Thursday, January 10, 2013

Vogue 8859: Am I Dreaming?

Love this pants pattern. Could it be the one I've been looking for? All my life?

I'm not saying there's anything aesthetically too exciting about these pants. Mostly I appreciate them for what they are not: uncomfortable, bulky, difficult to sew, demanding of just the right fabric, hard to care for.

The first pair is of ponte knit.


I made several fitting changes, shortenings, combinings of sizes, all of which seem pretty specific to me. But what might be relevant to my friends out there: I had to take in the center back seam a lot to reduce bulk in that area. Like, more than 1" per side of the center back seam, starting at the top of the back yoke and tapering down to the original seamline about 2/3 of the way to the crotch.

Unexciting back view that showed me I am knock-kneed!

For my 5'2" frame, I shortened the pattern 1" above the crotch (by using 2" elastic for the waist rather than 1"), 1" between the crotch and knee and 1/2" below the knee.

Since I widened the "waistband," I ran into troubles with the yoke seam. That is, the waist seam threatened to fall below the yoke seam. Seeing as how I had already serged the two-inch-wide elastic into place and didn't care to remove it, I topstitched the elastic just 1/2" from the top (with a twin needle). Though I wasn't so sure how this would work out, it is absolutely fine and comfortable to wear. Everything stays in its place and the pants stay up nicely.

Inside view of the waistband, showing how the line of topstitching is far above the lower edge of the elastic

Outside view of the waistband
Today I finished up a second pair of these pants, from a stretch cotton/poly/lycra denim from Joann's. Marcy Tilton recently blogged that stretch wovens would work with this pattern and, by golly, she was right.

The Joann's fabric wasn't bad at all. I washed and dried it twice in a bid to remove all shrinkage prior to sewing. But after wearing the pants for an hour or so, they've definitely grown larger. The recovery could be better. But I'm so comfortable I really can't complain!





Seriously, when we wear long tops and tunics, is it really necessary to have a fly, and front pockets, and coin pockets, and belt loops, and a structured waistband, and rivets, and a jeans button? All of those things are great, but I wouldn't want to sleep in them. These pants are so comfortable I could easily wear them to bed.

I used 3/4" elastic in waist of this second pair (without shortening the pattern correspondingly), and I don't think that worked out as well. That wide elastic, either 1 1/2" or 2", feels so secure and just-right to me. I need to order a big spool of it from Wawak, because it is quite expensive by the yard from Joann's, Hancock's or our independent local fabric stores.

Future plans for this pattern include making a version without the knee detailing, just to see if I like it as much as an even plainer pant.

These pants are a dream come true, and I hope I'll continue to feel as excited about them in the future as I do today. I can envision many pairs in different colors and fabrics, each more comfy than the last!

10 comments:

  1. They look great! I agree, sooo comfy.

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    1. Thank you, Shams!!! You were my inspiration to try these, as usual!

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  2. Love these! Great job. Enjoy all the future versions. Sounds like a keeper.

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  3. Oh they look good! I'm still scared of pants, but this pattern is wooing me!

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    1. I hear you on the fear of pants, but these don't bite. Thanks for visiting and commenting!

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  4. Very nice!

    I particularly like the pocket placement. Never have figured out why back pockets should be half-way down the leg! LOL

    Taja

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  5. These pants look great! Excellent fit, really nice leg width.

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    1. Thanks, Trena--they aren't as fashionable as your jeggings, but more wearable in my life (and with my thighs!).

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  6. Thanks for taking the time to share this, i feel strongly about it and i like to learn more on this topic.It's extremely helpful for me. Long tops and tunics for women on Coucap. Purchase women tunics tops in India on online shopping store Coucap with best offer and discount. Check price in India and buy online.

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