How to Do a Full or Small Thigh Adjustment

Are your pants too tight or too loose around your thighs? Learn how to do a full or small thigh adjustment with this simple pattern fix.

Thighs come in all shapes and sizes, and inevitably, some patterns won’t match yours exactly. If your pants are digging into your thighs (especially when you sit), or if you’ve got excess fabric hanging around up there, there’s good news: a quick tweak to the inner leg seam is all you need. This is one of the simplest adjustments you can make!

How to Tell If You Need a Full Thigh Adjustment

• Your pants feel tight across the upper thigh
• There are diagonal wrinkles at the back leg pointing toward your crotch

How to Tell If You Need a Small Thigh Adjustment

• There’s excess fabric at the upper thigh
• You can see vertical wrinkles running down from your crotch at the back

How to Do a Full Thigh Adjustment

Step 1: On the back leg pattern piece, draw a new line that extends about ¼” (6mm) past the back crotch point, then curve it smoothly back to rejoin the inner leg seam.

Step 2: Do the same thing on the front leg piece—extend the line ¼” (6mm) past the front crotch point, then blend it back into the inner leg seam.

Make up a new muslin and try it on. Still too snug? Add another ¼” (6mm) and test again. Keep going in small increments until your thighs have the room they need.

How to Do a Small Thigh Adjustment

Step 1: On the back leg pattern piece, draw a new line that starts about ¼” (6mm) inside the back crotch point, then curve it smoothly back out to meet the original inner leg seam.

Step 2: Do the same thing on the front leg piece—start ¼” (6mm) inside the front crotch point and blend back out to the inner leg seam.

Make up a new muslin and check the fit. Still too roomy? Take in another ¼” (6mm) and try again. Work in small increments until the fabric sits smoothly without any excess.

You Did It!

Such a quick fix for such a common issue! Your pants will now fit your thighs comfortably—no digging, no drooping, just a smooth fit all the way down.

Want to dive deeper into fitting? This adjustment and many more are covered in detail in Ahead of the Curve, our best-selling book on fitting for curves. And if you’d like in-depth video tutorials that go much deeper, check out Cashmerette Club‘s library of fitting masterclasses.