Welcome to Drafting Trousers of the 1860s
Have you been satisfied with the fit of commercial patterns? Maybe they are close, yet something – the inseam, the seat, or the waistband – is not quite right. Most patterns are either drafted from modern-style block patterns, and altered to look period, or they are taken from period patterns and graded to your size. The problem with either of these is that they are either made to somewhat fit a wide variety of people, or were made to fit one individual who lived in the 1860s, and the pattern was adjusted for other sized people living in our modern world. You are not like everyone else- each human body has a unique shape and proportion.
The solution to this problem of ill-fitting trousers is to learn how to draft your own. And in this guide, I will explain step-by-step how to do just that, based on a trouser draft from The Handbook of Practical Cutting, by Louis Devere, 1866. This is a great drafting manual, but it can be difficult to grasp all of the concepts without a lot of experimentation and trial and error. Hopefully this short guide will give you some confidence and knowledge to continue drafting.
We will be learning how to draft what is called a Plain Cut trouser. These are not quite as fitted in the legs, leaving you with a style appropriate for the 1860s. If you get through this draft, the others in his book will be that much easier for you, and it is an easy matter to adjust the draft to other styles. Also included with this book are a set of Graduated Rulers. You should print out the sizes you need on a large format printer, such as at Staples or other print shops. I’ll teach you how to use the rulers throughout the course of these lessons. And for your convenience, there are also Trouser Drafting Spreadsheets, for aiding those who don’t wish to use the graduated rulers.
Supplies
- Paper
- Pencils
- Eraser
- Quilter’s Ruler
- Hip Curve*
- Tailor’s Square*
- Half Scale Tailor’s Square*
- French Curves*
- Flexible Ruler*
- Measuring Tape
- Paper Scissors
- Seam Gauge
- Pattern Tracer*
- Muslin Fabric 2 – 3 yards
*Optional
Downloads
Trouser Drafting – Spreadsheets