We’ve talked about flat butts, we’ve talked about round butts, we’ve debated scooping on crotch curves, we’ve made rompers to show off your ‘assets’, we’ve talked about gender-affirming underwear that fits the bits you’ve got…now we want to hear from you!
What’s your lower-body fit challenge?
Here’s mine! (Warning: it’s a 💩 issue.)
I’ve written before about sewing to accommodate my insulin pump (I have type 1 diabetes), and having waistbands that are sturdy enough (but not so bulky that the pump can’t clip to them) is one of my personal requirements for both pants and underwear.
Unfortunately, I also have a condition called gastroparesis, which is a complication of that diabetes. It means I have nerve damage in my gut, so the nerves don’t trigger the internal muscles to move things through the digestive tract in the usual way. (Sometimes things don’t move through me at all, and sometimes things move through altogether too quickly. It’s hard to be delicate about describing this! The nerve damage is still fairly mild—some people with gastroparesis are on feeding tubes and struggle to get enough calories to survive, and I’m certainly far from that, at least for now.)
In terms of fitting pants, I definitely do have some challenges. As you can imagine, if you haven’t had a bowel movement in many days, you’re going to have pretty intense bloating. Even a slightly tight waistband can be enough to pretty much halt my digestion! Plus, if things are moving too quickly, then I need to be able to get those pants off in a hurry when I make it to the toilet, so fiddly buttons and zips are not my friends. In other words, I’m forever trying to find the perfect unicorn waistband and fit: sturdy enough to hold my insulin pump in place, but stretchy enough to accommodate bloating and to avoid triggering a flare-up by being too firm, and definitely easy to whip off quickly. There’s no one magic solution or perfect pattern so far, alas, so I rely on different pants on different days, and some days I resort to boxy dresses with no waistbands at all (and pockets for the pump)!
So, that’s me and my quest for the perfect waistband solution.
Tell us about your personal fit challenges when it comes to your butt—or your belly (since waistbands and crotch curves encompass the front as well as the back of the body)!
Anne leads the copy-editing team at the Sewcialists. She’s been diabetic for 22 years this month, and she’s been Gillian’s sister for a good deal longer than that. You can find her on Instagram here.
Thanks for sharing about your T1d journey. I have also been T1d for 39 years, no gastropareis but chronic constipation that messes with my waistband sizing. I normally wear dresses since I don’t have to worry about the waist: I made bike-length shorts underwear with pockets near the knees to hold my pump. When I do wear pants or shorts, I use the Iris or Pencil pant pattern that are for stable knits but I use a daft elastic in the waistband to give my pump a firm place to clip. However, sometimes either the pants or shorts are still too tight.😣
Thanks so much for those recommendations, and for sharing YOUR story too! Alas, I don’t fit the size range of either of those patterns, but my favourite RTW pants are similar to the Pencil style. And yes! Undershorts with pump pockets are a wardrobe essential for me in the summer too — I’ve even worn the shorts over top of tights in the winter, though double waistbands can start to mean too much compression. Anyway, I wish you good blood sugars and gastric comfort! 😄
I have been thinking that the jumpsuit, coverall, dungaree etc. craze is a great thing for not having anything tight around my waist. Some are more convenient than others for having to deal with during a bathroom break, but I’ve collected a variety of patterns to try out. Everything from the glamorous to the very utilitarian. Bibs to halter necks oh my 🙂
What fun! There’s definitely something to be said for one-piece dressing — not having to find something to coordinate is a major plus, and you’re right that it would alleviate tight waistbands!
My pants fitting issue is way less serious, but really common. I have the thicker waist and belly pouch of a post menopausal bod. Elastic waistbands are my friends. I have also found that a slash and spread adjustment on the center front seam works fairly well. But I love jeans and front fly dress pants, and I’m wondering how to properly alter that style of pattern. Advice would be much appreciated!
All bellies deserve good fit! I am no fitting expert, but I wish you the best of luck in finding your fit!
I have a fairly flat butt, but a large belly that’s made a bit of an overhang. I despise jeans, & anything else with a solid waistband. My bust, waist & hip measurements are all within an inch of each other, so that makes most patterns tough. Underwear has to be me made, so it can go under the overhang. & very little energy to do any of it! Knits & dresses are definitely my friends!
It sounds like waistbands and bellies could have filled another whole month of theme content! It really drives home for me that butts don’t exist in isolation — when it comes to fitting lower-body garments, the front is just as challenging, and just as diverse, as the backside!
My issue is standard UK 8 waist and butt, but size 14 thighs, and hefty calves. So I am either trying to downsize the entire top which I find hard or trying to find a pattern that has an elastic waist that doesn’t bulge too much when pulled in. Any ideas gratefully received.
I wonder if it is easier to add more room in the legs than to adjust the top of the pants? Have you ever tired starting with a size 8 and then slashing and spreading to add the width in the legs?
I have enjoyed #AllButtsWelcome a lot, thank you all for your hard work.
My main issue is that I’m an inverted triangle – bust 48″, waist 44″, hips 39″. Fitting any kind of trouser is next to impossible because when I breathe they’ll fall down and pool on my hip/below my overhang creating uncomfortable bulk. I live in empire line tops/dresses with tights and leggings all worn at the hip instead of the waist. I switched to bikini cut underwear a couple of years ago and that helped reduce the bulk a lot.
It sounds like you’ve found a comfortable and stylish solution! I”m so glad you enjoyed the posts this month. <3
My combination of comically short pelvis and bubble butt makes for interesting looking pants. 25cm waist to crotch at front, double that in back, and that’s with a tummy. Those wide banded hipster pants of the late 90s and early 2000s were perfect for me. Store bought pants make me look like Obelix.
You should make yourself some of those wide banded pants! The world is your oyster!
My combination of comically short pelvis and bubble butt makes for interesting looking pants. 25cm waist to crotch at front, double that in back, and that’s with a tummy. Those wide banded hipster pants of the late 90s and early 2000s were perfect for me.
I have a long back rise and a 10″ difference waist to hip/thighs so high waisted pants with an elastic back (which I like) have way too much fabric bunching at the waist – perfect front and ‘clown pants’ in the back make them look like I combined patterns 🙁 I read a fix for this but haven’t yet tried it which is removing fabric from the CB waist and adding it to the outer seams. Anyone done this or advise otherwise/
I’ve really enjoyed reading all the butt posts, thank you.