u/Educational_Chain780

More pictures here:

https://imgur.com/a/NnR7Etc

Hi everyone,

Thought you might appreciate this piece of technical and personal history. These are photos and clips from a handwritten patternmaking notebook that belonged to my grandmother, Naima, dated 1943 in Iraq.

The notebook features drafting instructions written in Arabic, structural diagrams, and miniature paper toile made from kraft paper. The flaps are functional, you can lift them.

My grandmother was part of the Iraqi Jewish community. Following the establishment of Israel in 1948, the political situation for Jews in Iraq deteriorated rapidly, leading to systemic persecution, loss of citizenship, and the freezing of assets. Between 1950 and 1951, the vast majority of Iraqi Jews fled the country via airlift. The Iraqi government legally barred emigrants from taking wealth, property, or valuables, and each person was strictly limited to just one suitcase and a minimal amount of cash.

With her assets confiscated and her life packed into a single suitcase, she chose to use a portion of that limited space for this notebook, which represented her education and her trade.

It looks very interesting but I couldn't find any information about it or pictures. It looks like it's aimed at college students.

Trousers are categorized by their hem width, which serves as a general guideline for the overall geometry and fit (Hofenbitzer):

Slim-fit trousers (32–40 cm hem): Require a more diagonal (smaller) seat angle to compensate for a reduced extension and add necessary vertical length for movement.

Standard trousers (40–48 cm hem): Utilize a moderate seat angle and extension to maintain a balanced, classic baseline fit.

Wide-leg trousers (48–56 cm hem): Use a more vertical (larger) seat angle to shorten the seat seam, preventing "saggy" excess fabric while allowing the legs to fall freely.

These are only primarily guidelines. for instance, Bootcut trousers feature a slim fit through the thigh but a wider hem due to the flare starting from the knee.

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The core principle here is the connection between the Buttocks Angle and the width of the trouser leg.

As the leg becomes narrower and the style gets tighter, the angle of the center back seam becomes more slanted, and the seat length becomes longer.

Essentially, because the fabric is closer to the body, the pattern needs to "reach" further under the seat to follow the actual anatomy. In a very wide trouser skirt, the angle is almost a perfect 90 degrees because the fabric just hangs vertically.

This is very similar to the adjustments for a "flat butt" or a "full butt," but this principle also applies to the style of the trousers you are choosing to draft. The silhouette itself dictates how this angle should behave, regardless of the specific body shape.

I’m curious to know who works with this principle during the initial drafting stage? Do you find that your drafting system accounts for this angle relative to the style you're making, or is it something you usually only adjust later during a fitting?

I've used the book Fundamental menswear

Added a waistband and took 2 cm off the waist at the top to account for it. They feel very comfy, no problem sitting down or squatting, yet they have a certain sleekness to them . I'm now going to try and develop them into a jeans pattern with the instructions from Hofenbitzer's book.

Hi just wanted to share this pants toile I made according to Hofenbitzer's book.

I didn't do any alterations yet but I think it's already looking pretty good. Would love to hear your thoughts.

I will probably add a waistband so see how it is with one. And later I want to develop a jeans pattern from it, and also some wide casual pants.