Making a pattern from ready-to-wear

OK that pants photo I just posted is hilarious, and possibly more of an expression of my optimism than anything else. You will have to leave the finding a decent pair to copy with me.

My first method up for testing is the one Jean Haas described in Threads issue number 120

The steps are:

1. Find a pair of pants to copy and turn them inside out.

2. Using masking or duct tape cut into 1 - 1 1/2" pieces stick the tape up close and along the seam allowances of the pattern piece (the copy will be without seam allowances which will be added, along with waistbands and hems). Jean calls this "outlining the seams."

3. Fill in the body of the pattern piece with horizontal pieces of tape.

4. Pull an elastic waistband open to cover if necessary, she suggests stretching it over an ironing board.

5. Slowly pull the tape shape off the garment.

6. To trace a dart, put on the pants, stick the shape to your body or a dress form and draw a line along the dart stitching line (the shape will curve over your body). When you slash along this line and lay the pattern flat the dart will spread. I will see how this works out, I can anticipate getting my taped shape all stuck together, this is one step that requires serious testing.

7. Tape the taped shape, sticky side up to a table.

8. Carefully roll paper over the taped shape.

9. Add hem, seam allowances and waistband facts to the resultant paper pattern.

10. Add grainlines and notches.

I will probably not get time to actually do this for a couple of days, but there is the theory. What do you think?