Comments on: Yet another pet peeve: Waistbands

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 12:44:56 +0000

When I make a skirt I prefer the contour waistband that is drafted with the skirt; an extension of the skirt. I have always found that it gives a much better fit and is the same size after washing. Now I know why. I never realized that the garment shrunk so much in the direction of the grain. I think I can use this knowledge to make a better fitting corset too.

By: eve

eve — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 17:50:07 +0000

thank you and thank you again for your site , and providing excellent standards for us to learn from . I have been using your tutorials that thoroughly cover every stage in sewing, helping avoid any glitch in the process.

keep up the good work!

By: Seth Meyeirnk-Griffin

Seth Meyeirnk-Griffin — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 17:14:48 +0000

FWIW: My instructors used “sloper” and “block” interchangably; You were correct, it is a basic shell. And yeah, I need to buy the book. I also need to find a Real Job so I can start paying back student loans. :/

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 14:37:00 +0000

So the question is: why isn’t a curved waistband used?

You’ve answered your own question, it’s allocation. If cutting even straight bands (as I’ve shown they should be) throws yield out of whack, curved bands will be even worse. Fwiw, I think that a true premium denim brand would use curved waistbands. I love them. Nothing fits better.

By: Seth Meyeirnk-Griffin

Seth Meyeirnk-Griffin — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 12:55:44 +0000

This is going to sound dumb, I’m quite sure, but here goes…

When I draft a sloper for a pair of jeans, I usually have two darts in in both the front and the back. Now, the directions that I use (because I am not nearly good enough to draft without following some basic directions) end up creating a sloper that places the waist at the natural waist; my aesthetic tastes find this reprehensible. I end up chopping off the top few inches of the sloper, making a muslin (usually in a cheap twill rather than muslin), adjusting my darts, crotch curve/extension, side seam, blah blah blah, and then altering my sloper accordingly. My finalized sloper usually ends up with two very small, short darts in the front (around .5″ total intake, between 1.25″ and 1.75″ long), and two larger/longer darts in the back. According to the way I learned, the sloper includes the waistband.

Now, manipulating the darts to create a yoke is a breeze. If I want a 1.5″ or 1.75″ waistband, I simply remove the upper 1.5-1.75″ of the sloper before I start working on the yoke. If I lay the pieces out that have been removed (the uppermost 1.5-1.75″), the ‘waistband’ is quite curved, a slightly flattened ‘C’ shape. According to pretty much every commercially available pair of slacks or jeans I can find, this is wrong; waistbands are straight. But my instinct says that a waistband should be distinctly curved in order to accurately fit the person wearing them.

So the question is: why isn’t a curved waistband used? Obviously it’s going to be more wasteful (waist-ful? ) in cutting. It’s also going to be less stable as if goes into the bias, but I would think that interfacing cut on the bias (so that the interfacing was on grain as the waistband was on bias) would stabilize it, as would the stitching along the top edge (…since the waistband is going to require two pieces instead of a folding a single piece).

FWIW, I’ve tried shaped waistbands for jeans, and they seem to work pretty well. I usually have them on-grain at the center-back.

By: Fashion Incubator » Pattern grainline notation

Fashion Incubator » Pattern grainline notation — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:58:20 +0000

[...] straight of grain because it is the most stable grain but that’s not necessarily true (no, it’s not). You lay pieces depending on desired [...]

By: andre

andre — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 05:48:59 +0000

It would seem this should also apply to collar stands and collars.

By: Eranda

Eranda — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 06:35:38 +0000

I learned this wonderful fact from a teacher named Laurel. It has absolutely changed the way I sew pants. Currently I am in love with a contoured waistband cut on the cross-grain. It creates a little stability AND some ease at the same time, even when fused. A great combination in a waistband.

By: Romy

Romy — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:35:28 +0000

The first time I cut a waistband grain-short like this was maybe 30 years ago because the pants were plaid and I didn’t like the way the two directions would have looked, when attached (not a bi-directional symmetry like tartans…) It was sort of a “with nap” idea that I had.

Never occurred to me at that time or since that fit might be different, since I always pre-wash fabrics. Yes, most wool yardage can be pre-washed if you are very careful and professional about it!

Contrary-wise, some commercially made pants (from the thrift store, used) fit me better than new ones — must be because after repeated washings the waists shrunk, having been too big for me to begin with, compared to hips. What a moment of clarity!

By: nutty one

nutty one — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:03:12 +0000

Thank you Kathleen. This is another one of your very smart ideas I am definitely going to try. I think this makes perfect sense and I am surprised that it is not talked about in other forums. One thing I like about this site is the real deal stuff that actually makes your clothes look and feel great.