It was great this morning to wake up to two new pairs of pants!
Well, almost. The second pair only needed the bottom bands, which I completed by 8:30am. After all my recent involved projects, I needed some nearly instant gratification!
Burda 7400 (view B) calls for knits or wovens (linen, jersey or crushed fabrics, and rib knit for the waistband). For my first pair, I used black ponte and for my second pair, a denim-colored linen washed/dried so many times I lost count; so I tried both types of fabrics.
On the pattern tissue, it states that the finished hip measurement for a 38/40 is 41-1/2". The finished hip measurement for a size 42/44 is 44-1/2". As my hips are 40", I fell between these sizes, so I decided to use the size 42/44 for the front and the 38/40 for the back. For the first time since sewing pants, I decided to use the crotch on the pattern. The Burda crotch is very shallow in front, which echoes my TNT crotch curve.
Materials:
- Black ponte from Fabrix. Love this stuff, but my stock is getting low and they only carry it occasionally. Danger, Will Robinson!
- Denim-colored linen from FabricMart. I bought so many yards of this fabric, I must have been contemplating a wedding dress. :) I want to use some of this for a spring jacket.
- Stiff waistband elastic.
- Fusible interfacing for the leg bands.
Alterations and Modifications
- The first pair, the black ponte, was much too large through the hips, so I used a trick I've used before. These pants do not have a side seam - they have a forward seam. So, where there would be a side seam, I added a vertical dart. It started from the waist and ended around the knee. At the waist, I sewed at 1" (removing 4" total) and tapered it to nothing around the knee. I was very pleased with the resulting fit and the vertical dart just adds to the funkiness of the pants.
- I shortened the pants 2-1/2". For the first pair, I just chopped the length off the bottom of the pant before attaching the band. The pant leg is very straight and the fullness is pleated into the band, so this approach didn't affect the design. For the second pair, I made the alteration in the pattern.
- For the linen pant, the fit was perfect as it was cut out. I needed that 4" at the hip for movement.
- I omitted the rib knit waistband. While this is a cute look, I didn't want to bother tracking down coordinating rib knit and I wear my tops over my pants anyway. I did my usual elastic waistband.
Pair #1. Black ponte. When I took this picture yesterday afternoon, it was sunny and gorgeous!
Pair #2. Distressed linen. When I took this picture at 9am this morning, it was rainy and foggy! I took the picture on my landing so the camera could stay covered, but I got quite wet.
This last week was very intense, work-wise. But I have been keeping up with Me-Made-March. You can see my personal journey on my Me-Made-March 2011 Flickr set and the group effort in the Me-Made-March Flick Group.
