Pants!
Three days ago, I was desperate for some sturdy pants for winter, and feeling rebellious toward the thrift and retail stores on which I have been dependent for so long to such unsatisfactory result. Tired of being forced to choose between pants that look nice but are flimsy, or are warm and comfortable but haggishly hideous, I determined to take matters into my own hands.
On Friday night, I pulled out Vogue 7481 pants pattern (purchased on sale for $4) and some russet-colored denim, and cut out my pattern pieces. It took about an hour.
On Saturday I got up at 8:30 and proceeded to sew until 4:30. I didn’t finish, but got the basic form of the pants put together. I took my time reading the instructions, worked carefully, and did not skip any steps.
[I did, however, have trouble when attaching the waistband, as it was too short to cover the fly by about 1/2". I do not think this was intentional (it required a creative adjustment on my part) and upon reviewing the instructions and pattern pieces cannot figure out what, if anything, I was meant to do differently. Also, the right waistband pattern piece is missing the center back markings for size 14 and 16. Had I not noticed this, the waistband would have been even smaller.]
Today I finished, spending about another five hours, for a total of 14 hours. I had to re-work part of the waistband and hem the legs, and taking care to knot and tuck in all those loose threads can be time-consuming. I had fun overturning my button jar and selecting just the right button:
I’m happy with the pattern, despite the waistband issue. It produced a pair of sturdy, nicely-fitting pants. These were my test pants, and for the next pair, I’m going to be sure to finish all the interior raw edges; I know that leaving those raw can result in unraveling in the wash depending on your fabric type. My next step will be to make a test pair of the fitted style (b) that comes with this pattern; I made the straight-leg style (c).
Then I can decide which one to use for my lovely honey-brown corduroy fabric. Maybe a combination of the two, since I tend to like straight-leg pants, but want pockets, too.
