Miss Celie's Pants

*Note to self: Self, you may not want to drink wine and cut out patterns on Saturday nights.

I’ve lost little weight this year while swimming with friend who was training for a triathalon.

The problem with that is clearly I think I’m thinner than I am. Last night I cut out the BWOF 4-2007-120 capris in a *34* after making my usual 38 and having them be big. I’m usually about a 6 in American RTW. It feels fine, but I think the smiley wrinkles under the butt and the wrinkles above the calf tell different story.

Why didn’t I just make a 36 like I suggested in yesterday’s post? Well, they were big and Wine + Sewing + Saturday Night = Body Dysmorphia.

Ummmm. Right.

Here are the results, no facing, no hemming, no zipper — just the down and dirty. Let’s focus on the positive here and not the fact that these now fit like pantyhose.

What I do like is that I cut the waistband on the true bias and did get this neat effect on the back. I think the hip yoke would have worked better if it was a straight horizontal. I had a little gape in the waist band, so I took that in about an inch before attaching it to the pant back.

original muslin below

What I don’t like is that I’ll be eating spinach with vinegar to be able to wear these pants.

I’ll still finish them and wear them. Because they have some lycra, I think they will stretch like jeans. I didn’t do the drop and squat yet because I haven’t finished them.

Let me say that this is a really nice pattern. Very flattering with nice details. I will be making them again this summer — in a 36. I will not be overconfident and cut a 34 ever again.

As for my friend, I drove out at 6:00 a.m. to see her race in the triathalon this morning and she placed 2nd for first time marathoners and 10th in her age group!

Tags: 4-2007-120, BWOF

BWOF 4-2007-120 capri pockets are the bane of my existence, but honestly, a good lesson.

Here’s my first attempt. Very much not a right angle. I think that I did not understand the concept of ‘clipping’ to the corner.

I don’t know what happened here. Yuck.

Here’s my second attempt on the right.

My trusty seam ripper is pointing to the corner. Still not a total right angle, but much much better.

Here’s what I did right.

I understood that clipping the corner means essentialy slicing the square of the seam allowance / corner to a triangle.

2. I sewed the short seam farther past the corner than I did the first time around.

YEA!!!

Coral chainlink dolman dress is all cut, interfaced and pinned for the first round of sewing!

I’ve mowed the lawn today and am now attempting to clean up between frequent stops at the computer, sewing machine, and DVD of Dreamgirls.

No wonder my place is bodering on sty.

Tags: 4-2007-120, BWOF

On a review last week, I made a rude (but accurate) comment about BWOF.

Well, I was cursing them to no end last night. I started my muslin of these capris from the April edition.

Here are the instructions:

1. Stitch darts and press into the middle. Check.
2. Stitch the ends of the waistband pieces to the side hip yokes from seam no. 3 to the corner. Clip the seam allowances at the corner. Then stitich the long edge of the waistband pieces on to within 2cm of the side seamline. Press the short joining seams to the hip okes, the long joining seams on to the waistband piece. Check… Wait… Wah??

Are you kidding me with this? Totally didn’t understand. I couldn’t even tell what was supposed to attach were. This is what I get for going to a 2.5 dot vs. my safe 2 dotters. I figured it was one of these three:

I posted my query on Burda English over on Yahoo Groups hoping for some help. Luckily, they did.

Becky had this to say:

Ok, #3 is correct. You have a right angle seam to set in the waistband
to the hip yoke.

The business about pinning and unpinning is to be sure you don’t sew
together what isn’t meant to be sewn together as you do your
topstitching.

However, you need to leave a little of the waistband seam undone at the
side seam, when you attach it to the yoke. That is because you are
going to seam the sides, then finish attaching the waistband. Let me
know if you have other questions, or if I haven’t clearly explained.
This design will have a nice, smooth line in the tummy area that will
be very flattering.

Becky

First IYBecky. I may name my firstborn Becky.

Second. I’m too tired and it’s too late for me to try it out tonight.

Third. Grrrr, I only cut one facing and I’m out of the muslin fabric. Machts nichts.

There are still six more steps once I get past #2. I hope Becky is online on weekends because I have a feeling I’m still going to need her.

On a happy less frustrated note, May BWTF is here!

Tags: 4-2007-120, BWOF