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I have no idea! I've noticed this with a pair of my RTW linen pants, but couldn't figure out why they were big!! Now I know! So I'm about to make V1051 in demin....I don't even know what size I should make lol. I'll be watching this very carefully!
I didn't tape the waistline yoke seam on my linen shorts that I took to the Caribbean in February, and I just gave up and got rid of them, because they've stretched so much.
The thing to do is stitch a stay tape - I use lightweight twill tape, to the seam allowance right adjacent to the waistline seam. It won't stretch.
I second Marji's opinion. I have seen that on many higher-end pants. Also include tape in the waistband itself - the upper edge of it.
And tape the crotch seam too ... just in the curve, before it goes up to CF and CB. This one you can still do now, after they're fresh out of the wash.
Linen is bad that way. Rayon/linen blend relaxes even more. I've learned that I have to either make a garment that's supposed to have a relaxed fit and/or fit the garment a little snugger, knowing that they'll relax.
I rarely sew with linen, at least for bottoms, anymore for exactly this reason. As the expert ladies above say you can use tape to prevent seams stretching. However 5 once made a skirt, spent most of the day sitting in it and was horrified when I got home to see that the fabric had stretched out where I'd been sitting making my behind look (even more) enormous! Some garments can be interlined with silk organza which should help this - with wrinkling too.
I always stabilize with either twill tape or clear elastic. I'm a big fan of the clear elastic for a crotch curve because it gives a little.
Thanks Ladies SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much! Big hugs to all of you! I will take ALL of this advice on the next pair I make!
I know that in quilting we pre-wash/pre-shrink the fabric before we cut it, but I'm not sure if that would prevent fabric relaxation. I guess putting in a lot less ease would help. But how would you know which pants to it with?
The last pair of pants I made I stabilised the waistband with strips of organza, which adds no bulk. It seems to be doing the trick. I'm not a fan of having jeans too small to begin with, because the tightness and belly flab over the top is off putting when I get dressed. I have just about given up on pants fabrics with lycra in them, which is okay with the current fashion for wider legged pants....sadly though, no fashion lasts forever!
I like linen and I have been sewing a lot with it, still I don't have the perfect solution.
So I prefere linen for looser fitting clothes, especially in pants. Straight skirts are usually quite okay if I'm lining them. (Summer skirts only in the upper part, that is enough to prevent to much stretching over the bum.) Super tight looks just do not work to well in linen, especially not in loosely woven linen. If the fabric is woven very tightly, then it's a bit better.
As already mentionned, the waist has to be stabilized very fimely, either with a strong fusible (in Germany you can buy a special strong fusible for the waistband that prevents nearly any stretch, but it works only on straight waistbands,) or a staytape. I personally like to ease on elastic. Like shown in the current issue of Threads magazine.
At the moment I have one tight fitting linen pants (after the Betzina jeans pattern from Vogue). As the waist is curved there I interfaced it with Vlieseline H250 from Freudenberg (not sure whether this is available in the use, but its thin and strong, make your pattern stand by itself), did sew the pants very tight so closing them the first time is hard (but after five minutes they are fine) and with flat felled seams. Also I did use a fine but form and closely woven linen. And they are bright white, so no chance to wear them for more than one day before they have to go back to the washing machine... :o)
And they work fine. (Except I only wore them three times this year, then our summer decided to be over... out again the fleece sweaters and rainclothes. :-( )
I read somewhere that you should wash and dry linen more than once before sewing them ( like 4 times or so), so they had enough "shrinking" and "stretching" before they touch the body. Esp. putting them in the dryer before sewing them. I'm not sure why or if that works...
What I do is: baste the trousers together and wear them at home for a day and then take the "plus" in. I have a pair here that I've run around in Marias home with her laughing pretty hard because at some point I just grabbed a clothespin to hold the pair up!
I love making linen bottoms. I usuall work with 100% linen and linen/cotton blends. I usually use waistband interfacing for the waistband, which prevents stretching of that part. I have also used all cotton contrast waistbands on certain styles. The body of the pants usually stretch out, but the waistband does not.
Good luck with your next pair. Can't wait to see your next projects...your new fabrics from NYC look fabulous!
Sheree
This has happened to me before too and I'm happy to read the wonderful suggestions left here by other commenters! There is also another way of preventing the pants to stretch this much, besides the waist stay: making a full lining... But I don't see myself wearing full lined pants during summer, so I'd go with the waist stay alone!
Have you tried interlining them with organza? That often gives enough support to the fabric that it behaves better.
I suggest underlining with organza too. It gives stability. But, I 'd tape the waistband too.
I cut the silk organza on the cross grain before underlining the linen.
I usually only use linen for lose fitting clothes, blouses/shirts, gored (sp?) skirts and heirloom type clothing. Fine quality linen will not shrink at all with washing. I only wash it to get the sizing out and to give it a softer hand if I am embroidering or smocking it and to see if there is color bleed.
I have some denim/lycra-spandex stuff in my stash, but have never sewn with it. But I have a pair of levi shorts with a bit of lycra - spandex blend in them. And I pretty pleased at how they hold their shape. They are too big for me now, but when they were too tight for me, they were really perfect. Held up well during the day, fit with ease and did not lose their shape.
So.... I suggest denim with lycra blend and make a smaller size or (from your photos you seem to be an expert at fitting patterns than I will every be) a more fitted pair of sailor pants. Don't lose any weight or inches untill you are tired of them and are ready to give them to Hannah Home or the Salvation Army.
You have many suggestions. I am sure one will be the perfect one.
I've the same problem with linen pants, and as they are my favorite in summer, I read all comments and will certainly use a tip or two in the future. Thanks for bringing this up.
Oh yes, linen does that unhappily. I have a beautiful linen skirt that by the end of the day has a butt of its own - bigger than mine 
I'm planning lots of straight skirts out of linen for the next summer and my idea is: taping the waist and the crotch line, as Marji and Debbie Cook said, is a definite must! Secondly, I will definitely underline the skirts with fine cotton batiste. This should minimize the skirts growing a but of their own, the pants growing knees of their own etc. Hope that helps!
very nice pants erica - they do look nice on you.
Erica - thank you for this post, I was thinking about the same problem.
Just made a skirt in linen which turned out as LauraLo described in her post in the end of the day. I will try the tips on my next linen skirt.
Thank you again.
Hi, Erica. I will be purchasing patterns in the coming weeks. However, I searched Simplicity for #2938 and could not find it. Is this a pretty recent pattern?
Zina
Erica .- fabric flax have this problem. You can wash the fabric before sewing the garment, but this serves as a little. Flax is a fabric with fabric of tafetán, I mean, that has a very simple plot and loses stability. On the other hand, sewing linen trousers with a underlining is not recommended. I, last year, I dress very fine linen, white and I chose to overlay clothing with the same material, was a good solution, but does not fit all cases ....... best wishes. Hugs, Paco
..... I hope that works the translator, thanks
I have had that same problem with pants I have bought and made. I think it has to do with the amount of stretch they have in them. I have heard that you should make/buy them a size smaller, but I just cannot do this. I hate feeling like I am stuffed in them until they stretch out.
Again, thanks guys for the advice! I can't wait to make another pair of pants!
@ Zina Adams,
Yes, that's a good pattern. I really liked it. Very easy to make.
I'm so glad you asked this, I made some linen pants last year with a similar fit, and I have to constantly pull them up when I wear them! I think I'll try another pair w/the stay tape Marji suggested.
I have made linen pants and underlined them with silk organza. THey did not lose their shape at all and it helped prevent wrinkling too. The problem is, even though I laundered the organza more than once, it was still too scratchy. Since I would not want to line and underline summer pants, I will try underlining them with batiste next time. I have a linen rayon blend pant that I did this to. They are still cool and really hang nicely. I used a poly/cotton batiste and the cotton is enough to make it breathable. (and much cheaper than buying 100% cotton batiste online!)
Linen is a fiber with no recovery. Stretch it, and it'll stay there. It's also very cool (possibly because of being so absorbent) and wrinkles terribly. So it's suitable for loose clothes, and will be perfect then for hot weather.
You can underline it to death to overcome the stretching and wrinkling, but then you lose all the benefits of the linen, might as well cut up a shower curtain directly. If you want your clothes skin-tight, you've got to use something with stretch instead. Or at least a little natural stretch and recovery, like tropical wool.
But if I was walking through NY in July, never mind living in Alabama, I'd go for the loose linen any time 
.
I wash and iron my linen pants (with a light coating of spray starch). The ironing part seems to stretch them out and I don't get bagging. If I don't iron the pants, they grow and grow and grow.
Thanks for asking this question. I recently made a pant of linen pants and had the same experience. My the end of the day I wanted to put a safety pin in the side. I planning to make two linen dresses soon and will use information gained from this post and Carolyn's post during the construction.
Palmer/Pletsch makes a product called "perfect waistbands". It is an interfacing for pants. Check it out at Palmer/Pletsch.com
I am reveiwing a short pattern soon and will be using it for the first time. I'll review it then.
@ Cindy May,
I've purchased that product before and it only works for certain types of waistband... primarily, their patterns.
Erica, glad you mentioned that about Palmer/Pletsch. I had intentions to purchase that product this weekend. Since you are not pleased with that product, what product do you recommend that would produce the same quality of waistband?
@ Zina Adams,
I use whatever interfacing is appropriate for the fabric I'm working with. The waistband interfacing is not the problem I'm having.
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