Garment cutting in the twentieth century

by Günther F. Hertzer

General Remarks about Pants.

At the present time, the style of pants is loose at the knee, tapering smaller toward the bottom. Pants which are cut wide at the knee must start with extra width at the seat line, and said extra width must be well divided on both seams. All pants must fit the same at the seat line and above, and fashionable width at the knee must be started from the seat line downward. Dia. [XIX] represents a pants of the present style, and is made over a pattern of 38 seat, actual waist measure 33, and waist made up 34½; about 19½ knee, 18 bottom, and is for a rather small waist. Dia. [XX] represents a large waist, of about 50 inches, made up; but actual waist measure 47, and seat measure 46 inches; knee 22½, bottom 20½.

For extremely large waists, Dia. [XX] may be used, and that extra width allowed equal in front and on the side. On all large waists, the seat measure must be taken close, and the fork cut accordingly, no matter what the hip and the waist measure may be. The seat measure is the standard for the scale, and the large waist must be fitted according to the measure, the same as the length of the legs, or the width of the knee. Dia. [XXI] represents a pants of 39 seat, with a very high waist. The top of waist is made up 37 inches, but at the hollow of the waist it is only 36 inches.

The angle of 7½ deg. has the proper width for all pants, at the seat line, and in no case is a reduction, or an addition required there. Above the seat line, the hip and waist must be made according to the measure, and below, it must be made according to style and measure. As to the top of the side, it may be proper to remark here, that if the top of the side is too small for any pants, the fork balance will be destroyed, because the sides of the body will draw the fork upward, and will cause it to cut the crotch somewhere. The waist is one continuous surface all around and may feel tight all around, but if the crotch is pulled up by a small waist at the top of side, that will saw the crotch on one spot. Therefore I will repeat the true balance for the waist, on the angle of 7½ deg. Reduce the angle of 7½ deg.—from 6¾ upward, 15 deg. for back slope—from the top of the center line of the angle of 10 deg. go forward ⅛ of whole waist circumference, close measure; cut a gore of 1 inch in the center of the back; measure from the front to the side and from the back to the side, and if that gives too much waist, cut another small gore between the forepart and the back. But if the waist requires more than that, divide the addition required into 3 parts, and place 2 parts at the sides and 1 part in front. If the waist is higher than ¼ whole seat measure, run the gore in the back, out to nothing on top, as in Dia. [XXI], and the higher the waist is cut upward the more it must be cut like Dia. [XIII], both at the side and at the front. Working pants with the front cut clear up to the neck, must have the upper part of the front cut like Dia. [XIII], that is, sloped backward 15 deg. from the waist.

Dia. [XX] has 2 numbers thrown out in front and top of waist, and at line 8 it is 1⅞ while the double dress fork point has 4¼, which produces a good open cut for such pants. The point of the fork may be made ½ inch more or less for the same person, providing allowance or reduction at the point of the fork is run up and down, running out about 5 inches above the fork, and at, or below the knee. I know it is contended that a large-waisted form requires a larger fork in proportion to the seat measure, but this is not the case, as long as the hips and sides of waist have sufficient cloth. The thigh may grow in proportion to a larger seat, but it does not grow in proportion to a larger waist. Large-waisted persons have small seats in proportion to the normal form, and the proportion of the scale of the seat measure is large enough for all forms. That same result may be observed at the knee, and at the bottom; and to better express my ideas, I will say something about the diameter of the thigh, as well as the diameter of the knee and the ankle.

For the purpose of cutting pants, the leg may be considered a straight and round pole, but tapering at the lower end to about ½ of what it is on top. The thigh can be covered and fitted for modern pants, all seams included, if we allow it 4 times its diameter, close measure of the thigh, without compressing it. The circumference of a circle is equal to three and one thousand four hundred and sixteen ten thousandths (3.1416) times its diameter, which is so near to 3½ that we may call it so, at least for the purpose of cutting and fitting pants. Now, if 3½ diameters of the thigh will constitute the circle for the thigh, then that circle will fit the thigh skin tight, but if we allow 4 diameters, we have enough cloth to sew seams and a few inches beside for straddle and general looseness. If the diameter of the thigh were only 1 inch, 4 diameters, or 4 inches, would not give cloth enough to go all around, after 1 inch is used up for seams.

In cutting pants, we may say that a seat size of 36 inches is a medium size; and for the purpose of fitting such a thigh with a modern pants, we will call its actual diameter 6 inches; and its skin-tight circumference just 21 inches, and close investigation will show that this is a fair average. If we give such a pants 4 times 6 inches, and deduct 1 inch for all seams, we have 23 inches left to cover the thigh, which only measures 21 inches, and this would be plenty for the undress side. I do not say that a close-fitting undress side can not stand more than this, but I say it should have that much, and that 1 to 1½ inches more, evenly divided, will not make it too large for a fit, at least not for the present conception of a fit.

At the side of thigh, the angle of 7½ deg. is just ¼ of the whole net seat measure, which may be taken for a medium loose leg, but for a quite close fit, ⅛ to ¼ inch may be deducted, and for a quite loose fit, anything may be allowed there, which will make a nice slope for the seams. For a size 36 the angle of 2½ deg. has a width of 3 inches at the fork, and the double angle of 10 deg. requires double the amount of 4 times 3 inches, making in all 24 inches, to which is added 1¼ inches for the undress side, for extra straddle, and the bridge from one leg to the other, making it 13¼ inches in all for the half undress side.