Swishy Fish

I made these wide-legged trousers a while ago, and since they only made me stumble once (despite regular wear) I thought it would be safe to make a winter version. The idea of swishing around in shiny wool seemed like a good one, and I pulled out a fabric I'd bought in Toronto during my vacation there. The pieces were cut during an evening of work/play at my friend Karen's appartment, and we took some pictures when I visited her at work!

These are the Kommatia Palazzo pants, which I've made before in linen. This wool has a lot more body (although it's still quite drapey) and I really like how the shape gets more pronounced! Sewing these was very quick (the most time-consuming step is the fly front and even that is not such a big deal), these were done in two evenings!

I didn't topstitch the pockets on my first version and regretted that ever since because the pocket lining kept peeking out (it has been fixed with some hand stitching) so I made sure not to skip that step on these. It still shows a bit (which is what tends to happen with this type of pockets and bright contrast linings) but not nearly enough to bother me.

I also noticed in my previous versions that the waistband tended to grow and relax too much, even with interfacing. I had a leftover piece of an interfacing with rows of stitches running through it, which is usually used in jackets, and I used that for the waistband. The stitching runs parallel to the length of the waistband and acts as a kind of staystitching, so this thing does not give. They won't be my eating pants, but they won't fall down either!

I did forget that I had added length to my summer version (after a warning from Eleonore) and didn't do that for this one, so these are finished with the tiniest bias faced hem. I'm not exceptionally tall and having something come out short (when it's not intended to be short) is a rare occurence!

I like how these are both basic (dark wool herringbone fabric) and dramatic (there's some silver woven through the fabric and of course those wide legs! A heads up about fabric quantity: The pattern says you need 2,40 meters but I had 1,5 yards and got them cut out without puzzling. I'm not sure if this still applies to larger sizes, but you don't need as much fabric if you're making a size small!

The t-shirt I'm wearing with it is another slightly modified Renfrew (neckline raised, side seams straightened for a boxier fit). I made this to wear to our latest elections so cut out the word 'Lies!' in white flock foil stuff and ironed it on. It's gotten a lot of wear since then, and caused some confusion!

You Have A Bug On You Heh Heh Heh

Life hasn't all been velvet coats and luxury lately. I also made some time to sew a few basics! Another thing that had been on my mind was a simple straight button-front skirt, sort of like a jean skirt. I was about to start searching for a pattern when I remembered I could mess with the Moss skirt and make it happen!

This was an easy alteration: I indicated the center front on the pattern pieces and added some width to create a cut on placket. These were then folded over and topstitched in place before constructing everything else. This worked out really well, but next time I would construct the pockets first so the edges are caught in the placket! I kind of forgot about that.

I had recently used this pattern for this dungaree dress and thought I'd be fine size-wise, but when I tried the skirt on before attaching the waistband it was too big in the waist. It's not such a big deal when you have straps holding it up (and I even prefer it a bit looser then) but no good on its own! I took the waist in by about five cm all around. It's still a little loose but at least it stays up! I traced a size 6 and according to the Grainline size chart I could use a size 4, but this felt like it was more than one size too big. Maybe I should write down the size I traced on my pattern pieces. Live and learn!

Have a wrinkly butt picture! I like how this skirt is a bit of a blank canvas, so I can let the corduroy do the talking. It's maybe a smidge too lightweight for this, but I loved the colour. I also felt a bit lazy so used jeans buttons down the front instead of hand-sewing all of them.

Did you notice the sweater? It's a fabric I printed a few months ago, and finally got around to using it! I used three hand-carved beetle stamps and silver block printing ink to stamp a random pattern on a length of cotton sweatshirting fabric. The fabric had a faded spot so the amount I could use was a bit limited, but it was just enough for a heavily modified Renfrew!

I cropped the top a bit so I could wear it with high-waisted things without tucking it in, straightened the side seams for a more relaxed fit and raised the neckline a bit. The cuffs, hem and neckline are finished with plain black ribbing. This thing has already had a ton of wear, and has resulted in a few jokes (hence the title of this post)!

I'm thinking of making another one of these skirts in plain black, that might become a true workhorse. I also have some glitter french terry around that would make another good sweater. Time for a winter uniform!