Tag: pants

More Prototype Pants

Skulls & roses knicker-shorts

I made these over the weekend, despite the best efforts of my sewing machine and overlocker. I don’t know why both of my machines are still playing up, but it’s driving me mad. The top thread keeps snapping on the overlocker every time I come to sew across a seam, and my ordinary machine has taken an exception to sewing elastic. It doesn’t want to feed evenly, which makes the stitching look terrible.

Anyway. I drafted the pattern as per the instructions in the book, and then I sewed the knickers, and then I tried them on, and now I know what I want to change before I make the next pair. Which is almost everything. Mostly to get around the problems of my machinery, rather than anything much to do with the knickers themselves.

They have elastic around the waist but not around the legs, because I wanted something that was in between ordinary pants and french knickers. Now I can’t decide whether I actually like them or not, because they’re neither one thing nor the other.

I might have to wear them a few times and see how they go.

Skull & Rose Print Knickers

Red and black skull print knickers

This is pair of knickers number five. This time I started with Kwik Sew 2100, the most striking aspect of which was the ridiculous width of the gusset, especially as the sizes increase. I modified that part of the pattern to make more anatomical sense, and I was impressed by the instructions for putting together the lined gusset. It’s a bit fiddly but you end up with no raw edges on the inside, which makes these knickers very comfortable to wear.

I didn’t like the way that the original knickers were so puffy, so I decided to combine a stretch and a woven fabric to try and make them a bit flatter. They are more streamlined than they look in the picture (the mannequin’s so small I can’t stretch them right out), but they’re still not how I want them. I really need to buy a lingerie-drafting book, so I can work out how to do this properly.

I’m trying really hard to avoid using entirely stretch fabrics because there’s so much more interesting variety in wovens, but I’ll have to get the pattern absolutely right if this is going to work. These need the print panels to be smaller and the jersey panels to be bigger, to allow more stretch around the legs.

I also tried two different ways of applying the elastic – the waist has the elastic turned to the inside, and around the legs it’s on the outside. Each method is a two-step process, so there’s no time-saving in doing it one way over the other, but I think aesthetically I prefer the elastic on the outside, which I didn’t expect. Maybe because it looks more like something you’d buy from a shop, which is what I usually try to avoid.

[Later…]
In fact, I liked the elastic on the outside so much that I trimmed off the waist elastic and sewed it again to match the legs. Much better.

Koi Carp Knickers

Koi Knickers

From Cloth Magazine again. These are made from a lightweight printed cotton, leftovers from a skirt and a corset.

This time I experimented with applying the elastic in a different way. First I stitched it to the outside of the knickers, and then turned the elastic to the inside and used a three-step zig-zag stitch to finish it off. I also modified the pattern slightly, cutting in in two at the crotch and adding a seam allowance. This allowed me to separate the front and back, so that I could use this directional print without any of the fish being upside down.

I’m still not totally convinced that I like the style of these knickers. However, I can confirm that they’re really comfortable to wear, and they’ve survived the washing machine – so that’s a plus!

Butterfly Brocade Knickers

Butterfly brocade knickers

Knickers: Pair Three.
Once again from the pattern in Cloth Magazine.

This pair turned out not to be such a success. The fabric’s a polyester brocade, which doesn’t drape as well as other fabrics. I also used a different type of elastic, thinking that the ruffles would look pretty with the golden butterflies. Unfortunately the elastic isn’t very strong, so it doesn’t pull the fabric in as much as it needs to.

Basically this means that unless I change the elastic, these knickers are just going to fall down! So they’re now on a pile waiting to be unpicked, which is a bit of a shame. Still, this is the point of a learning curve, so I can’t mind too much.

Knickers!

Knickers!

Today I went shopping to buy some sketchbooks, which is something that I do at the beginning of every year. While I was in the art shop I spotted a little magazine I hadn’t seen before, called Cloth.

I had a quick flip through, and spotted some instructions for making a pair of knickers. They looked easy and fun, so I decided to give it a go. These little spotty numbers took about an hour from start to finish, including printing out the pattern and gathering up all the supplies.

They’re made from a non-stretch fabric, so that when you add the elastic they go all ruffly. I’m not 100% certain that’s a look I like, although the pictures in the magazine of knickers made in silk and with ribbons and ruffles are absolutely adorable!

I think I might make a few more pairs of these – I have loads of lingerie elastic in the stash, and they’d be especially comfy in stretch cotton recycled from an old t-shirt. Not as glamorous as this spotty pair, but lovely and comfy.

The pattern is available online, but I heartily recommend that you buy the magazine. They have a really nice mix of projects, ranging from these simple pants through to building a sheepskin lining for a jacket. They also have a comprehensive section of sewing instructions, so that even a complete beginner could pick up the magazine and have a go. I’ll definitely be looking out for the next issue!

Enormous Trousers!

Vogue 8367, view C

Here’s what I’ve been up to for the past couple of days – making a pair of ENORMOUS trousers!
The pattern is Vogue 8367, view C.

The fabric is a slightly mad pinstripe… it’s a polyester/wool blend, but the stripes are metallic in red, blue and gold.

I wanted a pair of high waisted trousers for a reason – I have a lot of abdominal pain, so most trousers are really uncomfortable to wear. Because they’re so low, the waistband digs in when I sit down, and that’s pretty painful. I have some pull-on trousers which are great, but I wanted something that was a bit smarter. I think these fit the bill, and I’ll probably make a couple more pairs in different fabrics.

I am madly in love with these trousers, and I can’t wait to take them off the dress form and put them on!