Wednesday 4 July 2012

Slim fit black pants - using what you have

Thank you for all your kind words about Georgia - she's healing up very nicely and was stoked that people she doesn't even know would take the time to leave a comment.  So thank you again.

When I last talked about making my black pants I was planning to use Burda 04-2010-120.  I struggled to find reviews and the few I did mentioned that the fit wasn't great, so I made a muslin.  Let me tell you it wasn't pretty.  The back gaped, the back waistband sat quite low, the front waistband sat really high and there was way too much material sagging under my backside.


I decided to do a bit blog surfing to work out what I was going to do and I came across Sallie-Oh's post on Madalynne's blog.  Light bulb moment.  She was talking about making skinny jeans, but the same thought applies to any pants.  If you have a pattern that works for you, you don't need another pattern, you just alter what you have.
  

Out came Simplicity 3686.  I've made these pants 5 times before (3 were before blog and the other two are here and here).  This time I used view e, I'd always overlooked this view because I thought the pattern picture looked daggy (clearly I have no vision).  This time around I used a stretch cotton drill, narrowed the waistband by 5/8 inch and trimmed another 5/8 inch from the top of the pants.  I thought I'd shave extra width out of the pants to make them a skinny fit rather than a slim fit, but decided that the slim fit looked better, so the pants legs are as drafted.  To reduce waistband bulk I used a poplin to line it and sewed the selvedge in the seam to ensure the waistband didn't grow with my body heat.


I really like my new pants - it's a new silhouette for me and I'm going to have fun playing dress ups.  The fit at the back isn't as good as the wide leg version and I'm not sure if that's the type of fabric used, the way the pattern is drafted, or a combination of the two.  My one regret is forgetting to add belt loops.  Oh well, I still love them.

10 comments:

Lynneb said...

Nothing like a pattern that works! Your pants look great and you will find that you wear them over and over.

Judith said...

These look super - slim fit is certainly for you...

Marie said...

They look great - it is a very flattering shape. Love the green shoes too.

Sharon said...

Great looking pants and you will get a lot of wear out of them.

Kari said...

I'm always in awe of sewists who make pants that actually look great and fit! I have not been brave enough to venture beyond shorts, so I am impressed!

poppykettle said...

This looks like a pretty good pants pattern - love the little (pocket?) flaps at the back. How do you find the stretch cotton drill wears? I've always been suspicious of this fabric for its potential to stretch and then need a wash to get back into shape. Would love to know how it fares?

Carolyn said...

Very chic and smart!

black chinos said...

They look great - it is a very flattering shape.

Neeno said...

Love these pants!!!!!!! Thanks for the review.

Groomy said...

Awesome slim fit black pants! You look really good in this pair. I also would be starting the workouts soon so have bought very comfy Alo Yoga pants recently. I ordered the pair online and wasn’t sure about the quality but when the package arrived I was extremely happy because of the awesome quality that I had received on a budget.