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Flaring Legs on Pant Patterns
Susan Wigley, Paragon Patterns

Altering pant patterns can be intimidating. If you don't do it correctly the legs will twist and won't hang properly; however, if you understand the basics it's really quite simple. I'll show you an easy method that I have used for years and works well for me every time.

 The first thing you need to do is decide how much you want to flare the width of the leg, then divide that amount in half. For example, if you want to flare the pant leg by 3" when it's flat (not all the way around), you would measure out 1 1/2" on each side of the leg. Make sure you do the same thing on both the front and back pattern pieces, then plot points for the new seam lines (sketch a).

Now determine where the knee is by folding the leg up from the hem to the crotch line, where the top of the leg intersects with the rise. Match the grainline and mark the fold on the inseam and outseam and draw a line for the knee (sketch b).

 Now plot a point two inches above the knee on the inseams and outseams on both the front and back legs. Blend the new seam lines into the existing inseams and outseams to the points you marked above the knee (sketch c).

 The same method works for narrowing the legs too. If you want to make a tapered hem, you would decrease equal amounts to each side of the front and back legs instead of increasing them. You have just learned an easy technique for altering pant patterns. That's all there is to it!

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