Developing the Jigsaw Pants involved numerous rounds of testing — from initial design and construction to fit across sizes, lengths, and of course the instructions and final PDF files. The number of applications for the final testing round in February felt overwhelming, exciting and nerve-wracking all at the same time. I was blown away that so many of you were willing to share your time, skills and creativity — I’m deeply grateful for your support.
After poring over the applications and puzzling together the right mix of sizes, lengths, body types, skill levels, and preferences (like rise options and file types), I headed into February with an amazing team of 45 testers. It’s been a minute since the pattern launched at the end of April, but I’ve finally finished compiling everyone’s results — I’m excited to celebrate this wonderful testing team!
Testing Results
There is one specific outcome of the testing phase that deserves its own callout here upfront: the front pleats. The Jigsaw Pants originally had two pleats in the front — which became a topic of discussion quite early on during the testing phase. Aside from personal preferences: some didn’t like them, some loved them, and others expected to dislike them but ended up loving them after all — there was a consensus that fabric choice had a big influence on the ‘like-ability’ of the pleats.
As a result, some testers decided to flip the direction of these pleats or sew them closed like a dart, and a handful of testers who hadn’t started cutting yet tested a pattern adjustment to remove them completely. Ultimately, the pleats were eliminated completely in the final version of the pattern, but keep in mind that you’ll see a variety of pleats & no pleats in the tester’s versions below.
Sizes & Lengths
The table below shows all sizes that have been tested, in which the checkmarks (✓) represent testers whose details can be found in the overview below, and the dots (•) represent sizes that got tested but which aren’t included in the overview below.
| 001 | 002 | 003 | 004 | 005 | 006 | 007 | 008 | 009 | 010 | 011 | 012 | 013 | 014 | 015 | 016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length 1 | • | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||||
| Length 2 | ✓ | ✓ | • | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||
| Length 3 | • | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | • | ✓ | • | ✓ | ✓ | • | |||||
| Length 4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | • | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||||
| Length 5 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | • |
Once again, a big, big thank you to the entire testing team, as well as the smaller group of fit testers I already had the pleasure of working with last year! All of their feedback was truly invaluable: this pattern would not have been as it is today without them.
Now let’s have a look at their work!
Hint: open this page on a desktop for a clickable navigation menu to browse through all sizes!
001 - L4 // Mid-rise
Lena made these pants for a friend. She selected the size closest to her friend’s hip measurement, and chose the length based on crotch height. She used a thin fabric, similar in feel to hiking pant fabrics, fiber content unknown.
She increased the waist circumference in advance by adding ∼2 cm (3/4″) to the waistband and decreasing the side pleat depth. When finished, she concluded the extra room wasn’t needed, and planned to remove it again later.
Rumer // 002 - L1 // High-rise
With her hip measurement falling between two sizes, Rumer sized down. She selected a length based on body height. She tested the pattern adjustment of removing the front pleats, and used heavy-weight denim & linen scraps.
- Waist: 67 cm (26.5″)
- Hip: 86 cm (34″)
- Crotch height: 72 cm (28.5″)
- Body height: 158 cm (5’2″)
003 - L1 // High-rise
They selected the size closest to their hip measurement, and chose the length that matched their crotch height. They didn’t make any pattern adjustments, and used a 100% cotton twill weighing 268gsm (7.9 oz).
- Waist: 65 cm (25.5″)
- Hip: 89 cm (35″)
- Crotch height: 67 cm (26.5″)
- Body height: 152 cm (5’0″)
Tessie // 003 - L1 // High-rise
Tessie sized down based on her hip measurement, and she selected a length based on body height. She tested the pattern adjustment of removing the front pleats, and she did a single fold at the hem to add 2,5 cm (1″) in length to make them less cropped. She used a light-weight nylon fabric with stretch.
- Waist: 64 cm (25″)
- Hip: 94 cm (37″)
- Crotch height: 71 cm (28″)
- Body height: 158 cm (5’2″)
Francesca // 004 - L1+2 // High-rise
Francesca selected the size closest to her hip measurement, and selected the length (L1) that matched her crotch height for her first version. For her tester pair, she didn’t make any pattern adjustments other than flipping the direction of the front pleats. She used a mid-weight cotton twill of ∼270 gsm (8 oz).
After testing the final edits and published version of the pattern for her partner, she also made a second pair for herself with the final pattern. For this version she sized up in length (L2) to have them a little less cropped, and she used a polyester/spandex Eddie Bauer fabric with 4-way stretch.
- Waist: 67 cm (26.5″)
- Hip: 91 cm (36″)
- Crotch height: 74 cm (29″)
- Body height: 160 cm (5’3″)
Judy // 004 - L2 // High-rise
Judy selected the size closest to her hip measurement, and chose the length that matched both her crotch height and her body height. She tested the pattern adjustment to remove the front pleats, and used a mid-weight denim.
- Waist: 71 cm (28″)
- Hip: 91 cm (36″)
- Crotch height: 79 cm (31″)
- Body height: 165 cm (5’5″)
Dominika // 004 - L3 // Mid-rise
Dominika selected the size closest to her hip measurement, and chose the length closest to her body height. She didn’t make any pattern adjustments, and used two tones of a mid-weight twill, about 210 gsm (6 oz).
- Waist: 65 cm (25.5″)
- Hip: 91 cm (36″)
- Crotch height: 79 cm (31″)
- Body height: 172 cm (5’8″)
Axel // 004 - L4 // Mid-rise
Axel sized down one size from his hip measurement, to achieve a slimmer fit. His crotch height and body height fell between two lengths, of which he chose the longer option. He flipped the direction of the front pleats and used a cotton twill of 300 gsm (9 oz).
- Waist: 77 cm (30.5″)
- Hip: 94 cm (37″)
- Crotch height: 85 cm (33.5″)
- Body height: 180 cm (5’11”)
Laura // 005 - L1 // High-rise
Laura sized down by two sizes, to really reduce the amount of ease around the hips. They chose the length that matched their crotch height as well as their body height. They used a rather rough mid-weight linen.
- Waist: 76 cm (30″)
- Hip: 104 cm (41″)
- Crotch height: 72 cm (28.5″)
- Body height: 155 cm (5’1″)
005 - L2 // High-rise
Her measurements fell between two sizes, as well as between two lengths. She ended up going 1.5 size down from her hip measurement, and went for the taller length based on body height. She tested the pattern adjustment to remove the front pleats, and used a stretch cotton twill ∼240 gsm (7 oz).
Rebecca // 005 - L2 // Mid-rise
Rebecca selected the size that was closest to her hip measurement and the length closest to her crotch height. She didn’t make any pattern adjustments, and used a Ventana cotton twill of 270 gsm (7.9 oz).
- Waist: 74 cm (29″)
- Hip: 94 cm (37″)
- Crotch height: 76 cm (30″)
Imogen // 005 - L3 // High-rise
Imogen was between sizes and ended up going for the bigger size, as well as the taller length based on crotch height and body height. She didn’t make any pattern adjustments other than flipping the direction of the front pleats, and used a light-weight cotton hemp blend of 150 gsm (4.5 oz) from Gung Ho.
- Waist: 72 cm (28.5″)
- Hip: 93 cm (36.5″)
- Crotch height: 80 cm (31.5″)
- Body height: 168 cm (5’6″)
Joana // 006 - L1 // High-rise
Joana selected the size closest to her hip measurement, and chose the shortest length based on her crotch height. She was also part of the earlier round of fit testing, and didn’t make any pattern adjustments for this pair. She used a light-weight cotton polyester mix.
- Waist: 74 cm (29″)
- Hip: 96 cm (38″)
- Crotch height: 61 cm (24″)
- Body height: 159 cm (5’3″)
Jaime // 006 - L3 // High-rise
Jaime selected the size that matched her hip measurement, and the length that matched her crotch height. She tested the original version with front pleats, but ended up sewing the pleats down to create a dart. She used a heavy-weight stretch cotton twill of 320 gsm (9.5 oz).
- Waist: 74 cm (29″)
- Hip: 98 cm (38.5″)
- Crotch height: 83 cm (32.5″)
- Body height: 168 cm (5’6″)
006 - L5 // Mid-rise
Francesca tested the final, published version again by making this pair for her partner, in the size matching his hip measurement. The length was selected based on his body height, which ended up a little long at the ankles but perfect in the rise because most of his length is in his torso.
- Waist: 83 cm (32.5″)
- Hip: 99 cm (39″)
- Crotch height: 81 cm (32″)
- Body height: 193 cm (6’4″)
Antigoni // 007 - L2 // High-rise
Antigoni selected the size closest to her hip measurement, and sized down in length based on her body height falling between two lengths. She didn’t make any pattern adjustments and used a medium-weight, tightly woven twill.
- Waist: 75 cm (29.5″)
- Hip: 103 cm (40.5″)
- Body height: 170 cm (5’7″)
Madelene // 007 - L3 // High-rise
Madelene sized up based on her hip measurement falling between two sizes, and chose the length that matched her crotch height. She didn’t make any pattern adjustments and used the light-weight nylon taslan/supplex from Ripstop by the Roll* weighing 115 gsm (3.4 oz).
- Waist: 75 cm (29.5″)
- Hip: 99 cm (39″)
- Crotch height: 83 cm (32.5″)
- Body height: 170 cm (5’7″)
007 - L4 // Mid-rise
He sized up half a size based on his hip measurement falling between two sizes. He chose the length closest to his crotch height as well as his body height. He didn’t make any pattern adjustments and re-used 3 fabrics from the thrift store: a light-weight cotton (floral), a mid-weight blend (mint), and a heavier-weight blend (beige) to strengthen the back panel for biking.
- Waist: 90 cm (35.5″)
- Hip: 100 cm (39.5″)
- Crotch height: 85 cm (33.5″)
- Body height: 183 cm (6’0″)
Celine // 008 - L2 // High-rise
After finishing the initial tester pair made for her partner, Celine also managed to make herself a pair within the testing period. She sized down based on her hip measurement, and chose the length that matched her crotch height and body height. She didn’t make any pattern adjustments and used a twill suiting of 275 gsm (8 oz).
- Waist: 91 cm (36″)
- Hip: 112 cm (44″)
- Crotch height: 78 cm (31″)
- Body height: 168 cm (5’6″)
Emily // 008 - L2 // High-rise
Emily selected the size closest to her hip measurement, and the length closest to her crotch height as well as body height. She didn’t make any pattern adjustments, and used washed hemp fabric of 180 gsm (5.4 oz).
- Waist: 81 cm (32″)
- Hip: 107 cm (42″)
- Crotch height: 76 cm (30″)
- Body height: 163 cm (5’4″)
Heather // 008 - L4 // High-rise
Heather selected the size closest to her hip measurement, and decided to size up a length from her body height, to match her preferred length for pant legs. She didn’t make any pattern adjustments and used a light-weight technical stretch woven.
Bee & Gabriel // 008 - L5 // High-rise
Bee tested the pants together with her partner, as they share very similar body measurements from their hips down. She selected a size based on their shared hip measurement, and chose a length based on Bee’s crotch height.
She ended up taking in the waist at the back before adding the waistband, to reduce the amount of fabric that would be gathered by the elastic. The top two photos show Bee wearing the pants, Gabriel is in the bottom two.
Bee’s measurements:
- Waist: 70 cm (27.5″)
- Hip: 105 cm (41.5″)
- Crotch height: 90 cm (35.5″)
- Body height: 185 cm (6’1″)
Gabriel’s measurements:
- Waist: 87 cm (31″)
- Hip: 105 cm (41.5″)
- Crotch height: 88 cm (34.5″)
- Body height: 185 cm (6’1″)
Abbey // 009 - L1 // High-rise
Abbey’s sized down based on her hip measurement falling between two sizes, and she chose the length that matched her body height. She didn’t make any pattern adjustments other than reducing the width of the waistband to fit the size of her elastic. She used a cotton drill of 180 gsm (5.3 oz).
- Waist: 95 cm (37.5″)
- Hip: 112 cm (44″)
- Crotch height: 75 cm (29.5″)
- Body height: 155 cm (5’1″)
Florentine // 010 - L3 // High-rise
Florentine sized up based on her hip measurement falling between sizes, and chose the length closest to her crotch height and body height. She didn’t make any pattern adjustments and used a mid-weight cotton for her pants.
- Hip: 111 cm (44″)
- Crotch height: 84 cm (33″)
- Body height: 176 cm (5’9″)
Sky // 010 - L3 // High-rise
Sky sized up based on their hip measurement falling between two sizes, and selected a length based on their body height. They didn’t make any pattern adjustments and they used a variety of light to mid-weight denims, all reclaimed from broken jeans.
Katrien // 010 - L3 // High-rise
Katrien started with a toile in size 011 (mid-rise), according to her hip measurement. For her final version she ended up going one size down, and switched to high-rise. She selected the length based on her crotch height.
She tested the pattern adjustment to remove the front pleats, and tweaked the crotch curve based on a self-drafted basic block. She used a heavy-weight denim and a mid-weight printed canvas for her final pair.
- Waist: 87.5 cm (34.5″)
- Hip: 120 cm (47″)
- Crotch height: 81.5 cm (32″)
- Body height: 168 cm (5’6″)
Destinee // 011 - L2 // High-rise
Destinee was between sizes and selected the smaller size, which was closest to her hip measurement. She chose the length that matched her body height. She adjusted the rise by removing 4,5 cm (1.75″) from the front and adding 0,6 cm (0.25″) to the back. She used a mid-weight stretch woven.
- Waist: 95 cm (37.5″)
- Hip: 121 cm (47.5″)
- Crotch height: 74 cm (29″)
- Body height: 165 cm (5’5″)
011 - L4 // Mid-rise
Celine first tested the pattern by making this pair for her partner, in the size matching his hip measurement. She selected the length closest to his crotch height as well as body height. She didn’t make any pattern adjustments and used a mid-weight twill with light stretch for this pair.
- Waist: 98 cm (38.5″)
- Hip: 120 cm (47″)
- Crotch height: 86 cm (34″)
- Body height: 187 cm (6’2″)
Fromut // 011 - L5 // High-rise
Fromut’s hip measurement fell between sizes, and she sized up for her first version (012, top photos). She also tested the final, published version of the pattern without front pleats, and sized down (011, bottom) for this pair.
She made the same length for both versions, which was selected based on her crotch height. She didn’t make any pattern adjustments and used a mid-weight and rather structured linen.
- Waist: 92 cm (36″)
- Hip: 122 cm (48″)
- Crotch height: 89 cm (35″)
- Body height: 190 cm (6’3″)
Maria // 012 - L2 // High-rise
Maria started with a toile in size 013, according to her hip measurement. For this final version she ended up sizing down by one size: to 012. She selected the length that matched her crotch height.
She tested the pattern adjustment of removing the front pleats, and flipped the direction of the side pleats. She used a heavy-weight denim, which was a cotton polyester blend.
- Waist: 102 cm (40″)
- Hip: 133 cm (52.5″)
- Crotch height: 78 cm (31″)
- Body height: 167 cm (5’6″)
Amalia // 012 - L3 // High-rise
Amalia worked with reclaimed thrifted sweatshirts, which gave her enough stretch to go two full sizes down. To accommodate her waist-to-hip ratio, she sized down the waist even more during construction — roughly ending up with a size 011 in the waist. She sized up in length, for personal preference.
She adjusted the rise by lowering the front and scooping the curve in the back, which has since also been adjusted in the final version of the pattern. She finished the pant legs with elasticated cuffs, also reclaimed from the thrifted sweatshirts. The sweatshirts ranged from medium to heavy-weight.
- Waist: 99 cm (39″)
- Hip: 140 cm (55″)
- Crotch height: 82.5 cm (32.5″)
- Body height: 168 cm (5’6″)
012 - L4 // Mid-rise
This tester sized up to have an oversized look and feel, and selected a length based on his body height. He modified the front pleats by flipping them in the opposite direction, and added extra topstitching along the pocket opening. He used a light to mid-weight cotton twill.
- Waist: 114 cm (45″)
- Hip: 119 cm (47″)
- Crotch height: 76 cm (30″)
- Body height: 183 cm (6’0″)
Anna // 013 - L2 // High-rise
Anna selected the size closest to her hip measurement, and chose the length based on her body height. She didn’t make any pattern adjustments other than flipping the direction of the side pleats, and used some mid-weight corduroy remnants without stretch.
- Waist: 101 cm (40″)
- Hip: 131 cm (51.5″)
- Crotch height: 75 cm (29.5″)
- Body height: 161 cm (5’3″)
Rosa // 014 - L2 // Mid-rise
Rosa selected the size closest to her hip measurement, and chose the length that matched her body height. She made two versions during the testing period, and didn’t make any pattern adjustments other than flipping the direction of the front pleats. She used a light-weight woven for the first pair (top photos), and a mid-weight woven for the second pair (bottom).
- Waist: 112 cm (44″)
- Hip: 137 cm (54″)
- Crotch height: 74 cm (29″)
- Body height: 165 cm (5’5″)
Katrina // 015 - L3 // High-rise
Katrina selected the size closest to her hip measurement, and chose the length that matched her crotch height. She made a wearable toile in a mid-weight polyester Dupioni, and a second version using a light-weight cotton shirting. She adjusted the rise by dropping the crotch and adding extra room in the back — which has also been adjusted in the final version of the pattern.
- Waist: 124 cm (49″)
- Hip: 142 cm (56″)
- Crotch height: 81 cm (32″)
- Body height: 180 cm (5’11”)
Karin // 016 - L2 // High-rise
Karin sized up slightly, based on her hip measurement falling between sizes. She chose the length closest to her crotch height as well as her body height. She didn’t make any pattern adjustments and used a heavy-weight railroad stripe denim of 320 gsm (9.4 oz).
- Waist: 125 cm (49″)
- Hip: 145 cm (57″)
- Crotch height: 77 cm (30.5″)
- Body height: 163 cm (5’4″)