paper (which was the main thing people asked me about when the CD came out: "When will this be available as a "real" book?").

In addition, it's been extensively expanded and in a few instances revised. The main new elements are on the DVD, which is essentially an advanced workshop for folks who have worked through the book techniques and ideas. It's got two-plus hours of new video demos, documenting many variations and experiments on the basics that came up in the process of making 6 new pairs I created for the book, 3 men's, 3 women's, 150+ pages of mostly new RTW and custom garment detail photos and new process pictures, and four pages of internet links to new suppliers and info sources.

The main revisions in the text were to the existing-trousers tour section, which features 4 garments not on the CD, and to the zipper-fly section which is mostly new material, based on expanding and refining the techniques from the CD. There's also some new material on pocket making and pattern preparation and a smattering of new tips, including several on using my favorite new tool, the surgical hemostat (a fabulous tool, every sewer needs one!), in both the text and the videos.

If you enjoyed the CD, I think you'll find the book and DVD quite interesting and a valuable addition to the original material. If you never heard of the CD, it's out of production, but lives on within the pages of the book.