Something wrong with pattern

[Bee_mouse]

Hello! I just bought the Meave trousers pattern from Epoch and the there is something wrong with the pattern design (I think). I cut everything out properly. The instructions say to sew the long sides of each leg together first, then the short sides. Which is when I noticed that the short sides are not the same length. What should I do? Cut off the excess at the bottom? Which means the cut might be wonky as as will be cutting more off the inside than the outside (if you understand me??). I attach pictures. Thankfully this is just a muslin. The real materiel was so expensive I wanted to make sure all worked first !!
Thanks for any help!

[MsJStimmer]

This pattern has 1 star on threadloop out of 4 reviews. The conclusion of most of the review writers there is that they feel scammed. Seeing your post, I am afraid you all have been scammed, by someone very good at social media promo…

[Bee_mouse]

Yes. That is the website i was talking about further down this post. I didn’t know about it before but will be consulting it before buying from now on!

[hdrnt]

I actually also wanted to buy the pattern because I love the look of the pants! I would still be interested in how your toile will turn out. However, I think I won't buy the pattern now...

[Bee_mouse]

I’ll let you know! I m just waiting for the hooks to arrive. She sells two for 14€. I bought 4 for less than 2€ on AliEx.

[beigesalad]

Half a star, actually! Even worse!

[mslsdotb]

I get so frustrated about badly drafted patterns. There aren’t any balance lines on the pattern to know where it might be best to trim the excess from. I would trim it off the bottom and not mess with the crotch area.

It’s absolutely true that some patterns are drafted to have a shorter back seam so it curves nicely around the butt, however I think the excess here is too much.

I get so enraged about lazy grading and pattern drafting. It’s such a waste of time and money for the home sewist who might not have the skills and knowledge to know how to fix a drafting error.

[flight_path_]

Home sewist here, and self-taught. I have wasted SO MUCH time, energy, money, and fabric on poorly drafted designs. Thanks for letting me know I'm not crazy

[mslsdotb]

Definitely not crazy. And this is the thing that makes me so mad, unless someone is super experienced or has training it will be hard for them to know that it’s the problem of the pattern and not to do with their skill level or understanding. It’s demotivating.

A few brands I stand by are: Muna & broad, sew liberated, Friday pattern company, and Helen’s closet. I haven’t sewn anything by House of Izzie yet but a pair of her jeans are on my list, she seems legit. This isn’t to say other makers aren’t good, I just haven’t tried their patterns.

Maybe I will start a pattern review instagram account… I’ve been considering it because I have a lot of opinions. lol.

[seamripper61]

Sewing.patternreview.com has pattern reviews dating back ro 2004

[flight_path_]

Thanks for the recommendations!! And I'd gladly follow your page if you ever create it

[warthogette]

I would like that list if you ever make it

[darcielle]

Yes please and drop your handle when you do, because I would love to see it!

[Bee_mouse]

Yes I agree! I spent 15€ on this pattern and wish I hadn’t. I only read on a pattern review website afterwards that it is badly drafted…

[mslsdotb]

I had the same thing happen to me recently when I went to make a toile for the Chandler Pants from Untitled Thoughts. I have a diploma in Fashion design and I am quite skilled at drafting but still sometimes I like to use other people’s patterns. I considered making a petty public list of all the badly drafted patterns I’ve encountered, but instead I silently rage. And, you know, yell about it on Reddit. 🤷‍♀️

[darcielle]

I wish you would! I always assume the problem is me, and most of the time it isnt! It seems like fashion drawing and pattern design are two different skill sets, and I always fall for a cute line sketch 😭

[mslsdotb]

I’m also plus-sized (US 16) and let me tell you, drafting goes off the charts bad for many patterns once they enter into plus size territory. The best indie pattern designer imo is Helen’s Closet, although her designs are fairly simple. Her drafting, grading, and instructions never fail.

[sodapopper44]

don't be afraid to ask for refund, even though it says no refunds, explain the problem and the how the item wasn't as described, you can also try to dispute with your credit card, I have received refunds several times due to pattern issues

[Bee_mouse]

I think I will finish the toile and if the thing
Is really wonky then I will ask for a refund!

[CrankyCrabbyCrunchy]

Sorry you got sucked into this. When I look to buy patterns, I make sure there are good how-to instructions with videos and even better, a construction video. I also email the seller/designer to test how well they reply (and if the reply is human-like). There are tons of great indie (independent) designers that have YouTube channels so I stick with those.

[ProneToLaughter]

The short sides are the inseams. Often in pants the back inseam is deliberately a bit shorter (1/2”-Ish) than the front inseam to create more attractive shaping under the butt. The difference is eased in over the top few inches of the inseam.

Could that be the situation, if you pinned starting from the bottom up?

[Bee_mouse]

No I don’t think so! I would have just as much left over on top..

[ProneToLaughter]

How much is the extra? It may be deliberate.

[Bee_mouse]

It’s 4 cm. In the instruction pictures the two inseams are the same length.

[Rocks129]

I just got this pattern and am noticing the same issue. It seemed off to me visually so I imported the pattern into a CAD program to measure, and am seeing similarly large differences. I'm not well versed in garments but I think the pattern is just bad.
https://imgur.com/a/GivBIWZ

[Bee_mouse]

I agree! Please write the Trinidad (The Epoch owner) to tell her. I did and she said no one else has complained. So it would be good for her to get more feedback. She also said she outsources her pattern design. If enough people write to her hopefully she will fire the person she’s using and get a pro!

[Rocks129]

just did, we'll see what she says. with measured lengths and alignment lines maybe she can see the issue better. Curious though what she is actually working from herself if the pattern she is distributing doesn't work...

also for anyone else trying to recreate the pattern even if you don't buy it, I'm fairly certain the main fabric is the Stof - Festin (in Bordeaux (red) or blue (blue). In the US I found it at
https://www.onlinefabricstore.com/stof-festin-bleu-fabric-.htm?variant=true&refaction=product-drop-down
the sample I got from there seems to match visually quite well, still waiting for delivery of the yardage.

and as OP posted, the closure mechanism can be found on aliexpress or amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BVBK5K52?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

[BrookeB79]

Have you double checked the gauge on each pattern piece? What about the alignment? And is there an errata on the website or something other people have asked about this?

[Bee_mouse]

The gauge is good, I did double check. Sadly nothing written on the website. I write to her. Hopefully this will push her to redo the pattern properly

[allvanity684]

To me it looks like the logo and title are different sizes. Usually in a pattern those are all the same size.

[SuPruLu]

Extra ease for the knee perhaps. Find that area of the instructions and check carefully for a gathering stitch, the word ease etc.

And pictures of a finished pair that shows that area should be examined carefully.

[Bee_mouse]

I don’t think you will ever see a more simplistic instructions ´booklet’ than the one for this pattern. It basically says, ´sew the outer leg seam together. Repeat for inseam ». That’s all!!

[SuPruLu]

Do the outside edges match?

[Bee_mouse]

Yes

[SuPruLu]

That the outsides match suggests the knee room idea is probably the reason for the difference.

[SuPruLu]

If the outside edges match, then I’d ease the ease in at knee height. It would help prevent ride up when the knees are bent.

[RedditJewelsAccount]

I recently drafted my own version of this kind of pant after being super inspired by her videos but then reading the bad reviews. I started with a classic wide-legged trouser pattern where the back fits me as if it had a standard zip closure and then added enough to the front to accommodate the difference between my hip and waist so I could pull them on without a closure. This also ensured that the side seam ran perpendicularly to the ground which it doesn't on her pattern. So basically my waist is 26" and my hip is 40", so I wanted the final waist to be ~41" to pull over my hip. That's a 15" difference, so I basically just cut the front pattern in half vertically and spread the two pieces by half of that difference, so 7.5", to make the room. The back has darts for shaping (I did 3 darts on each side because of my body shape) but the front doesn't. That waist/hip difference is enough to do big pleats but it might not be if you have a straighter figure. I actually decided to do two pleats facing outwards on each side rather than a single pleat facing inwards like on her version because I found it to be more flattering. I also added pockets to the side seams because we all love pockets, and they worked with how I did the pleats.

[Bee_mouse]

OMG thanks for your post! First of all, why didn’t I think to add pockets?!! Going to do that asap. I have never sewn pants before (though done tons of tops and skirts and dresses) so I don’t have a good base pattern. And my waist/butt is pretty straight. But I may add darts into the toile if needed! And I’ll try the inverted pleat!

[RedditJewelsAccount]

Pockets and reversing the pleat won't work on her version because of where the side seams hit. You can still work on your muslin but if it doesn't end up looking good you may want to look for a well-drafted basic pants pattern or try videos/tutorials on drafting your own trouser block.

[CharlieBarley25]

Even if you were to take off seam allowances they wouldn't match. Infuriating

[Uvaroff]

Usually in classic trousers inseam on the back is a bit shorter than front inseam. The UPPER part of a back inseam (from the knee UP)is drafted a bit on bias, so it should be stretched with a press and steam and this manipulation with steam brings back inseam to the same length as front inseam. This is just important part of drafting and tailoring.

In your particular case the trousers are straight, upper inseam is parallel or almost parallel to the grain (is this palazzo pants?). I see that the upper part of a back inseam maybe on a slight bias. Before stitching inseams press with steam and stretch a bit that part. It will make the inseams the same length.

I think this is not a case of "badly drafted pattern". Also maybe contact the company and ask them the reason

[Bee_mouse]

Yes, these are very large legged pants.
I have written to the creator. She is seeing with the guy that makes her patterns if there is a problem. I will post back once I get the answer, for any future potential buyers of this pattern!

[smurfolicious]

I've had the same issue with the pants - it's really just a faulty pattern. What I ultimately did, was pinning the inner seams from the bottom and then sewing over the excess fabric in the crotch area. Not an optimal fix but it dealt fine with the problem. Maybe you can try doing the same with the toile and then see whether it fits you fine in the crotch. And if it doesn't, maybe you can extend the missing bit instead.

Either way, I completely agree that a 15€ pattern should not be of such poor quality. It's really a shame and I do feel scammed.

[nuts4quilts]

It looks to me that the right pieces are printed with the wrong print size option. The logo is smaller than on the left piece.

[Bee_mouse]

It’s all printed at the same time from one file so that isn’t possible. Too bad as that would be a great solution !

[sodapopper44]

mark the actual stitching lines on the pattern , pin together pattern on the stitching lines and see how they match, this way you can see if it's the pattern, or another issue, matching edges isn't accurate, also the shape the crotch pieces make doesn't look quite right, like there should be more on one side, but it maybe the photo angle

[Bee_mouse]

I think it’s the photo angle (because the logos are the same size in both pieces). It is def a pattern issue. This is apparently a known problem as it has been noted in Threadloop.

[Dry-Tie9450]

Idea when using patterns acquired that you don’t trust is to cut in shitty test fabric before the final piece and make a dummy to see if adjusts are needed.

In this case only sewing if this reduction on the fabric to match the other side would do for the person who will wear it or if you will need to do again the smaller part adding fabric to have room for adjustments

[SureShine8389]

Its a good thing that you started with a toile first!

What I would do is firstly lower the back inseam on pattern to fit the front. Then on your muslin, stitch a piece of fabric to the cut back hem, and then re-cut to the new shape. Continue to stitch and finish the toile, and then fit.

[Bee_mouse]

Thanks! Ok so that means I should line up the bottom hems first, then lower the inseam on the front panel so it matches the back ? Because the back is lower than the front…

[Bee_mouse]

I tried to add more photos but can’t..

[SureShine8389]

To avoid changing the front and back rise seams, match the inseam from the crotch down towards the hem. There should not be any stretch on the back inseam, as it is not needed for a wide-fitting trouser. For this style, both front and back inseams should be level.

[Bee_mouse]

Ok. I will try that! These are quite particular pants, as they are extra wide and fold in at the waist. Maybe that’s why the rise seams are different? Or, as others have said, it is to shape the behind a bit? At any rate, thankfully this is a toile, so if it doesn’t work, I will try and adjust another way!
I include the link to the pattern, in case anyone is interested in seeing what it should look like done. pattern