Today I’m sharing a pair of pants that I finished way back in May. I actually started them at the end of February in preparation for a trip that I had planned for Italy in March. Sadly, once the trip was canceled due to covid, I abandoned the project for a few months.
I’m a little obsessed with finding the perfect travel wardrobe and I thought these pants would be the perfect new addition. When I travel, I want clothing that will be lightweight and easy to pack, comfortable to wear and hopefully a bit stylish too. This pattern is the Dexter pants by Seamwork magazine and they are a slim fit stretch knit pant. I imagined myself skipping around Rome in comfortable elegance. Le sigh.
Usually, when I start a project, I try to find supplies in my stash and then find a pattern to match. This was one of those rare projects where I was more inspired by the idea of the garment I wanted to make and then went and bought the appropriate supplies.
I used a double knit ponte fabric from Joann’s. It has a nice weight to it so that it feels stable for a bottom weight but also has enough stretch for this pattern. For this pattern, you also need a 9” invisible zipper, 1/4” wide elastic and knit fusible interfacing. I like to keep 1/4” wide elastic in my stash at all times but had to buy the other supplies as I don’t use them as frequently.
If you’re not familiar with Seamwork, it’s an online magazine that’s probably been around for about 5 years now. It was started by Colette pattern company. They release a new issue on the first of every month along with two new patterns. I really love seeing the new issue every month. The articles are free but if you subscribe, you get credits to download patterns from their catalog. Their catalog of patterns is pretty extensive now and the first place I go when I’m looking for something new to sew. If you’re interested in signing up, you can get $3 off your first month using this link. (I’ll get a small bonus too, if you sign up via that link.) Seamwork also has an online forum to share and ask questions and they regularly host a Design Your Wardrobe project to help you create a custom handmade wardrobe. DYW is currently open for signups until August 10, 2020.
I’ve made pants or shorts using Seamwork patterns a few times before so I’ve figured out the sizing and adjustments that work for my body. I’m 5’11” with a fairly long torso. My waist is about 29” and my hips are 39.5”. I made a size 8 with a full calf adjustment and 2” added to the length of the leg. Sometimes, I also add length to the rise of the pants but I don’t think I did this time. (If you want to learn how to adjust the rise, check out this post.)
I don’t remember if I actually did this or not, but I did make a note in my sewing journal to take in the legs for a slimmer fit. As I recall (sorry! it’s been a couple months), the calves felt fine but the thighs were a little baggy so I wanted to take them in along the inseam.
This pattern features exposed pin tucks in the center of the front and back legs, side vents at the ankle, an invisible side zipper and a facing to finish the waistline. The one change that I made in the construction was to stitch the pin tucks all the way to the edge of the fabric. I initially did as instructed, stopping before the edge but that didn’t seem to really work for me. You’ll just want to be careful to press the pin tuck in the direction you want it to go, or try to press it flat at the top.
If you’re interested, the sewing planner shown in the photo above, is available in my shop as a pdf printable. You download it and then print at home as many times as you like. You can check it out here. When I started to write this post, I was really glad to find that I had made notes in my planner about what I’d done when I sewed this up. It’s such a helpful tool to use. By the way, in these photos I’m wearing the pants with the Morningside Shirt I posted a couple of weeks ago. I think they really do go quite well together.
I think I sewed these up pretty fast sometime in May because I just wanted to get the project done. I really didn’t have any need to wear them but it felt a little sad to have all the materials there and not used. I really love the pants and I’m very glad to know that they are in my wardrobe for whenever I get to travel next.
My wardrobe plans have definitely changed with this prolonged quarantine. So many of the clothes that I used to wear just don’t make sense for staying home all the time. I’m not too upset about that. I know one day, we’ll get back out there and those garments will be ready and waiting for me. Just like these pants.
