I have stitched the wool pants and tested the fit - a little tighter than I like - even with the added width. I think I will let the seams out slightly. I should not have been so confident when I cut the fabric. I used 1/2 inch seam allowances. I will let the upper thigh out a quarter inch on the outseam and the inseam for a total of 1 inch. I hope that gives me what I need because it's all I have! I took this picture showing where I added to the leg seams and now I can see that I added mostly to the hip curve and not so much to the thigh. This is called learning by doing.... I guess I have yet another reason to start using my exercise bike again. Anywhooo, I have been working on duplicating the waistband. I really like the menswear construction.
A close inspection of the waistband reveals several layers. The outermost layer is the fashion fabric. There is a center back seam. The fashion fabric is cut in a contoured shape with the lengthwise grain running parallel to the floor at the center front and the center back is on the bias. The waistband looks like tie interfacing. It is behind the facing layers. The facing has a bias cut woven section at the top with piping and stable ribbon in the center and a pleated woven bias section which hangs free in front of another woven piece on the bias at the bottom edge. 
What is the purpose of the free hanging pleat? I think I might eliminate that from my copy. I also will eliminate the belt loops and maybe even the pockets as well. That should make the assembly less complicated. So the order of operations will be:
Peggy Sagers gave me a nice printed sheet of instructions for the zipper assembly which I have used ever since. I am wondering if there is a tutorial available for the waistband and facing assembly available anywhere. Does anyone know of a good visual reference for this? Maybe David Coffin? What material is the facing made of? Is it a shirting? Cotton? Polyester to prevent shrinking? How do you make your waistbands?
These are not the same pair. They are the same cut with a slight difference in style. The pockets on these open along the side seam, which when worn gape open. The ones I am copying have pockets in the same place, but the opening is at the top, like blue jeans. Also, they seem to be a little smaller with more stretch. I took one leg apart and left the other attached to the waistband for reference. I noticed something which has me curious. The crotch seam and hip seams have double stitching - both the bobbin and top thread are doubled. How do they do that? Is there a special industrial machine that uses two bobbins? Are two threads wound around the bobbin at the same time? I sense some experimenting in my future... The waistband is a two piece contour waistband. Other observations about these pants:
I sewed this weekend. Actually, I serged this weekend. I made these really quick pants to try my hand at making a knock off. For some reason in all my years of sewing, I have never tried to copy a RTW garment. While my wool trousers are en route to me, I decided to start with something uncomplicated to get the hang of it. These pants are made of two rectangles with U shapes cut out of the top side of each rectangle. The pieces are perfectly symmetrical. I thought about customizing the U to my exact crotch curve, but since the exercise was to perform a knock off, I copied the pants exactly. Here is what the pattern looks like. 
I cut two pieces - one for each leg. They have no side seams. The sides are overlapped and worn open, wrap style. There are no buttons or zippers. The pants are tied on in front and in back. The pants I copied had self ties. I used some ribbon I had on hand instead of self ties. The ribbon does double duty as a waist facing to stabilize the waist in front and in back. I cut extra to hang free on each side of both the front and back waist edges for the ties. 
First, I serged the two legs right sides together at the U shape. I used stay tape to keep the crotch from stretching out of shape since my fashion fabric contains Lycra. next, I overcasted and trimmed the selvages from the side edges. Then, I overcasted the bottom edges, attaching a fusible stabilizer tape with the fusible side out on the reverse side. The next step was attaching the ribbons to the public side of the front and back waist. Once all the overcasting was done, I set my serger for cover stitching. I folded the hem under and pressed to fuse using a Teflon press cloth. Then I used a wide cover stitch to finish the bottom edges. I cover stitched the side edges next, turning under as I serged. The final step was turning the ribbon to the inside and running two rows of cover stitch at the front and back waist. Done! Easy Peasy!
I have been doing less sewing and more thinking lately. I am good at doing up front planning at my job, so it surprises me that I have not really taken the same approach to dressing. I wonder what would happen if I take the same approach with choosing my clothing as I take with a project at work. Is it possible I can target specific things to sew which will result in clothes that I feel good wearing? Some days I get dressed and I feel great. I would start by defining goals, objectives and limits. Then I would take stock of my resources - my raw materials, building blocks, and basic elements. I would then go about asking, "How can I manipulate my resources in order to meet my goals?" I believe that all good designers manage limits well. I do this naturally at my job because I am well versed in the ways in which I can manipulate my resources. I can be very creative managing the limits which derive from my objectives because I have so much experience with the things I can do with my materials. This is where I think mastery comes from. How can I apply this to my sewing?
What do the masters do? They understand how to use the properties of raw materials - fabrics, buttons, zippers, trims, to create elements of design and style. They speak the language of clothing. What are the elements of style? What is the language of clothing? What are the limits and how are they managed? I have defined my message and my objectives, Now I need to derive my limits and use what I know about fabric to manage those limits. An example of a limit is the need to keep private parts private. A way to manage that limit is to use opacity and structure in those areas of a garment. Using my knowledge of fabrics and techniques, I can think of a few ways to create opacity - choose an opaque fabric, use a lining, use multiple layers or gathering, etc... But what do I know about style? About the language of clothing? What does a ruffle say to me? A sheer fabric? What says casual? What says professional? Does it depend on the type of garment - a jacket or a blouse or a skirt?
My wardrobe needs to meet different objectives for different activities. Therefore I am going to divide my wardrobe into capsules. I have a weekend capsule, sports capsules, and a work capsule. Since most of my time is spent in my work clothes, I will start with the work capsule. I need to define my objectives.
These are the thoughts that have been bouncing around in my brain. Hopefully, I will begin to figure out what I want to sew soon.
