Tag: BurdaStyle

*Worn with Cashmerette Springfield Top (cropped).

Last summer I put on my big girl panties and finally made some pants. I have successfully made pants in the past. But, the last few years my changing body and expanding bottom made sewing pants REALLY unappealing to me. But, I couldn’t get through summer (or life really) without a single pair of non jeans in my closet.

The result were these tobacco linen pants from Burdastyle (Plus) that I wore twice a week. When I made that version, I left off the bottom leg band detail as I wanted to just focus on getting the fit right. And now after having worn those to pilling inner thigh,  and an upcoming American Thanksgiving to be spent in Key West with my inlaws, I knew it was time to make another pair and take a stab at the tab.

Let me just say that my Burdastyle language skills are SLIPPING. The first time I read the bottom band / tab directions they made ZERO sense to me. The magazine may as well have been explaining Fortnite. Nine hours later I looked at the instructions again and saw a glimmer of what they were asking me to do. The next morning when I decided to *try* the instructions, it became crystal clear. There is a tab *inside* the band attached to elastic. The tab comes out through the band from a vertical buttonhole. Two buttons on the band allow you to adjust the width of the leg opening. I believe the leg opening is 22″ wide and the elastic I cut was about 16″. It’s a really cute detail that is totally lost in this red linen.

You’re welcome.

Other pattern changes from the first time? I found that the crotch on the tobacco pair hung a littler lower than I wanted. I think this is a bit of personal choice for me. I don’t want my thighs to touch AT ALL. And, I’m really used to the fit of snug jeans. So, on this pair I reduced the rise by 1/2. Previously in making this pair, I also lowered the waistband and lowered the pockets plus some other tweaks for fit. I still prefer a 2″ wide waistband on elastic wasit pants too.

Finishing wise, I decided to do a flat fell seam at the crotch and inside leg. As I mentioned before, my pants get a lot of wear and tear. I’m hoping that this treatment stabilizes the seam and will be more durable.

I legitimately could wear these pants all summer. So, don’t be susprised when it starts warming up on the east coast to see me wearing a rainbow of linen.

****This post is a repost of my original entry. Due to some technical difficulties, I lost a year’s worth of blog posts. 

While I’ve made my fair share of pants and jeans in the past, I can’t say they are my favorite to put together. I have a bit of a struggle fitting pants so I tend to avoid them. But, I get extremely desperate for pants each year, try to buy some RTW, get totally demoralized and ignore my need for pants for another 12 mos.

Well, with a vacation looming last month (it was mah-velous), I knew I needed pants. My thighs touch and in the summer in can be terribly uncomfortable. We were going to be doing plenty of walking and flying. Shorts won’t cut it so pants it is. I settled on making a pull on pair because I didn’t want to invest a lot of time constructing pants that might not fit well. And, if I’m being honest, I hope to lose some winter weight I picked up and won’t have to worry as much about the fit later on.

For this pair I chose the #139 from the April 2011 Burdastyle. This is a plus size pattern. I’m a 42 at the waist and a solid 50 through my lower thighs. My first two muslins were TERRIBLE.

At the front I could see it straining across my jutting thighs. There was also not enough clearance for my stomach and the crotch was rightupinthere.

On the reverse, not enough room for my protruding seat, a serious need for a swayback adjustment and also, not enough length in the crotch (you can see it pulling it up at the center thigh) By the third muslin on the far right, I was much happier with the fit.

For the waist, I used a 2″ elastic vs the 1.25″ it’s drafted for. I just love wide elastic waistband. I think it looks more finished — especially with topstitching. This is a knit heavy stretch elastic so I cut it just 2″ smaller than my waist measurement and it grew a little less than 1″ after application and topstitching (making it the 1″ smaller than my waist measurement a heavy stretch should be).

You’ll note I skipped the hem band treatment on these pants. I decided I really liked this color and plan to wear them to work this summer. By keeping the bottom of the leg simple I think they are a hair more professional and less likely to be noticed when I wear them several times a week.

I am thinking about reducing by a 1/4″ the length in the back crotch and shortening the rise another 1/2″. I’d like them to fit around my crotch a hair snugger. But, overall I am REALLY happy and plan to make several more over the summer.