Wow… I just finished watching entire series. I watched someone on RU-vid mention the TDCO method, and she was so excited to get a fitted pair of pants, so I found someone else and watched their process of the method - same result, well fitting pants. Your description and demonstration from beginning to end is excellent, and the precision of your instruction is SO INSIGHTFUL. All I wear are jeans or pants, and I have attempted sewing a few pairs; however, the traditional approach to fitting left me a bit discouraged with my results. This method and your explanation give me new hope to sew my own jeans and pants! Thank you so much for making the effort and giving to the home sewing community the way that you have done here.
I never considered that the shape of the yoke and the upper part of the pant leg pattern piece created a dart for shaping. I personally do not yearn to make a pair of jeans, but I do have a pants pattern with a yoke to toile in this method. As always, thank you very much.
Wow, Stacey! Just finished watching your entire TDCO series, and thank you SO much for all the work (not to mention clarity) that went into this. I made my first pair of jeans over 20 years ago, by copying a RTW pair, and I have been adjusting and messing with them ever since, but not with real knowledge about fitting, and not with the understanding of designer's intent that I have now. Can't wait to get going on my latest pair! And then maybe I can even tackle trousers. Again, thank you.
Okay, you are amazing! I love the TDCO method, and it’s been working great for me, so far, but I’ve been rolling around in my head just how to make it work for jeans fitting. As soon as you said waistband then back yoke, a light went on for me. Thank you for this. It’s all making sense now!!! ❤️
Thank you so much for this wonderful, high-quality tutorial. This technique (and your series) is a game-changer! You are an excellent teacher. Thanks again!
Glad you enjoyed watching! This is the Brunswick pullover from HeyJune Handmade. I have an Instagram post with some fit details here: instagram.com/p/CLtAOb9lhho/
I have thoroughly enjoyed your series on this method of pants fitting. You explained it so well. I know I will be successful now with making pants. Thank you!
omg I was literally thinking about this and opened youtube to see you had made a video about it!! crazy coincidence and also you're amazing cause that's what I needed to know
Thank you for this video. I can’t wAit for your blog post because I’m curious how the top of the side seam looks given that it’s drafted to be straight for the selvedge denim and if you added shaping and curved the side seam or kept it straight. Or if and how the curved yoke managed that and allowed the selvedge to go all the way up to the front waist and the yoke. Your videos are amazing and so helpful. Thank you again.
Thanks so much for this very good video! I had struggled with a yoke recently when experimenting with TDCO and did the extension above the yoke. Although it ultimately turned out, next time I will definitely use your strategy!
Thanks so much for the comments at the end about denim. I have been overthinking the drag lines on the Style Arc Blakely jeans I've made. Can't wait to try this method of fitting.
I'm glad it's helpful! It's really easy to overthink fit on a pair of jeans, there are so few fitting resources for jeans that acknowledge their unique fit and drafting compared to slacks or trousers. It took me a while to realize that a few drag lines on a pair of jeans can actually mean a very well-designed and comfortable garment. Enjoy your jeans making!
Yokes have been the bane of my existence. I have the flattest seat ever. Pants with yokes are creating a shape I do not need or want. Not only is my butt not bigger than my waist, it's actually smaller. What would be the best way to remove that shaping from a jeans pattern? It seems from watching this video that it's the upper seam on the yoke that is actually creating the dimension. If the yoke piece were horizontal on top instead of being an angle, the design lines of the yoke would still be in the final pattern, but the "dart" would be gone.
It depends on the pattern. Some yokes have a lot of shaping and curvature, and some have less and are more "flat". Some jeans patterns put more shaping for the seat into the side seam around the hip, curving the side seam more on the back leg piece than the front. My best advice would be to experiment with a few different changes and see what works best on your body, it's likely that different patterns will call for different modifications. A few things I'd look at when fitting are: 1) whether the waistband + yoke alone (without the pant leg attached) lay flat against the body, if not, then I would adjust the curvature of the yoke and/or the waistband, 2) whether the seam line where the yoke meets the pant leg creates a dart -- some patterns add shaping here and some do not, 3) whether there is more curvature in the side seam on the back leg piece compared to the front -- if so, you may find that adjusting/reducing the curvature on the back leg piece can help.
Thank you for this! I’ve intently watched all your TDCO videos! Are you familiar with the Itch to Stitch Mountain View Jeans? They are pull-ons with a yoke plus a wide stretchy waistband (kind of like a yoga waistband) that has elastic at the top. Would you do anything differently with that for TDCO fitting?
I haven't looked at that pattern in depth, but I'd probably make a two-legged toile for anything designed for very stretchy fabrics. For patterns designed for stretch fabrics and negative ease, a one-legged toile can be more challenging to interpret for fit since the center front and center back may pull away from your center and toward your side. A two legged toile will help you keep the centers aligned with your body -- but you could still follow the same order of operations to fit the waistband, then the yoke, then add extra fabric to the top and sides of the legs and fit those. I would be careful to try and pin evenly on both sides of the body, or one could average the changes made to both sides of the body if super accurate pinning is not possible.
Hi Stacey, your videos are fabulous. So helpful and easy to follow and absorb. Thank you so much for the effort you put into them. I am just about to make a pair of harlene overalls (which is how i came to find you). However, the link to your Instagram doesn't seem to work? Have you closed or mived your account? Either way, i wanted to ask you what advice you have fir TDCO fitting a dungaree pattern where the waist band is not fitted. Im thinking hould i just construct some straps to hang the waistband from, but i would welcome your thoughts. Thank you!
Glad you are enjoying the videos! Yes, for a dungaree pattern, I think you have the right idea. I might even go ahead and fit the top part first (straps and bib), adjusting the straps and length of the bib so that the waist seam line is where you want it to be on your torso. Then you can use that upper portion as your "waistband", and pin the half toile to it. My instagram hasn't moved or become private, so I'm not sure why it's not showing up for you, but thanks for the heads up! I will look into it.
Thank you so much for this series! It is so helpful! I was wondering if you had any plans to add TDCO for stretch jeans or for a pants pattern that does not have a side seam like the persephone?
I hope to do more videos on those topics! In the meantime, for stretch jeans/pants that have negative ease, you would want to make a full toile (two legs) but otherwise you can follow TDCO exactly the same as you would for a non-stretch pattern. If you make a one-legged toile for a pattern with negative ease, then the center front and center back will pull away from your center toward your sides, and you won't be able to assess the fit easily. For pants with no side seams, you can introduce a straight side seam for the fitting -- cut your pang leg in half approximately where the side seam would be, add your extra fabric along the side seam according to TDCO, then fit. if you need to add or remove fabric from the side seam, do so evenly all along that seam from waist to hem, then transfer those changes to the pattern pieces and tape the front and back back together to create one piece. Keep in mind that patterns with straight side seams or no side seams are more limited in terms of the kinds of fitting adjustments you can make, so I would recommend starting with a pattern that has some shaping in the side seam if you are new to TDCO, and then work up to some of the more specialized designs like Persephone.
For negative ease: you will need a modified approach for fitting. For these types of patterns, I would recommend making a full, two-legged toile. The reason for using a full toile instead of a half toile for stretch fabrics is because of that negative ease. In a half toile with negative ease, you will see that the center seam pulls away from your center, making the fit very difficult to assess properly. With a full toile, you can follow the same workflow for Top Down Center Out (first fit the waistband, then adjust the crotch length, then work out to the sides, etc) but instead of adjusting one half of the pant, you adjust both left and right sides of the toile together to keep the center seam aligned with your center. My advice would be to do your best to pin fabric equally on the left and right sides, especially when handling the side seam. If you find that you have discrepancies between left and right sides, you can decide whether go with the largest or smallest change, or take the average (e.g. I added 1/2" of fabric to the left side seam but 3/4" to the right side seam so I'll average and add 5/8" to both left and right). For a princess seam: I usually treat a princess seam on a pair of pants the same way that I would a side seam. For example, the Pietra pants by Closet Core or the Clyde pants by Elizabeth Suzann. Both of these patterns has a side seam as well as a vertical seam running along the front and back of the leg. Each vertical seam is an opportunity for shaping and customizing the fit of the leg, and these seams will usually behave like darts, so it's important to be able to adjust them during fitting. I add extra fabric to each seam to give myself as many options as possible when fitting. It's up to you how to add the extra fabric: I usually add up to 1 inch of extra fabric to every vertical seam allowance to give myself the most fitting options to play around with, but you may prefer to add a little less to the princess seams (e.g. add the typical 1-2 inches to the side seam but only 1/2 inch to each princess seam allowance) to make these seams a little easier to work with when the toile is on your body. Feel free to experiment and find the strategy that works best for you!
Can I ask, do you put your toile on inside out? If so, when it’s turned right side out won’t it be on the other leg? Maybe I’m overthinking that 😜 thanks
Yes, I put my toile on inside out so that the seam allowances are easily accessible, however most people find it is easier to put the toile on right side out with seam allowances on the inside. Right side out will give you a better visual and it is easier to see what the final garment will look like, wrong side out gives you slightly easier access to the side seam allowances for pinning, so it's really up to you. And yes, you are correct. The toile will be on the other leg when you flip it inside out, but for the most part, it does not matter what side of the body one chooses to fit. I usually end up putting the toile on wrong side out first to fit, then once I've basted my changes and flipped it to right side out, I try it on again. So I see the toile on both sides of the body during the course of one fitting. Minor anatomical differences between left and right sides can be averaged, although if the maker has a significant anatomical difference from left to right side, then one may want to be more intentional about which side of the body to focus on for fitting.
