A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting - Trouser Block

1. A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting
Trouser Block

2. Trouser Block

3. Waistline
around
‘belly button’
Hipline
20cm under
waistline
Length
Waistline
To
Ankle
Measurements
Required
Crutch Line
7cm under
hipline
Thigh
measurement
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

4. EASE = Ease of movement
When creating patterns you need
to add EASE into actual body
measurements so you can move
in the garment
BUST LINE = 4cm
(BREATHING)
WAIST LINE = 2cm
(EATING)
HIP LINE = 4cm
(SITTING) THIGH =
4cm
(MOVING)
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

5. Equipment
Pattern paper, ruler with a straight and curved edge
Pencil, (rubber)
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

6. Begin with drawing a grid.
CB line, waistline , hipline
and knee line.
Measure your whole leg
length from waistline and
continue the CB line down
to the hemline
Continue line down to
leg length to obtain the
hemline
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

7. Trace back skirt block
onto the grid.
Trace front skirt block,
aligned at the hipline,
knee line and
hemline.
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

8. Draw the Crutch Line.
7cm under the hip line CONTINUE line past the CB and CF
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

9. Trousers from a Skirt Block
A skirt flows down the sides of your body,
where as trousers going between your
legs need to have an extension down the
centre of the block to create the inside leg
seams.
This is added at the Crutch Line.
Measurement is obtained by measuring
your THIGH.
Small Thigh - big space between legs =
small measurement. This needs less
extension.
Big Thigh - small space between legs =
larger measurement. This needs a longer
extension at the crutch line.
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

10. Hipline
Crutch Line
To make trousers you need to extend the crutch
line to be your thigh measurement plus ease of
movement.
This creates the curved crutch seams, and inside
leg seams.
The inside leg of trousers sits towards the BACK
and never in the centre of your body on trousers.
2/3rd are at the back and 1/3rd at the front
Divide your hip measurement in half
THIGH MINUS HALF HIP = total extension
of crutch line required to fit your leg.
2/3rd back leg extension PLUS 2cm ease
1/3rd front leg extension PLUS 2cm ease
EXAMPLE
HIP 90cm/2 = 45cm
THIGH 51cm
51-45cm = 6cm
BACK = 4cm +2cm ease = 6cm
FRONT = 2cm + 2cm ease = 4cm
C
B
C
F
CRUTCH
LINE
Extension
Formula
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

11. Extend crutch line OUT from CF
Thigh Minus half hip = total extension of crutch line
FRONT = 1/3rd plus 2cm ease – Example shows 4cm
FRONT LEG
Join crutch line extension to the
hipline with a deep curve
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

12. FRONT INSIDE LEG SEAM
Join crutch line extension down
to knee line. Curve inwards
MINUS 1cm at knee line
position.
Take this minus 1cm down to
the hemline.
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

13. BACK INSIDE LEG
Extend crutch line OUT from CB
Thigh Minus half hip = total
extension of crutch line
BACK = 2/3rd plus 2cm ease
Example shows 6cm
DEEP curve
inwards, minus
1cm at knee line
Continue straight
down to hemline.
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

14. You now need to
displace the top of the
back skirt to add in
room for your bottom.
DRAW A LINE UP from
the hipline at the CB.
NO change at the side
seam.
Add around 3-4cm,
depending on how
much your bottom
protrudes outwards.
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

15. Place the skirt block on
the NEW line and
re-draw the top,
including the dart
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

16. RED line shows
new top back of
the trousers
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

17. SMOOTH the side seam by
extending 2-3MM’s at the
hipline to make it straight
down, connecting to the
crutch line.
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

18. CENTRE BACK CRUTCH LINE
Join the crutch line extension point
to the new displaced top of the back
with a deep curve.
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

19. SIDE SEAM
Minus 1cm at knee line on the side seam,
back and front.
Take the line down parallel to the
hemline. Reducing inside and outside leg
seams at knee line down to hemline.
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

20. TROUSERS FROM
A SKIRT BLOCK
RED dotted line is original
skirt block
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

21. Cut out finished skirt block
FITTING SAMPLE
Add 1cm seam allowance
around:
CB and CF crutch lines
Inside leg seams, back and
front
Outside leg seam, front and
back
NO NEED waistline or
hemline for a fitting sample
Add NOTCH Marks – two at
CB, hipline, knee line and
zipper notch 2cm above HL
at side seam.
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

22. Cut out trouser block fitting
sample.
Fold fabric in HALF, align
selvedge (natural edge) together
against the edge of a table.
The bottom is where the fabric
was cut in the shop.
WEIGHT down or use pins to cut.
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

23. Cut into notches 2-3mm which
will help you sew.
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

24. Mark darts in for sewing,
a pencil mark or use a pin
at the bottom of the dart.
Or if you are new to
sewing draw the dart line
lightly with a pencil to
help you sew.
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

25. 1. Sew all 4 darts
2. Sew CB crutch seam together
3. Sew CF crutch seam together
4. Sew outside leg LEFT side seam
from UNDER the zipper notch
down to the hem
5. Sew right left outside leg seam
together
6. Sew inside leg seams to finish
trouser fitting sample 
LEFT outside leg seam
is left open at the top
where the zipper goes
for fitting purposes
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

26. Try trouser sample on.
Front Darts = should sit comfortably
around your stomach
Thigh – bend your legs, there should be
enough ease of movement but not too big.
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

27. Back trousers should reach the waistline and fit
around your bottom
Back darts should stop at the top curve of your
bottom.
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

28. If the trousers do not fit over
your bottom nicely adjust
the amount you added in at
the back hipline.
Too small = add more
Too big = remove
If trousers are too big or too
small at hipline and
waistline adjust at the side
seam. You can also reduce
or add to the dart width for a
perfect fit.
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

29. FINISHED TROUSER BLOCK
Confirm your block onto card for repeated used. Sample above
shows the knee and hem lengths quoted on it also.
A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting:Trouser Block

30. A Technical Foundation, Women’s Wear Pattern Cutting
· ISBN-10: 1849634718
· ISBN-13: 978-1849634717
Concept to Creation; The Design Process
· ISBN-10: 1849635730
· ISBN-13: 978-1849635738
A Technical Foundation - Menswear Pattern Cutting
· ISBN-10: 1784551236
· ISBN-13: 978-1784551230