Trouser order of construction

[Futura]

At what stage during the construction of trousers would ironwork be completed?

Jane Rhinehart states that overcasting the edges is the very first step, but I can't find any mentions of shrinking or stretching in her book. A few other books also state to hand overcast or machine zigzag immediately after cutting out, before any other work is completed. I would have thought that a zigzag finish could act almost as stay stitching and thus impair shaping of the cloth.

Mind, I'm currently working with a poly/cotton twill that responds only to ironwork if stretched on the bias! I have dropped the back fork by 3/8", which stretches to match the front inseam most easily. I had intended on finishing the edges after the seams were sewn up, but merely stretching the back inseam and handling the cut pieces has caused a great deal of fraying.

On the subject of synthetics, I have seen in home sewing sources from the 1960s & 1970s a way of shaping the legs. The front leg is stretched 1/4" to 1/2", from 3" above the knee to 3" above the hem. The excess length gained is then evenly trimmed across the hem, and the crease is swung forwards to follow the leg contours better. I first saw this in a book by Else' Tyroler. This is another such publication with similar instructions:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi%3Farticle%3D4934%26context%3Dextensionhist&ved=2ahUKEwiGhvelxvHhAhX_IzQIHRSZCc8QFjAKegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw0UKPDjRiPnigxgn6JQ2l5b

I wonder how well this would work?

(I am terribly behind answering the replies to my previous questions. Apologies for that and thanks to everyone as always!  )

[Schneiderfrei]

Overcasting first, to save the edges from fraying. I don't think that it affects shaping too much.

Rhinehart doesn't discuss iron work, so those trousers will always be a little floppy.  In fact, I think her trousers are not very tight, so they would not need much ironwork, but if you do some ironwork on them it would improve things.

Polycotton cannot be properly ironed. It wouldn't hold its form anyway, like wool does.

Interesting booklet. I can't comment on that method.

G

[posaune]

Futura
I attach 2 pics of mine which show the dressur be it Ladies or Gents trousers. You shouldn't do only the front because the most curvation is mostly in the back. Notice how the iron is pushed. Almost that it is in the bias of the fabric.
The xxxx are where you stretch and the ~~~ (blue) where you shrink.
lg
posaune

[JM MacLachlan]

in a nutshell... more or less
1. baste in crutch reinforcement or 1/2 lining, baste in any reinforcement
2. overlock
3. iron work/shaping
4. darts, pleats etc
5. pockets
6. flys
7. sew up side seams
8. sew on waistband (belt loops, side adjusters etc)
9. baste in curtains (unless using premade waisband/curtain), fly linings, tact down pocket tops etc
10. sew two halves together starting at fly notch
11. press closing seam
12 put in waistband lining
13 final press

lots of details missing but pretty much the highlights the resume of steps

[Futura]

Thanks so much everyone! Your help is very much appreciated!

On the next pair I'll overcast the edges immediately after cutting out. I might experiment with using a different machine zigzag pattern.

I say ironwork with a grain of salt. I decided to try the method of stretching the fronts and cutting off the difference. I managed to stretch and trim a good 3/8" off, much more than I expected. We'll see how well that works. The legs actually do have a bit of a shape to them now.

[JM MacLachlan]

"method of stretching the fronts and cutting off the difference"

eh? 

[Futura]

Yes, a few home sewing resources from the 60's and 70's suggested stretching the fronts from the knee to the hem and then trimming away the amount stretched. The crease would then be swung forwards to shape the leg to fit the calf (in theory!). I can only imagine that this was an attempt at imparting some shaping into the legs, considering the prevalence of synthetics then! I'm most curious to see the result on my poly/cotton test.

[Futura]

It looks like Else' Tyroler had actually patented that method:

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/f3/ab/bd/8e26d1cd0fa26e/US3143741.pdf

"Further, the present invention has been found to be particularly advantageous in the construction of women's trousers from elastic or semi-elastic materials now common to the art known as stretch materials. The presently preferred embodiment of the present invention will accordingly be described in connection with the construction of a pair of women's trousers from such material."

Double knit polyester springs to mind. Oddly, the book written by Tyroler does not specifically mention stretch materials, but it does detail this method. I think her early 1970s sewing patterns for non-stretch pants also used it.

[Schneiderfrei]

The ironwork method is designed to add cloth where it is needed and shrink cloth for the same reason.

All the drafts are drawn up that way. That extra cloth is supposed to be there.

[Futura]

Yes - I suspect removing the "extra" cloth will cause problems with distortion!

[JM MacLachlan]

indeed, what schneiderfrei states. When I shape trousers (I am a trouser maker by trade). I believe in newtons 3rd law. for every stretch, there is a shrink and have no problems with balance marks matching. This also allows the shaping to be "locked" in the sewing. I see removing material an easy way for the balances to be changed, thus increasing the probability of of legs twisting.

But hey, if you can make it work, thats all that matters.