Clown butt illustrated

Susan asked what the back pattern piece looked like once it had been clown butted.


Well here it is:

This probably looks messy to you, but to quote my niece that's how I roll, and this is an excellent alteration for a large, prominent rear end.


The thing is if your butt is clown like and prominent you have two problems. First you need enough fabric to go over it. That's why you need to add to the centre back crotch seam (I added 3/4" and cross-hatched it in case you missed it). Of course all the fabric you add for your prominent clown butt has no where to go afterwards which IMO is why we get those most annoying folds at the back of our legs under the butt shelf.


This alteration deals with both those issues.


1. Draw a line 3-4" down from the crotch point perpendicular to the hem in aways, exactly how far in doesn't really matter.


2. Do the same kind of line in the middle of the centre back crotch seam.


3. Join these to make a block you can move down.


4. Move it down.


5. In my case I moved it 3/4" which made a gap a.k.a. length in the back crotch length and also overlapped a.k.a. shortened the back leg inseam.


6. Ease the back leg seam into the front when you make your pants, it has steamed away to incognito in my gabardine.


I could have save myself a lifetime of about $20,000 of wasted pants fabric if I had known about this alteration years ago


On other completely unrelated news I saw The Help with my daughter and husband today. 


My daughter's friend emailed us a critique of it that I sort of agree with, but I still enjoyed the movie. There were some wonderful performances in it. 


Viola Davis for instance says far more with her face than any script could, and Octavia Spencer owned the screen when she was on it. I found the character of Skeeter more annoying in the film than the book, a little superfluous, almost, but then again it wasn't about her. Worth seeing though and despite a bit of Hollywood spin at the end it is always good to see fine acting and to see the stories of strong women told.


But I still can't get over the bridge crowd. Those girls needed jobs and a whole lot else.