I Miss the BURDA Fashion Website

I miss being able to look up BURDA technical drawings and fashion images on line. I have been a member of Burda Style for some time, but I never preferred it to the Burda Fashion site. While nothing can substitute for holding the magazine in my hands, I prefer to browse electronically sometimes, especially when I have a specific design in mind. I am so bummed out.

Duplicating Menswear Construction Technique on my Waistband

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.

One thing I had not previously noticed about the construction is that the interfacing is sewn to the top of the waistband facing and waistband, but it hangs free at the bottom, enclosed in a bias cut single folded binding. A second bias folded layer behind it is sewn to the waistband at the bottom. It is stitched from the public side in the ditch where the waistband attaches to the pants. The stitching goes through both layers of the second folded bias - the one without the interfacing enclosed. I think this allows the waistband to stretch a little at the bottom but be nice and stable up at the top without causing rippling. I am in the process of constructing my own version of this interfaced waistband facing using tie interfacing, twill tape, bias binding and rayon seam binding. I am using double folded bias binding ordered from zipperstop.com to duplicate the white fabric, rayon seam binding also ordered from zipperstop to make the piping, and twill tape in place of the branded ribbon on the RTW waistband. I ordered tie interfacing from Peggy Sagers at Silhouette Patterns for the interfacing. My hope is that if this waistband facing works well, I can make lots of it and cut it by the yard when I need to make a waistband. It never occurred to me to face a shaped contoured waistband with a straight rectangular facing cut on the bias, but I have a real life example that is well constructed and lies nicely on the body.

Copying RTW Pants

This is what the waistband of the pants looks like. You will notice one leg is missing from the pants. I cut that off to use as my pattern. 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:

• cut all pattern pieces
  
• overcast all edges
  
• apply interfacing to fly pieces and waistband pieces
  
• stitch darts in back pieces
  
• sew pant legs together along inseam and outseams
  
• sew crotch seam from center back to just below zipper in front
  
• make fly front zipper assembly
  
• insert zipper assembly
  
• make waistband interfacing and facing assembly
  
• sew interfaced fashion fabric waistband pieces together at center back
  
• attach fashion fabric waistband to top of pants
  
• try on and adjust fit of waistband at center back
  
• mark locations for hooks and eyes and inside button on waistband
  
• attach waistband interfacing and facing assembly to top edge of waistband
  
• fasten hooks and button on facing side of front waistband extension
  
• sew eyes on underlapped side of waistband
  
• fold waistband to inside of pants
  
• sew free edge of waistband facing to inside by stitching in the ditch from right side
  
• sew buttonhole on underlapped side of waistband

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?