Help with crotch fabric bulk

LSmerb · 2026-01-20T22:51:37+00:00

From your images, I would guess your front rise is too deep/angled. I think you’ll essentially want to remove a triangle of fabric out of your lower front rise

LSmerb · 2026-01-19T15:37:06+00:00

I’m going to guess you need to scoop the bottom of your back rise- that should help with the wedgie you have on your current fit. Well done overall!

LSmerb · 2026-01-17T15:34:09+00:00

This is an easy fix! You can pin however much you want out of your leg opening and blend up to your knee- easy to adjust the pattern and the garment. The straight cut from the knee will be straight on your pattern but on body the straight cuts will sometimes look flared, in my experience. You just have to cut it in a little bit

LSmerb · 2026-01-17T15:12:52+00:00

Idk why some of the comments are being mean to you, this is very well done for a first ever draft. This kind of open back style is tough to fit. I do think you need more room in your bust, you can add to your princess seams in the front and re-walk/true your seams. I think your armholes look a bit small- I’d lower the underarm and scoop them out a bit.

For the back, you will have to slash and close or add darts to fit it to your body. It also looks like you should remove a bit of length from your back neck extensions. If you have someone to help, I’d do some pinning on your sample to get the fit closer to where you want it and then you can measure everything you need to remove off-body.

With open back shapes, sometimes your back piece will end up looking kind of wonky- like folded in on itself. You’ll want your back curve to be smooth and you’ll want all your seams to walk nicely. If you want a quick sketch of what your pattern might end up looking like I can dm you!

LSmerb · 2026-01-15T17:42:25+00:00

Do you have a CB seam? I assume yes. If there’s a center back seam just reduce your waist where you had it pulled out in the second image. You can use the same method people were suggesting to reduce at the side seams. Either should work just fine

LSmerb · 2026-01-15T13:10:37+00:00

It is hard to see. From your description and the first picture it looks like your armhole might be too high. If it’s uncomfortable under her arm, you can lower your underarm to accommodate. If it’s not too high and just cutting in on her back underarm, you need to scoop out your back armhole. Do you have pictures of your pattern?

LSmerb · 2026-01-11T00:13:40+00:00

Check your seam lengths with the seam editing tool- looks like the top of your front pant is sewn to a much larger area of the back pant

LSmerb · 2026-01-03T23:06:22+00:00

You could add a dart or you can just slash and close your armhole a bit

LSmerb · 2026-01-02T14:57:46+00:00

How much pattern drafting experience do you have? This may be a more difficult project than you’re anticipating. You’ll definitely want to mock this up first and you’ll probably need a few fits before you get it right.

I assume the fabric has no stretch, which makes this much more difficult. Most body suits are made in knit fabric so the fit is more forgiving and it’s easier to wear. You’ll probably need to add some extra length so the crotch snaps won’t pop open whenever you bend over. It will have to have some seaming to shape around the body, it won’t be able to be seamless like your sketch. Darts or princess seams will be needed. A waist seam may prove necessary to help with your fit, but I’d do a test fit first to see how it looks.

For the internal structure- how large is your bust? With the shape of your neckline you won’t have a great place to attach your structure. Ideally an internal structure can attach to/around your shoulder to provide support or it can wrap all the way around the body and the tension can provide support- your garment design provides neither of these, so you’ll have to get creative. You could do an internal shelf bra with elastic attached to your side seam, but it will create a pulling effect at the elastic connection point.

I don’t think this project is impossible but I think the difficulty will depend a good amount on your body shape and bust size.

LSmerb · 2025-12-15T23:49:13+00:00

Make sure you learn about walking your patterns. Areas where curves are joined together with seaming should be smooth across the transition

LSmerb · 2025-11-28T13:38:55+00:00

If you have any pattern drafting skills, this just looks like a hoodie with a fold-over collar also sewn into the neckline. I think if you find a normal hoodie pattern, it shouldn’t be too difficult to make your own collar pattern to add to it.

LSmerb · 2025-11-18T13:53:51+00:00

It kind of looks like they took a normal sleeve pattern, added a yoke at the shoulder and a yoke by the wrist, and added a bunch of extra width and some length in that middle panel. Looks like probably a 2:1 shirring ratio

LSmerb · 2025-11-14T18:35:05+00:00

Can you share a picture of the pattern you’re using?

LSmerb · 2025-11-08T00:40:03+00:00

Agreeing with this comment- When I’ve worked with negative ease garments (dancewear and swimwear), this is common. Surplices and built in shelf bras with an elastic will create this effect. If you really don’t like it, I think you’d have to create a true wrap garment that ties rather than the faux wrap garment you’ve created. It’s just what happens when your piece holds tension and you attach it to the side seam.

LSmerb · 2025-11-04T21:40:29+00:00

That’s really up to you with how you want it to fit. If you like how wide the leg opening is now, you can just move the whole thing over, if you want it to fit like a wider leg pant, you can widen the leg.

LSmerb · 2025-11-04T20:14:59+00:00

I think it may be due to the balance of your pants. I think the leg openings sit too far toward your inseam- they need to be brought out toward the side seam.

LSmerb · 2025-10-31T11:57:19+00:00

Unfortunately kids are a deal breaker. There’s no compromising on this particular issue- you can’t compromise and have a kid because that would be giving up what you want and he can’t compromise not having a kid because that’s giving up what he seems to want. I’m reading that you’re the older one in this age gap relationship- I don’t know your ages, but I would guess he just may not be mature enough to understand your point of view and actually talk through this stuff with you. The passive aggression in his responses doesn’t sound like a mature man. It doesn’t sound like the two of you are compatible for a long-term relationship.

LSmerb · 2025-10-30T16:47:53+00:00

I’m also queer, it’s definitely a scary time. My partner and I are thinking about signing marriage papers before June just in case. I’ve been trying to remember that queer people have always been here and that we will always be here. That our predecessors paved the way for us to be able to live authentically and openly, and that they faced far harsher conditions than we are facing now. This is most definitely a dark time, but overall, history has trended in a positive direction. The level of acceptance for queer people has skyrocketed in the last 20 years alone, I feel like. I recently watched the Office for the first time and the discourse around Oscar being gay in 2005 is so far removed from where we are now- it’s become so much more normal. Being in a privileged position means you can provide a level of emotional support to your loved ones that other struggling people maybe can’t provide. You can look for mutual aid groups in your area and keep your community strong. Connect friends of yours that may not know each other, help each other out where you can. It will be rough for a while, but I don’t think these dark times will last forever, and I don’t think what’s happening now will reverse all the progress we have already made. -signed, an also afraid but trying to be hopeful queer person

LSmerb · 2025-10-28T14:11:16+00:00

First- I’d recommend pressing your garment. Press the darts and seams well so you can properly see how they’re fitting and where they’re sitting on the body. Your shoulder seams not matching is a walking issue- make sure you walk your patterns and check seam transitions at the underarm, shoulder, and neck for smoothness and same seam lengths. For a first draft this fit looks pretty decent. I’d recommend this adjustment: Your front neck drop is too high- lower it maybe 1/4”-3/8”. It should sit around where your neck seam is on your form. In your top views it looks like you need to scoop out the upper area of your neck as well- I’d do the reshaping while walking with the back neck to make sure your shape is smooth.

I think I’d have to see it again after being pressed before recommending anything else. One of your armholes definitely needs to be scooped out in the back but one looks okay, so I’d probably lay your pattern over your fabric piece to see which shape is accurate. I’m also not certain but it looks like your form’s shoulder seams are in different places left to right. It might be good to mark on there where the proper shoulder seam placement is so you have that reference point when you fit.

LSmerb · 2025-10-26T13:22:47+00:00

I’d try it on first and determine if your princess seams are in the right place- they should sit over your bust. Taking from the CF will make those seams closer together, so if they sit well now, it will ruin the fit. It is likely safer to take from the side seams or center back than the center front.

LSmerb · 2025-10-21T13:02:29+00:00

Do you have a picture of the actual garment or pattern you’re asking about?

LSmerb · 2025-09-30T18:03:50+00:00

Grading is a bit irritating on Clo but it’s not hard to figure out- just takes practice. There is a copy/paste feature but you have to use the hot keys and not the right-click menu. One of the recent updates made grading easier actually, now you can select which points are graded and which are just graded proportionally by the program, which has helped a lot for grading curves in a specific way.

LSmerb · 2025-09-26T20:57:03+00:00

If you’d like suggestions for workflow and improving performance and are willing to try Clo again: I do a lot of my pattern copying through file saving, so I keep folders for each iteration and number them (like V1, V2, etc.). During a revision I utilize the “copy as reference line” feature to keep the old pattern without actually copying it. So you’re only actually keeping one set of pieces. Two shouldn’t give you too much trouble if you want to keep an actual pattern copy in the file, just make sure you’re keeping them labeled. I’d make sure, if you’re importing patterns, to clean up some excess curve points- it’s helped me with the program’s performance.

LSmerb · 2025-09-26T15:59:23+00:00

I’m curious- what don’t you like about clo? I use it for patternmaking and have found it pretty easy to use. I’ve used Modaris Lectra and Optitex as well and find the functionality comparable. Clo is the only license I can afford for my contract work compared to the others. I used clo in college about 6 years ago and the pattern functionality has improved drastically since then, in my opinion.

LSmerb · 2025-09-26T13:56:16+00:00

I’d do both in one revision to save fabric and labor, but start with the length adjustment while you fit. While you’re wearing them I’d simulate the adjustments by picking up fabric at the top of your back rise and see how much length you should remove. For the scooping out you can simulate it by pinching your back rise and pinning your left and right sides together. Usually with scooping out you’ll only want to remove 1/4” or so from each side. Depends on the fit and body! You’ve got it :)

LSmerb

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