Pluderhosen

I found another site that gives written instructions for making pluderhosen. Tempus' Sewing & Garb Accessories: Making Fancy Pants . Here are the instructions for your edification... [Eventually I'll make a pair for my husband and see how they work and I did not include any of his drawings.]

Fancy pants come, or came, in all shapes and sizes. from brases to "pumpkin pants" and Pluderhosen which are my favorites.

How I Make Fancy Pants

I've come up with a method of making fancy pants, which I really like. Pants patturns have a few important curves to get a good fit in the crotch, which leaves most of the rest of the pants flate.

The big help with this method is that you sew most of your pants when they are flat, you make each pant (leg) seperatly and flat then combine them forming the round pants we all know and love.

1) We start with our regular Pants Patturn, use a patturn you know well and like the fit. You will only need the inseam and front and back parts of the patturn. so make copies of those parts

2) back parts of the pant patturn, this is the important part because it has the cuves that make the pants fit around your bum. The part with the long bias cut the forms the seam up thet center back, this is vary important to thet overall fit and comfort

3) front parts and these are the parts that have the cruves fitting your front and will make a good fly that will fit well. At this point you can sew all the front stuff while it is still small and flat and easy to work with. If there is only one layer or your pants aren't too complex the front and back parts don't have to be seperate peices.

4) fly sewing them together as you would for your normal zipper fly or as a lace-up fly, what ever you like. Sew the two front parts and compleat them so that the fly is finished. leaving a littl of the botom of the crotch seam open for when you will finish the crotch and add a gusset or not. Once you have finished the fly you get to deside on some kind of codpeice

5) The linning you will need outer layers iner layers and lining which can all be cut or torn in rectangles this inner layer will support the outer layers and is ther for very imortant. the height at the back should be higher than the front, a few inches more than the sright edges of thet pant front and back parts respectivlly. Now if you are binding the bottom to your knees the linning may not be needed at all, because the kneeband will support the rest of the pant.

6) now prepare the outer fabric this can be of just about anything you want and it can be mostlly in rectangular shape. the more the better, I usualy arange selviges to sew them together. and remember that the back should be higher than the front, the difference should be twice that of the linning

7) I like to have Pockets in my pants so I usually sew them in at this point however you would add a slit pocket or best and easiest if you can arrange for a seam just slip the pocket in the top of a side seam.

8) Panes are strips of fabric ornamented or not, ussually they appear to be holding in outer fabric looking like its trying to pore out. These can be made individualky or as a very long peice and cut into all the panes you'll need. Sometimes I make them in three layers, a back and front and inside then slash the front to show the inside. But if it can be made of one peice I do because then I can hid the seam by pressing it to the back or under a trimimming material.

9) gather lining gather the top of the lining to half the waist size Gather the lengths of the front and back so that they are the same lenght as the srait edges of the coresponding front and back pieces

10) gather ouside fabric to the same sizes as the linning. There may be a lot of this fabric and gathering it may be a little triky, I have several handy hints on Gathering your Fabric, as well you may own a Ruffler Foot which can make very light work of this job.

11) assembly: at this point you lay out all the various layers in the position you want. remember it's all flat and you may have to be aware of big hips and such but it should be pretty easy to get all your components to line up. Consider that your panes don't have to go up and down they can be diagonal or across. Now sew them in place at the edges.

12) Once you attach to front & back parts to the leg assembly it starts to look like a pant patturn and almost done, and you've done all this while it was flat and in small peices, easy to handel.

13) Now sew the back seam so you get a kind of tube

14) Then you can sew on the waistband, use whatever technech you like. I like to have a tab at both ends so I can put a bottonhole in each and then have a button inside for one end and outside for the other, good and safe that way

15) Sewing the crotch will give you a pair of pants, sew the legs closes (the inseams) and lastly the crotch. give the crotch seam a nice comfortable curve that fits snug. I find that if I cut the front and back parts a little narow I can add a gusset in the crotch (between the legs) which can easilly be replaced as it gets a lot of wear

16) Finish your Fancy Pants however you like, sew on your buttons the night before or on the way to an event. Sew on any kneebands or cuffs. finish any loose seams trim loose threads a nice shoe lace in the fly and whatever preporations for the codepeice you've chosen to go with.

17) Now wear them somewear, and have a nice day :o)