Time to try something new

Why can't Lynette find a roll of tape anywhere in this damn apartment? Because I've used it all on this monstrosity:

That's right, I've decided to make a garment from scratch. It was inevitable really, I couldn't buy stuff at thrift stores and then tailor it forever. Eventually I was bound to grow tired of the same corrections over and over again. Also, Boerne Texas can only have so many size 30-34 trousers and 40r jackets on its thrifty shelves.

But here's the thing: menswear patterns are few and far between. In fact, there is not a single store within 30 mins of my apartment that carries a mens pattern (Walmart has a unisex vest, but I don't feel like that should count). Isn't that sad?

Sure, there are not many men who are into sewing these days (certainly not in south Texas) but come on, don't women sew for the men in their lives too? I know that the internet has tons of shops that I can peruse, and that Crissy has a huge selection too, but that does me a fat-bit-of-good at 11:30pm (when I tend to do all my sewing).

So, in a moment of weakness, I turned to the world of pattern making software. Google had many a great review that talked up the pros and cons of various programs, but in the end I settled on Pattern Maker 7.

I chose it because it has a cool 30-day trial and lots of premade patterns for me to play with. Leena, who seems to have been the chief pattern designer for the program, has lots of tutorials and information about PM7 on her website. Granted, a bunch of it is currently over my head.

I plan to make a pair of trousers and a shirt to test how the program's tailored patterns fit, and if they are good, print out a huge stack of patterns for myself before the trial period expires.

This project also gives me an excuse to use the $2 set of red bedsheets I scored at the thrift store the other day, and this super awesome Christmas present from the greatest wife in the world, Lynette:

Yep, she never does anything half-assed (unlike me). Before I get to that, I need to cut out my pattern pieces. It was kind of a pain cutting around all the taped seams and edges, but much easier than tracing things first. +1 points for CAD sewing.

Seems pretty straight forward, except that I've never made any pants before. There is a brief set of instructions on Leena's site, but not enough to make me feel like I can assemble these in any sort of successful way. Fortunately, I have a plan.

I picked this Kwik sew #323 up at an estate sale a while ago. It's the wrong size (36-40) but but I intend to use it as an assembly reference tool. I can't imagine that there are many different ways to assemble a pair of trousers, but then again, I have no real idea what I'm doing here. What do you think? Is this a bad idea or should I be fine winging it?

Also what the hell is this?

This is part of the pattern, but I have no idea what it's supposed to be. Maybe a flap for the rear pocket? If you have any ideas, I'm all ears. Stay tuned to watch a slow motion train-wreck me slowly figure this out. Also a verdict on PM7's pattern library.