Correcting Unbalanced Pants Patterns – Twisted Inseams or Back Draglines

We continue learning about balancing base pants patterns. Always remember to balance your patterns before cutting anything. Even if you plan to alter your pattern, it’s best to start with a balanced base pattern and then go on from there.

Did you know that twisted inseams are a sign of an unbalanced pattern? You can see here what these twisted inseams look like. Another symptom of pattern unbalance is too many draglines. Now, how do we fix these issues?

When you have twisted inseams, it may be that your front rise is too high compared to the back rise. You need to pivot your pattern.
*Place your front panel on top of your back panel.
*Pinning on the hip, pivot your pattern to align the crotch points.
*The front and back panels must stay mirrored at the side seams from the hip down, so you will need to add to the back and take from the front.
*Finally, you’ll take from the back inseam and add to the front inseam.

After making this correction, remember to true the pattern at the waist to see if you need to add to the side seam there.

This information and more can be found in The Fitting Book. Order your book today through the link below.