I have had this vintage pants pattern for a couple years and always wanted to make them, so when I found some brown corduroy at the thrift store, I knew it was time. I'm so prone to suggestion that I always imagined them in brown, just like the illustration. I was a bit surprised when I put on the finished result, struck up a pattern envelope pose, and looked just like the same old me.
You would think I would know by now that: 1) fashion has a pretty limited ability to transform, and 2) one's legs don't magically elongate to match those of the ladies on the envelope.
For a long time I gave up sewing, and when I made these I remembered why. I am at least 1 1/2 inches (that 3,3 cm) larger than both the given waist and hip measurements but the waist was still a good 5 INCHES (11 cm !) too big. That's basically 20% off (actually 18% but that doesn't sound as impressive as 20%) and would be more like 25% if I actually had a 25 inch waist. (Isn't it amazing? I have done math in my last two posts !) At least now I have my pants sloper, so I was able to alter the pattern. I also added a fly front because a center back zip just seems weird to me.
Because the fabric is a bit soft, they stretched out, but they are sooo comfortable.
Just for fun I added some colorful details inside.
I made another pair of pants about a month ago, but I was too annoyed to blog them. (Take that pants!) I was so careful to make the two sides the same that I made identical left legs! Then could not figure why they didn't want to mate. ARRGH! I waited to calm down and then unpicked one whole leg (with pocket, topstitching etc.) and fixed them. I suffered through a convoluted but smooth fly technique copied from the original that I am trying to streamline. Then coming down to the finish line, I couldn't get the legs hemmed to exactly the same length, partly because I had cut the legs too long and accidently trimmed them to slightly different lengths. I hate measuring.
Anyway while the pants were messing with me, the seasons changed. I no longer want to wear off-white linen/silk herringbone trousers. In fact, I don't know if I will ever wear them.
After those zipper-flys, the off measurements, and pattern alterations, I want something easy. And I want it to make me look like the pattern envelope. Is that so much to ask?
