Simplicity 2860 (pants)

Having worked on pants fitting for a few years, I am pleased to finally have a pair of good-fitting trousers.  There's still work to do with the back as the hamstring area is still too full, but at least the pants are wearable and comfortable. Plus, the front looks really good!

Fabric & Notions:

• about 2 yards of 100% striped herringbone wool suiting
• 7" nylon zipper
• walking foot to ensure even feed of fabric
• fusible interfacing for the outer waistband and zipper fly
• 80/12 universal needle

Sizing & Alterations:

I started working on this pattern a two years ago, so I don't quite remember all of the changes I made.  Incidentally, I started keeping more accurate records of my alterations in a notebook.  Anyway, for this pattern I cut a straight size 16 curvy and altered from there.  

• removed three inches in length:  1.5 inches above and below the knee
• shortened the fly area 1 inch, tapering to nothing at the side seam
• scooped the back crotch curve for comfort 

The first time I tried this pattern, I didn't make a muslin.  Instead, I left the 1" seam and fit as I sewed.

I didn't think the full legs looked particularly good on me, so I took a very large seam allowance on both sides.  Unfortunately, this distorted the fit and produced the result you see in the pictures above.  It's not too bad and I do still wear the pants, but improvement was definitely in order.

For the brown herringbone pair, I didn't take as large a seam allowance because I regained most of the weight I lost last year (stupid pounds have a GPS or something).  When I make this pair again, I will probably shape the legs a little to remove some of the fullness.

Waistband: 

Oh my.  Where do I start with this headache?  One thing you've probably gathered from reading my blog is that I don't give up easily.  I fight  the battles that are worth the time and effort.  I do know when to surrender, though, and have no qualms about it!  Such is the case with the clean-finish waistband method presented in two videos by Hot Patterns (part 1 & part 2).  I appreciate the time and effort Trudy extends to everyone by producing these and all of her videos.

Unfortunately, I just could not make this method work for me.  I watched the two-part video over, and over again and made sample after sample.  It seems like some information is missing and without this, I couldn't get it right.  I enlisted the help of folks on PR and Stitcher's Guild and received many wonderful and helpful replies.  Despite the tips given, I couldn't make it work.

Determined not to be defeated, I consulted David Page Coffin's book, Making Trousers.  The basic idea is to extend the center front of each waistband a couple of inches and wrap the extension to the inside.  Once the facing is attached to the top, the front edge is folded under and stitched in place.  DPC does a much better job of explaining the process.  I have plans to make this pair of pants again and when I do, I'll photograph and document the process in a blog post.

Construction: 
 
There's nothing extraordinary about the construction of these pants.  I pretty much sewed them as if I were sewing a pair of jeans - less all of the topstitching.  I finished all of the edges first before sewing the seams and sewed a blind hem along the bottom edge. I also added a fly shield.  The pattern goes together rather quickly as there are only four pieces.

Conclusion:

While I am very pleased with this pair of pants, I will tweak it a bit more to improve the fit.  S2860 is a good place to start if you're looking to develop and tried-and-true pants pattern.

Until next time, be well everyone!

L

BWOF 8-2005-102 (skirt) & Thank you!!

What can I say?  I adore this skirt!  I love how the bias lower half gives that little oomph to an otherwise plain skirt.  Even though I have many more skirt patterns in queue, I just might  make another one of these.

Fabric &Notions:

• 1.5 yards of 60" wool tweed with metallic threads
• about 2 yards of 45" brown Ambiance lining
• 7" invisible zipper
• 1.5" wide light brown petersham cut to waist measurement plus extra for overhang

Alterations:

I made my standard 1.25" full seat adjustment by adding a wedge at the center back as described in this post.  I also lopped off 1.25" from the hem for a more flattering length.  I probably should have taken half of this alteration out of both the lower and upper halves so that the proportions remained roughly the same.  I don't think things look off, but if I make this again, I'll probably take some of the length out of the upper half.

Seam Allowances:

BWOF/Burda Style magazine patterns do not have added seam allowances.  This can be both a good and bad thing.  The good thing is you are free to add whatever seam allowance you want, anywhere you want.  For my skirt, I added 1/2" on the side and waist seams, and 3/8" along the curved edge.  The smaller seam allowance along the curved edge made for much easier sewing and manipulation without having to clip the fabric.  Additionally, exact pattern measurements are easy to make and all alterations are done right at the seamline.  I usually add my seam allowances right on the fabric.


The bad thing, for me at least, is sometimes I forget to add seam allowances.  Ummm....yeah.  I know that I need to, but I get distracted, start cutting and don't realize I'd forgotten the seam allowances until after I start sewing. 

Lining, Waist Treatment, and Zipper:

I used my favourite method of lining without facings as described in an older post.  I also cut the lower half of the lining on the bias but could have cut it on the straight grain or without the flare as shown in this PR member's review.


The pattern is drafted to include a buttoned waistband.  I didn't include it because I assumed I would need to contour it a bit to account for my sway back.  I didn't feel like doing any of that and just faced the waist with petersham.

I completely forgot to interface the zipper area.  Fortunately, the fabric is sturdy enough where I don't have any ripples or puckers.  I have to make it a practice to do this all the time.  I remember to do it with pants, but somehow the practice escapes me when it comes to skirts.  I'll work on it. =)

Construction:

The side seams were finished on my serger, then sewn on my sewing machine.  The seam that joins the upper and lower halves were sewn first, serged together, and pressed up.  Finally after allowing the skirt and lining to hang for 24+ hours, both hems were finished with my serger's rolled hem stitch.  I didn't want to distort the bias by attempting to fold up a half-inch hem.

Conclusion:

It's a fantastic skirt with nice details and a great way to get started with sewing BWOF patterns.  The skirt is simple enough that the instructions can be ignored.  Honestly, I don't even think I looked at them.  Anyone who's ever sewn a skirt can definitely sew this one!


Finally, I would like to extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who left such wonderful comments about my wardrobe.  That was so kind of you to stop by and share your thoughts!  I'm smiling all over again. =)

L