I haven't mentioned this much, but my husband has been off work and at home with us since a medical incident this September. Which means I'm busted. He has seen me all day every day, and even the fact that my comfy pants are blazoned with a logo for his favorite sports team can't help me. After a few not-so-subtle hints, I knew it was time to upgrade my lounge wardrobe.
I really, really, really wanted this pattern when it came out, but I resisted because I didn't want to wear sweatpants all the time. Except the truth is, I DO wear them all the time. So when IndieSew had a site-wide Cyber Monday sale, AND The Fabric Fairy had free shipping that day, I took the plunge.
From The Fabric Fairy, I ordered two cuts of French terry (black and navy) as well as two cuts of ribbing, AND she carries 2" elastic as well (for the waistband). Turns out I don't think you need ribbing for the pants, self fabric seems to work fine, but it was nice to have the option. This pair is made from the navy French terry, but you can't tell that from these photos. I swear we haven't had a sunny day this whole month.
I chose a size 8 based on my hip measurement (38"). It's worth noting that I've gained 2" through the hips (and bust, for that matter) in the 4 months I've been pregnant, and this is not a size I would make at any other time. But I read a lot of reviews and everyone who made a size other than what the pattern instructed ended up with issues, so I stuck to it. I think they turned out perfectly around the hip area. I was doing some experimenting with Maxi-Lock stretch thread in my lower looper and having a lot of tension issues, so my seams were pulling apart. I ended up going back and sewing another line of straight stitching with my regular machine, so this size 8 is a touch smaller than designed. I'm hoping that post-pregnancy I can take them apart and make them even smaller. It will be worth it, because this fabric is AMAZING.
I desperately wanted French terry in black and navy and it was like banging my head against a wall trying to find both of those from one source. Everything I've ever gotten from The Fabric Fairy has been amazing, so I trusted that the French terry would be awesome, and it is. Oh, and did I mention it's a BAMBOO and cotton blend? Yeah. It's so soft I never want to take them off.
It's hard to see, but I used the loop side
of the terry for the pocket detail.
I used ribbing (identified as "heavy ribbing" on TFF) for the waistband. Believe it or not, both of these fabrics were identified as navy. The navy French terry is almost black, and the only way to tell the difference is to place it near something black. As I said before, I don't think you need ribbing for the waistband and cuffs. In fact I ditched it for the cuffs after cutting out and used self fabric instead since the colors were so different. And I even screwed it up and cut the ankle cuffs on the cross grain, but it worked anyway.
This is really nice ribbing, if you were curious, though I've rarely had luck with recovery in ribbing. Can someone tell me why ribbing is almost always cotton without spandex?!
I read one review that suggested using a lightweight fabric for the pocket bag to cut down on bulk around the hips, which sounded like a fabulous idea. I used some leftover grey performance fabric from Jo-Ann's (originally used for these leggings). It's prefect, and I love the pop of grey. You can also see here that I didn't get around to topstitching the waistband yet. You're supposed to, in order to create a defined casing for the drawstring.
I screwed up my buttonholes (see that spare hanging out in the wrong place?!) so my drawstring is on the inside of the pants. It's kind of a pain to tighten but I do like the smooth silhouette it creates on the outside. For my drawstring, I used a shoelace. I read that tip somewhere and now I can't remember where! It's awesome, because it has finished ends and it's meant to tie. However, I'm dumb, and I bought one that was too short. I cut it in half and sewed a small piece of elastic in the middle.
Viola, instantly longer drawstring.
The only change I'll make next time is to shorten the leg 1". The pattern actually listed a final inseam measurement (can you hear angels singing?!) and I should have listened. I normally like a little slouch around the ankles, but it looks kind of dumb with a cuff. Not that you can see it in these terrible pictures. Overall, the pattern instructions were awesome and the pdf was a cinch to assemble, I was very happy with my first True Bias pattern.
Like I said, I want to make a pair in black, but now I'm debating whether or not to wait until next fall, post-pregnancy. I'm having a hard time styling this pair and my husband says they aren't appropriate for leaving the house (I disagree). I have giant feet so I often struggle with the silhouette created by narrow pants. Thoughts?
And just because EVERYONE poses like this in their review:
Viola, instantly longer drawstring.
My husband was trying to talk to me
and it was very distracting.
The only change I'll make next time is to shorten the leg 1". The pattern actually listed a final inseam measurement (can you hear angels singing?!) and I should have listened. I normally like a little slouch around the ankles, but it looks kind of dumb with a cuff. Not that you can see it in these terrible pictures. Overall, the pattern instructions were awesome and the pdf was a cinch to assemble, I was very happy with my first True Bias pattern.
Like I said, I want to make a pair in black, but now I'm debating whether or not to wait until next fall, post-pregnancy. I'm having a hard time styling this pair and my husband says they aren't appropriate for leaving the house (I disagree). I have giant feet so I often struggle with the silhouette created by narrow pants. Thoughts?
And just because EVERYONE poses like this in their review:
Great idea about the waistband tie. I would of never thought to use a shoe lace or even cut it in half and add elastic to make it longer. I have a pair of pants similar to this and I only wear them with tees around the house. I just can't make myself leave the house in pants like this. I feel undressed or feel as if I just rolled outta bed. But I don't think that about others when I see them in pants like this...unless they are full on pajama pants with spongebob all over it. Some people just don't care what they look like while at Walmart. lol.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure I read about that elastic trick somewhere else too :)
DeleteYou're right, I would be a little self-conscious wearing these myself but wouldn't think twice about someone else doing it. I think dark colors go a long way to keeping this look serious.
I try not to wear real pajama pants out of the house, the only exception might be picking up a pizza or something. I read a tip in one of Tim Gunn's books that you should always dress like you might run into an ex :)
These are pretty cute! Hmm I think I need some french terry!!
ReplyDeleteIt's not that common, from what I can tell. But this was high quality and honestly not that bad to sew on my regular machine. And of course, a breeze on the serger :)
DeleteEven at my advanced age, I can't bring myself to wear sweatpants while shopping. I wish I could get over that. Everyone else seems to have. The tip about the shoelace/waist tie is timely for one of my friends and I shall pass it on. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI think it's more acceptable in my city because there are 40,000 college students walking around in all kinds of clothing!
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