i love how "New" Science has to be so pussyfoot hdhsgsgjd like to Ease Everyone In;;
heyy yeah! we love time machines too! what a fun concept to think about! =] listen.. š idk how to tell you this gently... but time travel HAS happened already.. a lot of times a Lot of ti-- we just.. we just... don't need a machineš to do it...š yeah... you can do it with your brain... literally anyone can do it, it's.. it was Proven a---yeah.. a long time ago, yeah... i'm so sorry *pulls out tissues* i promise, this is a good thing, it's a good thinggggg we're all catching up, don't feel embarrassed, we've aaaall been there <3 shhh shh shh it's goooood yayy :) it will all make sense again, don't worry, it's okay shhhhsh comecomecome, let's play and watch a 5min video on youtube about time/space <3
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After 2 months of on-and-off work, I have sewn my very first pair of pants!
They are canvas work pants -- specifically the Jutland Pants pattern from Thread Theory.
I knew I'd need to do a bunch of fitting to get the size right, and decided to make a wearable muslin out of cheap canvas. I mostly succeeded at not being a perfectionist about these, but still ended up going a little nuts with the finishing details because I can't help myself.
I printed the PDF pattern at home, taped it all together, and then transferred it to gridded freezer paper to give me a final pattern that was more durable and easier to handle.
I started with their standard size 32, and did a full seat adjustment right off the bat because I could already tell the rear crotch seam was too short for my butt. My actual measurement there was pretty much identical to the size 36 pattern, so I printed that off and used it as a rough guide for making the adjustment before I transferred everything to the freezer paper.
I was really impressed with the instructions from Thread Theory, which are easy to follow and come with an additional sew-along blog that explains everything in a slightly different way. I've never made pants before (or really a garment anywhere near this complex), and it all came together smoothly.
I had some really cute scrap quilting fabric picked out for the pocket flap details, and decided to use it as an inspiration for the decorative stitching on the back right pocket. After some noodling around with different shapes from the print, I came up with a stylized crane I really liked.
Once I'd gotten the initial shape built (everything except the cargo pockets, waistband, and bottom hem), it was time for the first fitting!
Not a bad start. The seat adjustment turned out pretty much perfectly! There just wasn't enough ease in the thighs for freedom of movement (the fabric has zero stretch, and any work pants of mine need to allow for squatting, kneeling, and climbing). Also some tension across the hips was creating a weird... crotch situation.
I spent what felt like an eternity unpicking the outside and inside seams, and then pinning and re-pinning and basting extra fabric into the gaps until I got a shape that worked.
I ended up drafting a couple of long, narrow panels to insert into the side seams. They start about an inch below the waistband and end around the knee, which means I had to get them installed and finished before adding the cargo pockets on top.
This is where I decided to do felled, bound seams. The original pattern calls for flat felled seams, which I love the look of and enjoyed learning how to make. Unfortunately, canvas is bulky and doesn't like to take a crisp fold, and also frays like crazy. It just wasn't working.
I switched to binding each seam with bias tape, and then stitching it down flat so it had the same tidy, smooth, finish as a flat felled seam. I love how this turned out and will definitely be doing it again for future projects with fabrics that tend to fray.
The blue bias tape in the photo is one I had lying around the house and decided to use up for this project. Unfortunately, the panel inserts nearly doubled the number of long seams and I didn't have enough bias tape for them. So I learned how to make my own bias tape out of the gray pocket fabric and the yellow accent fabric. It's not terrible with the help of a bias tape maker, and I love having the ability to make binding that perfectly matches my project.
To adjust the inside seams, I sewed in a long gusset that runs from knee to knee. While the side panels were a pain in the ass and I've adjusted my pattern to eliminate them from future iterations, I think I want to keep the gusset. It's doing a great job of taking strain off the crotch seams when I move, and I'm also finding two smaller, bound, seams on the inner thigh much more comfortable than a single, chunky, serged one like I usually get with jeans.
Here's where I got to with the final fit (adding the waistband, pockets, and hem also changes the silhouette a little). I'm really happy with where I ended up. The pants are fitted enough through the waist and hips that they stay up comfortably without a belt, and make my butt look great. The looser fit through the thighs gives me a full, comfortable, range of motion, and the overall look is much closer to classic men's workwear than the slightly-shrink-wrapped stretch jeans that I've grown accustomed to.
Overall, I'm really happy with this pattern. Aside from adding the gusset, there's only a few changes I'll be making to the original design. I replaced the velcro fasteners for the cargo pockets with snaps (I honestly just hate velcro on clothing). I'll also want to add interfacing to the waistband lining in the future. The soft cotton I used is really comfortable, but adding a little stiffness should make it easier to work with while sewing the wastband and give me a cleaner finished look.
I learned so much about tailoring over the course of this project, and picked up a ton of new techniques. I feel like I not only have a great pattern that I know fits me well and that I can re-use whenever I want, but I also understand a lot more about how pants come together and how to get them to fit and move the way I want. It's super exciting!
Well, I put the question of what my next project should be to the Internet, and the Internet responded. With a convincing voice the answer was āThee shall go forth and attempt to create trousers from corduroy fabric!ā. Sounds a little dramatic, but right now it also feels as like it. Iāve never made trousers before and to be honest, I find the prospect a little daunting. Iām hoping my lack of sewing skills will be compensated for by a tremendous amount of gumption though, and naturally I canāt stand the idea of disappointing my readers, so Iāll just have to give it my best shot.
The fabric Iām using is something I ordered via eBay from a British mill. It sounded wonderful in the description and appeared to be just what I was after, wide whale corduroy in a deep green. Looking at it now it is indeed wide of whale, but feels a little less heavy of weight and the colour is more pond-like than woodland green. Which all in all makes it quite perfect for this project, i.e. my first try at something that may or may not work out well. Iām sure youāre thinking āCāmon Nick, stop working the drama here, youāve sewn stuff before!ā. Iāll have you know though, I peeked in the instructions and there is mention of French seams and such there! I really donāt have a clue as to what they are, though I hope it may become clear.
Ā The pattern Iām using is the āJutland Pantsā by Canadian Thread Theory Designs. Theyāre a fairly young company, but very dedicated to menswear patterns. The pattern is pretty comprehensive though, giving two quite different variations to make. One is a very regular type of trouser, the other a more work/utility trouser. Iād think you can also safely combine features from both once you get a little more familiar with it. This does go to show that maybe there arenāt a million variations of trousers and that with a little experience you can really style it however you want it, adding details as required, and most important of all end up with a pair of trousers that fit.
Iād like to start out by giving Morgan & Matt at Thread Theory a huge helping of kudos for the effort they put into documenting their patterns. You get the actual pattern in the standard issue tissue paper (actually, I found this even flimsier than the Foreman pattern from Merchant & Mills, deduct a point there) and a 28-page booklet of instructions. The instruction booklet is very comprehensive and details both variations of the pattern. Now for most people this is probably more than enough and will let them whizz through the process of sewing their trousers. I have to admit again though that even though Iāve enjoyed seasons of Sewing Bee, I still find the actual technical sewing expressions a little difficult.
And this is where Thread Theoryās additional level of support comes in: They do sew-a-longs for each pattern. Similar to what Iām doing really, except they know what they are doing and donāt make mistakes underway. So, for this project Iāll be using both the instructions and following the āJutlandā sew-a-long, and hopefully Iāll both learn lots of new stuff underway and end up with a nice pair of trouser. Even if theyāll be in āgraynā corduroy.
So, given that I actually started this project three days ago, how far have I got so far? Only as far as cutting out the paper patterns, transferring them to the fabric, cutting out the fabric and applying interfacing to the bits that require that. Doesnāt sound like much when all mentioned in a single sentence, but it was a few hours work! And it does really kickstart the project when you take a bolt of fabric and explode it into all the component parts. How many parts? 23 parts, including lining, not including the Ā pieces of interfacing. Part of the joy of assembly is seeing that number be reduced every time you sew two pieces together, finally ending up as one single piece, aka the finished garment.
To get you in the mood, here are some photos from what Iāve done so far. Or you could look at the āJutland pantsā Pinterest page for more trouser-based inspiration.
All the necessary pieces of pattern for āvariation 1ā have been carefully cut out of the tissue paper.
Once cut out I pinned them carefully to the reverse side of the corduroy and marked round the edges with seamsmans chalk in a splendid light blue colour.
A nice pile of flimsy tissue pieces. These need to be taken care of for the next pair of trousers!
Here are all 23 pieces of corduroy and striped linen/cotton pocket lining.
Now, Iām not making any grand promises of progress on this one. Iāll do what I can, when I can, but with glorious summer going on and family commitments, some things have to give.
Ā New project! Corduroy trousers! #trousers #sewyourown #seamsman #slowfashion #threadtheorydesign #sewingbee Well, I put the question of what my next project should be to the Internet, and the Internet responded.
A quick headās up for sewists that may be interested in making masculine clothing!
Thread Theory is having a half off sale on all of their PDF patterns.Ā
They have a wealth of different sizes available (XS to 4XL) and options for slimmer or roomier cuts. Thereās lots of variety in pattern options, as well as a few sew-alongs for help in making the clothes.
The sale goes on until June 19th. I highly recommend them.Ā
(also, if youāre at all interested in seeing well-fit boxer briefs on super cute dudes, have a peek at the Cosmox trunks.... just sayinā)Ā
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I have a problem. Ā You see, it's that I work. Ā So do thousands of other women. Ā I know that lots of people (like, most adults) have jobs, but I don't have an office or desk job. Ā I WORK. Ā I'm an arborist (aka tree trimmer aka urban forester). Ā In the 3.5 years I've had my current job, I have destroyed about 10 pairs of pants. Ā They rip, get covered in chainsaw oil, and just plain wear out. Ā I've ripped pants in the knee, in the seat, in the crotch...I'm really hard on pants. Ā Add to that the fact that I am a short-ish, curvy female person, and you start to have a problem. Ā It's really hard to find good, sturdy, inexpensiveĀ women's work pants. Ā I've never had a pair of work pants that I really truly liked wearing.
So, I've decided to take matters into my own hands and MAKE MY OWN PANTS. Ā Side bar: I'm not a terribly experienced sewer, but I will have lots of assistance. Ā My mom is a professional seamstress and my boyfriend does a lot of his own tailoring.
Since the availability of work pant patterns for women is even worse than ready made pants (read: non-existant) I'll be adapting a men's wear pattern. Ā I got the Jutland pantĀ pattern from the wonderful and amazing people atĀ http://threadtheory.ca/Ā . Ā They are an indie clothing design and pattern company from Canada and I want to make ALL of their clothes for myself. Ā Plus, they offered me some really great advice on tailoring the pattern to fit me, which is super amazing!
I'm just at the very beginning stages of this project, but I'll be posting updates as I go. Ā Right now I've just printed the pattern out, and I've ordered the supplies I'll need. Ā Once my fabric arrives I'll begin the broadcloth mock-up! Ā In the meantime, I'll be giving some sneak peaks of the patterning process. Ā Stay tuned!
Finally! Finished up a full pair of the Comox Trunks that I altered to be more of a girltrunks style. This finished pair has a covered elastic waistband, zigzag topstitching, and a continuous front and back piece (no center seams across the crotch). There are a couple more things that I'd like to change for the next pair to make them fit a little better, but overall I'm super happy with them!
[ I'll post more on what alterations I made to the pattern later on, so that other people can do the same if they're interested. ]
