Curated by ITF - ISSUE 13
Pants sewing Skills Kit
Ever thought about sewing yourself a pair of pants and then quickly shelved the idea out of fear and doubt? You’re not alone.
Since launching the Curated by ITF sewing subscription, the most common question we get asked in our community is ‘how do I sew pants that fit?’. So we put our heads together and came up with a solution that will empower you to make pants that fit and pants you love - minus the overwhelm.
The idea of spending precious hours sewing something you’ll probably just chuck in the pile of ‘me-mades that don’t fit right’ is not appealing. And it’s daunting trying out new techniques on your final fabric!
That’s why we’ve broken down the pants making process into three bite-sized chunks that can be easily digested across the next three issues with our Pants Making Project Series. Each issue focuses on a different technique required for making pants - pants sewing, pants fitting and pants designing. By the end of this three issue pants making course you will not only master the skills required to sew pants that fit, but be able to apply this knowledge to make ANY style of pants you can dream of!
Please note: This product can only be purchased by current Curated by ITF subscribers. If you would like to sign-up you can do so here.
Project details
You’ve probably got ideas about how a pants making course will unfold, right? Get the pattern, pick a size, cut it out, make a toile etc etc… But what if we told you in month 1, you’ll be focusing on professional pants sewing techniques through a series of ‘samplers’ that will give you a chance to try out new skills without the fear?
We introduced this project by building up your confidence and empowering you to learn all the sewing skills you need to make a gorgeous pair of pants - inside and out. You can take a break from worrying about fit and really focus on finish - learning to sew a welt pocket, a fly front, a shaped waistband and a range of different pockets… just to name a few!
By subscribing to Curated by ITF you’re learning from professionally-trained garment designers who are passing on to you the techniques we learned in design school and the fashion industry. Techniques that are used by professional garment designers all over the world!
With this in mind, through this project we’ll guide you through making a series of ‘samplers’ of sewing techniques and finishes that are ideal for making pants. These samplers will allow you to practise and perfect your skills without the stress of sewing an entire garment. These small examples can be stored with construction notes and used as a reference to inform future makes as we progress through the three month course (and beyond).
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN THROUGH THIS PROJECT
- Common pocket options for pants sewing
- Slash pocket
- Curved pocket
- Welt pocket
- Patch pocket
- Patch pocket with flap
- Zip fly front
- Lapped zipper
- Shaped waistband
- Belt loops
- Seam finishes required for pants sewing
- Overlock / serged seams
- Bias bound seams
- Flat felled seams
- Blind hemming
These tutorials have been created so you can use them along with the other resources we are rolling out for this pants series, but will also help with any pants sewing you do in the future! With these resources you will feel confident to sew a range of different pant styles and have confidence to pick the right technique for the application.
Skills library
When designing all our resources it is our goal that over time you could build up a Skills Library that you can store on your computer or in your sewing space and can access it whenever you need. This provides a more holistic view of skill building. With each Curated by ITF project we will provide you with new resources that you can add to your Skills Library. The Pant sewing Skills Kit is going to be a fantastic addition that you will refer to over and over!
Mighty Networks community
By purchasing this issue you will gain access to the extra resources we shared in our online community group when we released the project. This means that you will be able to ask questions, share your makes and connect with other makers who are also on a mission to learn new skills and sew clothing in a slow and conscious way.
Difficulty
This is the perfect project for advanced beginners, intermediate makers and beyond. Due to the nature of sewing samplers, you can select only the techniques you would like to try or start with the easier ones (like sewing a patch pocket) and build yourself up to the trickier ones (like sewing a welt pocket). Without needing to think about whether the pants will fit you or not, sewing samplers allows you to purely focus on the sewing experience. As always we suggest you slow down and enjoy the process!
Are you new to pants sewing? Start by gaining confidence by sewing the patch pocket and lapped zipper.
Ready to level up? Give the fly front a go (along with the slash pockets and bias binding).
For those of you who want to learn a whole heap of new skills, work through the resource from beginning to end - focusing on including all the bias binding you can! You will be able to download the Skills Kit as soon as you receive it and will be able to refer back to it as much as you like.
DIGITAL PRODUCT DETAILS
The Pants Sewing Skills Kit: 64 pages of sewing technique tutorials and content. The booklet is suitable for printing on both A4 and US letter sized paper, or can be viewed onscreen using a PDF viewer.
The pattern sampler pieces are suitable for printing on both A4 and US letter sized paper. A copy shop version is also included in the file (A0 or US 36" x 48").
Print at home pattern: 33 pages
Print shop version: 2 x A0 pages
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