Two posts in one weekend?! That's a lot for me. Thanks for your suggestions and feedback on my Seattle recap! I'm returning to Seattle in February, en route to Whistler in British Colombia. I won't have enough time to tour on that trip, but I expect to see more of Seattle in the future.
TOC:
I made these pants last November. I'd been wanting to try this pattern for awhile. View B is a straight-legged pant, intended for border prints, so the instructions tell you to cut the fabric across the grain, which makes sense if you have a border print. The rust-colored, linen-look fabric with kanji characters was from a local sewing meetup. (Thanks, Irene!) Along with that came a beautiful cross-dye lavender cotton that coordinates with the kanji characters—I lined the pants with the cotton.
I made a size medium, without any alterations. I added a special pocket to these pants, using my own pattern. I drafted the pocket to fit my new cell phone, a Nexus 5X, which is bigger than my previous iPhone 5c. (Yup, I've finally jumped ship from Apple to Android.)
These pants are a quick sew, so why did I wait several months to blog about them?
Good question! You see, I wanted to make an eggplant colored top, using the Presto pattern, to go with these pants.
I ordered some rayon/jersey (11oz in merlot) from Emma One Sock. The Presto top pattern says that, for my size, you need 1-5/8 yards (58.5") of a 60" wide fabric, so I ordered 1.5 yards (54"). Yes, that is a tiny bit short, but I didn't think it would be a problem.
I started cutting out the top when I realized that I did not have enough fabric. Not even close. Another 4.5 inches would not have been enough.
Shoot! I ordered another yard from Emma One Sock.
When it came, I was involved with other projects, so it sat. And sat.
This weekend, I finished cutting and sewing the eggplant-colored Presto top.
This morning, I put the outfit on.
I like the top, but NOT with the pants!
Sooo... here are the pants with my trusty black jacket.
What do I think of these pants?
They're.... ok. They are certainly comfy, but the lack of shaping is not that flattering. I do think they would make a great pair of pajama bottoms! I will wear these because I love the fabric and I think they're fine, but the pattern is just ok on me, I think.
I will definitely wear the Presto top, just not with these pants.
I met Sandi last October at Design Outside the Lines in Ashland. We were corner mates and often worked late in the studio together. She's lovely and very creative in that quiet way that some artists are. Sandi also makes jewelry. One of the techniques she uses is metal folding, which I tried, with dubious results, last year.
After DOL, Sandi sent me a touching gift; she had made me a beautiful pair of copper earrings and a stunning pendant. These pieces are wonderful. I really wanted to wear this necklace with this particular outfit, so there was quite a delay in blogging about it.
She used a torch on the copper to change it's color. (I found this video on "flame painting" with copper.)
Thanks so much for these amazing pieces, Sandi! I truly enjoy wearing them!
I was so sad to recently learn that Fabric of Vision in Ashland is closing this month. This was a great little fabric store, located on the main drag in Ashland, across the street from where Diane Ericson holds her Design Outside the Lines retreats. Visiting Fabric of Vision was a favorite part of my visits to Ashland.
This store will be missed.
I've been collecting fabrics for my Paris wardrobe, and it's not red and black! (I love red and black, but Margy will be wearing red and black. ;) ) I'm eager to get started sewing my new fabrics, but it may not be for several weeks. To be honest, I'm not sure that I can finish everything in time—I have a lot less time and energy to sew than I used to.
Right now, I'm sewing some fake fur. By hand. I'd like to have it done for Whistler, which shouldn't be a problem.
Have a great week!
