The PR wardrobe contest begins tomorrow. I set out to muslin the Style Arc shorts thinking I'd complete those first. I was so excited as I've wanted this pattern for awhile.
Let us talk about the pattern a bit.
a) I'm firmly on the "slash pockets are of the devil" train but I've made them with minimal gaping. And live with it because POCKETS! But these are a special kind of evil.
They extend so far down the hip line that if you are curvy in any.way. you're not going to be happy.
b) That isn't a waistband. That's a waistband facing that's then topstitched down.
I made a pair of waistband-less faced pants for my daughter (from the 11/2015 Burda) and hated the application. I still hate it.
c) Since that is NOT a waistband, you have to start the zipper at a certain point to leave room for the button. I thought it was weird that a 7" zipper fit kind of perfect. Sigh. But by the time I figured this out there was no way I was ripping it all out to lower them. I was fairly sure at that point that I wasn't going to wear them.
d) Most importantly...I missed a BIGGIE. Look at the modeled photo...
They're intended to be worn low, on the hip.
Ah crap. I don't wear low rise pants. I have too much 37 year old, mom of 2 belly fluff to even consider low rise bottoms!
So yeah, in summary, before starting, this isn't a good pattern for me.
Okay, the specifics:
1) My size 16 SA Sandra jeans are too big. As in, I can slip them on and off without unzipping them. The pdf came with 12, 14, 16 and I decided to print the size 14 and after taking flat pattern measurements at waist and hip, was feeling good.
2) Muslined. I have had "this issue" before with muslins. I don't think they're "useless" but I think if you aren't using something very close to the weight, texture, drape, etc of your intended fabric then...the story isn't complete. The muslin was too tight. I opened the side seams and inserted panels.
Standard shortening of the front crotch and based on the back fit (look at the inseams riding up), I decided I needed a full inner thigh adjustment.
I have done a fish eye dart before and thought maybe that would help and pinned it out:
It didn't seem to help much so I thought it must just be the fabric getting hung up on my thick thighs.
I fussed around with the muslin and did some other stuff, and decided to go ahead and sew my cotton sateen from Sawyer Brook (whine). I really loved this color -- it's an olive-y brown -- and I splurged (for *me*) on this fabric at $14.99/yd. I had 1.5 yards with the intention of making a jean-style skirt. And I am a little disappointed to have it used it for these. WAH!
I had to remove ALL of that additional width I added. It wasn't needed. The front looked good...
...and then the back. What.The.Hell.Happened.
I pinned out excess here, as I would with a FED and it seems like it would've helped. It isn't perfectly pinned but it doesn't look as bad as the unpinned leg (left).
Once I realized they were supposed to sit lower, I had a ton of extra fabric in the yoke area. On my Sandra jeans I also had to take a hefty horizontal fold out of the yoke. So it isn't surprising.
But no matter on all the fitting because I just don't like the style.
I don't know what made me WANT these so badly! I have always stayed away from bermudas...Because even when I was 40 lbs lighter, I still had thick thighs.
While I'm relatively straight from waist to thigh, my thighs are really curvy...
And thus I tend to prefer shorts that go *right* to the fullest part (~3.5" inseam) or just past it (the green line) at about 5" inseam.
Eg: My S1430 shorts:
3.5" inseam
And slash pockets that aren't horribly gaping open.
5" inseam
Looking at these photos I realized I never made the shorts again because I couldn't figure out the front. Well, these were made almost 2 years ago (I still wear the denim pair) and NOW I know that I just need to shorten the front crotch! yay! :)
So all that to say...for the contest I'll be switching out the SA Jennifer for S1430, with the longer inseam, and copying the side slit (I like that detail)
Cute!
Well tomorrow is the start of the contest!! I won't have much if any time to sew the next TWO weekends (I know!), so I think I might knock out a couple of easy projects first.
I want to make these shorts very good and very detailed (back welts, belt carriers, etc) so I might save them for my day off on President's Day.
