lowering the crotch

[lightsaber]

Is it possible to alter a pair of trousers by having the crotch lowered, so that there will be a higher rise and the waistband will sit about an inch higher?

Feasible alteration job or impossible?

 

[A Guy from Shanghai]

I am no tailor...but usually there is little/no extra material in the crotch area to be let out.

 

[lightsaber]

Originally Posted by A Guy from Shanghai

I am no tailor...but usually there is little/no extra material in the crotch area to be let out.
It's not necessarily a question of letting the fabric out. It could involve opening the seams and reconnecting them at a lower point, cutting off the excess fabric. As a comparison, I know that tailors can alter the armpits on a jacket by lowering them, but they can't raise them, because there would be no fabric to work with. It might be counter-intuitive but if you ponder it for a moment it makes sense. My fear is that with trousers, lowering the crotch would make them too tight around the seat... but my knowledge doesn't extend that far... anyone know if that's true?

 

[Despos]

I did this alteration on half a dozen trousers recently.
I let out all the cloth in the crotch. There was 3/4 to 1" outlet on all the trousers. Starting just below the zipper I deepened the seam about 3/4" and shaped it up into the seat area. The trousers all had to be lengthened too. I have never deepened the crotch more than this, so I do not know what the limit is and still be successful.

 

[bbigsby]

I have this same problem on my yet to be altered suit (9 inch rise). My tailor suggested adding a gusset which essentially adds to the front rise. It may work only if you have extra matching material. My pants have a few inches of extra length so I may go this route. We'll see how it works out.

 

[Despos]

The gusset makes the crotch wider but the seam has to be deepened to make the rise higher.

 

[lightsaber]

Originally Posted by Despos

The gusset makes the crotch wider but the seam has to be deepened to make the rise higher.
I just looked up "gusset", and now that I think I have some idea of what it is, wouldn't a gusset make it possible to deepen the seam if there's no fabric to let out? (Please understand that I realize I probably have no idea what I'm talking about

).

 

[Despos]

You can deepen the seam without letting out anything. It helps to let out whatever cloth there is in the crotch because it adds length to the back rise and makes the seat looser. Just letting out the crotch will not make the rise longer which is the original idea.

 

[lightsaber]

Originally Posted by Despos

You can deepen the seam without letting out anything. It helps to let out whatever cloth there is in the crotch because it adds length to the back rise and makes the seat looser. Just letting out the crotch will not make the rise longer which is the original idea.

Yes, my worry was that if you deepened the seem without having much to let out, the seat would become tighter and possibly uncomfortable. Might this "gusset" thing not help to alleviate that problem?

 

[Despos]

Depends on how the trouser fits. Deepening the crotch will not make the seat tight if it fits well now. If the seat is tight and you have no outlet, adding a crotch piece ( better term than gusset) will help.

Watch your vocabulary. It is better to say you want a higher rise and need the crotch deepened than your original statement that you want the crotch lowered. Lowered would more commonly be interpreted as lowering the waistband to shorten the rise.
Gusset is a more familiar term to ladies tailoring. Adding a crotch piece will be more familiar to tailors. Maybe you are using a seamstress.

 

[Hard2Fit]

Yes.

 

[bbigsby]

Thank You Mr. Despos for clearing things up for us. I did talk to a seamstress initially. That's when I first heard the term gusset. I will keep the term "crotch piece" mind when I talk to the men's store tailor.

If all I need is more rise in the front and I have rise to spare in the back, can I borrow from the back and add to the front? Will this give me more rise in the front?

My basic problem is when I lift my trousers to the right height, the crotch point becomes too high/tight.