Pants Muslin #1

I'm not so sure about the "Fit Nice Sew Slim Pants" system. I guess I was expecting perfect fitting pants right out of the pants pattern package. BUT then what is a perfect pair of pants? What should it look like on me? Maybe I need to remain flexible. After all, I should go ahead and sew in the drawstring elastic waistband and see what the pants looks like when finished. So, here's my pants muslin #1 still in the works...front view.



I need to cut the excess fabric off the top of the pants and then sew in the elastic. Here's a side view.



Here's the back view. Wow...where did all that padding come from???? I rarely look at my backside and I'm noticing pictures don't lie!!! I really need to lay off the dark chocolates and do some running.



There appears to be a lot of gathers around the waistline. I could take in the sides a bit, but I need to make sure I have enough room for the pants to go over my hips when I pull them on. ;)

These "Fit Nice Sew Slim Pants" are initially sewn with the draw string elastic waistband. They can be modified to add front pockets, a zipper, and a waistband.

What do you think? Do you see something I don't see? Should I give up on this pattern and try a Burda pattern? Comments and suggestions are are wholeheartedly welcomed here.

Pants Status

I'm still working on my pants. I sewed up the seams and tried them on and I like what I see so far. That is, "no smiles" under my rear smiling back at me. Of course, dark brown fabric wasn't the best choice to use as I have a hard time seeing any real problem areas. I really like the front and especially the side view of my pants...very slimming. BTW, I love this twill fabric with a bit of lycra. I could get used to seeing this fabric in my stash. So, this first pair of pants is on temporary hold.

In the meantime, I have cut out another pair in real muslin fabric. I'll be sewing this pair soon. Working with a light colored fabric will definitely help me see any fitting issue I might have. I figure any initial adjustments that I need to make will be made to the side seams and then see if I need to add any darts in the back. Then I'll check to see what my crotch area (front and back) looks like on me.

It's soooo cool to be in front of my SM again. Kind of like riding a bike. Once you learn, you never forget. ;)

Pants in the Making

As you know I'm on a personal quest to sew a decent pair of pants for myself. It's been two weeks since my pants class and I thought I would start over and retrace another pants pattern. Could I remember all the steps from class? That would be my first clue if the class was well taught. The results? It was a very good class. ;)

The only changes I made to this 2nd version was to draw a smaller waist and then draw a narrower pants leg towards the bottom. My first version would have had the leg width around 20 inches. That would have definitely looked funny on my 5 ft frame. My 2nd version has the pants leg width around 16-1/2 inches.

I dusted off my scissors (paper and fabric) and cut out my pants.



The fabric I'm using is a brown twill with some lycra. At $3/yard, it turned out to be cheaper than using muslin and it was sitting in my stash. (Must make a note to buy some muslin when it goes on sale)

I need to put aside my knitting projects for a few hours this morning and sew my pants. I'm really anxious to see how much tweaking I'll need to do. Ahhhh...the joys of sewing.

Back to the Basics

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to teach a friend of mine how to sew. Actually, it was more of a refresher course on how to use her sewing machine and then onto the basics of sewing. Within that small amount of time, I'm reminded of the passion I had for sewing. It gave me great pleasure to see straight and consistent stitches sewn. My friend even sewed samples of all the stitches her machine could produce. I really enjoy seeing the surprised reactions and pleasure that a simple sewing machine produces.

I had another door/opportunity open for me. I will be teaching again at a local fabric store. This time I hope to teach two of my favorite hobbies. One is in the works and I hope to start in another week (as long as folks sign up). The other class...I need to figure out student availability. You know that feeling. There's never enough time to take a class...morning, afternoon, or evening?

I'm still working part-time at my LYS. Still enjoying my fun adventure there and still giving their yarns a good squeeze.

So, maybe I've found the beginnings of a nice balance between my two favorite hobbies.

As always, I'm enjoying life.

Out of Habit

OMG! I can't believe I've let one of my good sewing habits turn bad. I've let non-prewashed fabric enter my sewing room and mingle with other fabrics. It must have happened months ago when my yarn stash grew and my "piles of stuff" were moved around. It must be a woven-thing, because all of my knits have been prewashed. Or maybe I was thinking if I was going to sew again it would be another knit top since that's all I seem to know how to do.

Well, that mentality will be changing. I was ready to cut out a pair of pants, when I couldn't find any pants fabric or enough yardage. I'm talking prewashed fabrics. So, I spent a few hours with my washer and dryer. I know I have some other wovens stashed away in one of my fabric bins. It's that time of year when I should take inventory and let the fabric breathe for a few days. I should also sort through my fabrics and let go those I've lost interest in.

Later this morning, I'm meeting a friend who is interested in learning to sew again. We're heading to a fabric store to look at patterns and fabrics. I hope to spend some time with her later this week and go through the basics of sewing. Thank goodness I have my sewing outline/notes from my teaching days.

Speaking of sewing, I better get going and start focusing on my pants...brush the dust off my fabric shears and say "hello" to my cutting table.

Day 3 at the Sewing Expo

On the last day of this Expo, I attended my last class "Industrial Shortcuts" with Mickey Hudson-Sandoval. I learned a lot about sewing efficiently and learning to control my sewing machine. Sewing with no basting, no trimming, and no pinning. Let the SM dog feed do all the work. It was a fascinating class.

Mickey did a demo using her SM and showed us how to sew and hold the fabric. She sewed curved edges (e.g. princess seams), curved pockets, applying zippers (centered & lapped), installing a waistband, and sewing a flat felled seam. No pins were used! I'm definitely going to try out these techniques before the weekend ends. Next year, I'll be sure to sign up for Mickey's classes.

I did find some light charcoal/purple colored silk dupioni to underline a black lace shell I plan on making in the future. As the fabric was being cut, some of the ladies were mesmerized at my choice of color. It's really beautiful!

Now, I need to finish some knitting today so I can spend a few hours tomorrow getting reacquainted with my sewing machine.

Attending this Sewing Expo and taking the classes was definitely what I needed to get back into sewing mode again.

Happy Sewing!

Day 1 and 2 at the Sewing Expo

After spending two days at the Sewing Expo, I have to say that there were many more vendors this year than last and there were more sewing classes being offered. This is a good thing. Some of the regular vendors have cut back on what they brought with them. Some vendors that I used to see every year were not present. There were many new vendors from other states that came to Virginia. A few of them travelled hundreds and even thousands of miles by car and trailer. There was a variety of vendors representing quilting, sewing, various sewing machine dealers (Viking, Pfaff, & Brother), etc. One thing I did notice was a lot of fabrics were displayed in bolts, rolls, and pieces and ranged from quilting cottons to fancy fabrics to high end wools.

I stopped in at Vogue Fabrics and found a beautiful black and gray knit fabric destined to be a twinset. That was the only fabric purchase I made, so far. I was on a mission in search of unusual buttons for future jackets and hand knit garments. I did spend time at a wonderful "dry goods" booth that had lots of buttons, trims, ribbons, beads, etc. Here's what I purchased over two days, most of them were on sale for 50% off.





Day 1 @Sewing Expo Class: Lose 10 pounds in a Day-Make Pants That Fit with Judy Kessinger

This 3 hour class was held in a meeting room at a hotel next door to the Dulles Expo center. The minute I arrived into the room, Judy was armed with a measuring tape and my goodie bag and proceeded to take my measurements. I had a feeling that this was going to be a fun class.


Here's what came in my bag:

Yard stick, Dritz tape measure, 6 inch clear ruler, 1 yard of elastic, Master Pants Pattern, and Pattern Ease tracing paper


Judy gave us instructions and steps to follow in tracing our own pattern from the master pants pattern (based on our measurements) each of us received. As you can imagine, everyone's measurements were different and so were our shapes. It was interesting to listen to other sewists and their pants sewing experiences. I felt so comfortable in this class.

Here's the results from the class, my first drafted pants pattern:

My personalized pants pattern, drawn my moi


My pants pattern is long for a very good reason. I will be tweaking them over the next few days


My Goodie Bag from class

I plan on re-taking my measurements and retracing and cutting out another pants pattern. This will reinforce what I learned in class. Plus, you don't get "real" measurements when you are wearing street clothes, if you know what I mean. I can't wait to get started.


Day 2 @Sewing Expo Class: Lining Alternatives by Barb Callahan

I enjoyed this hour long class. I learned about Hong Kong seams and single seam finishes and how beautiful the inside of a garment can look with these techniques. I learned about Silk Dupioni and pre-washing and the many beautiful colors available. I learned that the inside of a garment can be just as pretty as the finished garment is on the outside. I can't wait to sew a jacket and apply these techniques.

Guess what? My sewing mojo came back! I am motivated. I am energized. I can't wait to sew!