Journey to a pair of pants… S9114

AT the beginning of this year [2020] I made a vision board with a few of the things I wanted to achieve over the next 12 months… one of those goals was to make a wearable pair of pants. 

I cannot, and SHALL NOT lie… pants have been my nemesis! I made a few unsuccessful attempts in the past and have tried a combination of every pant adjustment under the sun, at one point or another. Each time, I abandoned the project… but never the learnings. Whilst on COVID lock down I had a couple extra hours in my day to sew, and I used that time to watch a Bluprint class on pant drafting. I then embarked on drafting my first pair of trousers based on my body block – and the result, though not perfect, wasn’t half bad. Drafting that block allowed me to better understand the bottom-half of my body. I know I have a lot more to learn but so far it seems as if I have a short torso, knocked-knees, a full front thigh and a low but full bum, plus the angle at which my legs exit my pelvis… well let’s just say they do their own thing! 

I used this ‘new knowledge’ to make some fitting adjustments to View C of @mimig’s #s9114 pattern. The pattern has 3 very different views: the first view is a button-down dress, the second – a cami, and the third a pair of trousers. On a side note, I love patterns like these – all the options make me feel like I’m getting real bang for my buck, ya know? Anywhooooo, the trousers: they are high waisted with darts in the back and pleats in the front. They also have a fly front and are ankle length. 

Initially, I traced a straight size 16 in the pattern but adjusted the angle at which the legs exit the crotch by 1.5”. I scooped and lowered the back crotch by ¾” and then sewed up a toile of the pattern and was pleasantly surprised at the result… according to my toile however, I need more room for my mommy tummy, so I adjusted my pattern by sizing up to an 18 at the waist blending to a 16 at the hips.

I then made my wearable muslin in a plaid fabric I’ve had in my stash from my early days (which TBH hasn’t been that long). Using plaid meant I had to take a little extra time with the cutting and sewing of the pattern to at least attempt a pattern match – but I figured the plaid would help me further identify any fitting issues because of the lines.  For reference, I’m 5ft 8.5” and carry a lot of my height in my legs, but I did not adjust the paper pattern and I didn’t quite like where the pant would sit once hemmed, so I made a deeper hem than what the pattern contemplates. I figured the next time around, I’d either lengthen the pattern or shorten it, depending on where I want the hem to lie.  The pattern does come with pockets, and I’m definitely a pocket-loving girl…. but I opted not to include them because I wanted to be able to assess the fit of the pant and I didn’t want the pocket to throw off my ability to do so accurately. 

Having made the wearable muslin, I was fairly happy with the result. However, I identified that I needed to lower the rise of the pattern just a tad so it would hit squarely at my natural waist. I also needed to raise the back crotch just a little and to do a further ½” knocked knee adjustment. Having made those adjustments, I embarked on a second wearable muslin, again without pockets so as not to interfere with the line of the pant.  

For a long while, I had a vision of a hot pink trouser… why? I have no idea, but I wanted to bring that vision to life. Sooooo, I used a piece of pink fabric I had in my stash – I think it’s called textrex or something so. IMO, the fabric is nothing fancy, but I figured it would be good enough to do what I needed. Off I went cutting and sewing up my second wearable muslin and I’m inching closer and closer to achieving a bang on fit.

The crease line in my second pair, definitely runs straighter down the leg, than in the first pair, so I’m definitely happy about that. I do think that for my third pair (and yes there will be a third pair), I can lower the rise just a little bit more, probably about a ½”, for maximum comfort. I’ve also identified one other issue, which I’m sure is only noticeable to my pedantic self, but I haven’t yet figured out how to go about addressing the same. I’m hoping to figure it out soon – third time’s a charm… right?

Gotta luv ya and leave ya…Until next time,

xoxo

Kris