About Sarah Expertise Pattern making, fitting, fabric choices, garment construction, design choices - all aspects of making a garment! I'm a professional in the fashion industry. I'm responsible for fitting garments on live models, making garment construction choices that make sense for the fabrics, approving wash care instructions, patternmaking and draping on the form. I work with wovens and knits. My garments have won numerous awards (both design and construction) throughout my college career.
Experience Graduated BFA in fashion design; Currently work as a technical designer/pattern make/fitter for a large contemporary fashion company for 2+ years.
Organizations Philadelphia Sewing Collective - www.phillysewing.org
Education/Credentials BFA in Fashion Design from Moore College of Art & Design; Summa Cum Laude
Question I have elastic waist pants that the crotch is way to long almost to my knees. They also have pockets that I still want to be ale to use. How do I shorten them at the crotch as I do not want to shorten them from the waist?
Thank You
Cece
Answer Hi Cece,
You won't be able to shorten the pants from the crotch. If you think of a pant pattern, shortening the crotch would mean adding onto the pattern piece to raise the crotch. Since the fabric has already been cut out, this isn't an option - you can't add fabric back to an area that has already been cut out... unless you want to sew in a separate patch of fabric to make up the difference, though that might look a little strange!
Raising the crotch once pants have been completed is done by eliminating from the waist. Measure the waist before you begin altering the pants. Rip the waistband off and remove any patch pockets that are there. Any other side front pockets will have to be re-cut with a lower placement, the lining sewn back on and put back together if you wish to use them again. Since you are removing fabric from the waist of the pant, the waist opening will be larger than what you started with. You will need to reduce the waist of the pants back down to the original waist measurement by reducing from the side seams. Reshape that waist, making sure you have a smooth curve from your hip area to the waist. Any sharp angles or sharp curves will show in your final work as bulges and puckers.
Keep in mind, though, that this alteration will also raise the hem of your pant - so if they are a comfortable length now, they will be shorter when the crotch has been raised.
