Yes, I made myself new pants and the best part is, they fit!  I sewn everything from my own wedding dress to quilts and beyond.  Making pants, besides pajama bottoms, has been a tough one for me.  I’ve made toddler blue jeans, but making pants for myself has never been successful.  You know why?  I didn’t take the time to alter the pattern to fit my body.  Well, a little pant snafu last week forced me to make a pair and take the time to do it right!

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Pant Snafu

The pants in the picture below have been with me for many years.  I loved them and wore them quite frequently.  Last week I was having a little lunch before I went to work.  I happened to drop something in my lap and when I looked down, I saw the hole.  Since I was about 5 minutes from leaving the house, I was very grateful I saw this before I left!

pants-snafu

I have big thighs so this tends to happen to most of my pants.  These pants have such an interesting texture and color, which is why I loved them.  I will be using them for something else, just don’t know what yet.pant-textur

The Pattern

Since I was down to 2 pair of dress pants, I had to make some new pants.  Yes, I could of visited the store, but I’m trying to sew more for myself this year!  I picked a pattern out of my stash that was simple, but didn’t look like pajama bottoms.  This one has a simple waist band with a side zip, perfect!

pattern

I used the Colette Patterns Pants Fitting Cheat Sheet to alter the pattern.  Colette has a wonderful library of sewing tips and techniques, all for free.  They also have a podcast called Seamwork Radio you can listen to while you sew.  I’m not going to show you all the alterations I made but I will show you my finished pants.  I used a creamy, linen type fabric with a contrasting side zip and waist lining.

pant-tops

Yes, my dart is twisted on one side!  Here’s a close up.

pant-tops-2

The pattern calls for a hook and eye at the top of the zip.  I don’t know if I’ll add one yet, it just depends on how they wear.

zipper

Interior detail.

band-detail

There are a couple problems.  The “crotch” area is still to large and low in the front and the legs are a little too wide.  I will alter this in the pattern for my next pair.

full-lengthexcess-crotch

I pressed a crease in the front, which was not on the pattern, but I think it looks nicer.  These pants do not stay wrinkle free very long!  My dog decided to photo bomb me!

crease-detailleg-detail

All in all I’m happy with them and I have new pants!  This pattern is easy enough for beginning sewers, just 3 pattern pieces.  The zipper might be a challenge, but you have to start somewhere!

 

 

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