And now for a pair of pants...

So if you're having people over the next day for lunch, the house is a mess because you've been rearranging rooms and your husband is asleep as he felt ill, you probably wouldn't think it a good idea to sew a new pair of pants. But you're not me, are you?

Because that's exactly what I did!

It's not quite this bright...

I purchased some navy blue fabric from an op-shop for $2. It reminds me of the fabric men's work shirts are made of, a thick cotton, kinda like denim, but not quite. There ended up being about 160cm of it, but it was very wide fabric, so I had just enough for a pair of full length pants, with pockets and waistband.

I started with my graded up Burda style 6966 pants pattern, but tapered in the leg quite a lot, so I could fit all my pattern pieces on to the fabric. To be honest, I thought they would end up being quite narrow legged pants that I wouldn't have probably liked too much, but they have ended up being very similar to a regular pair of modern jeans in the leg fit. I decided to give flat-felled seams a go for the outside and inside leg seams, and was quite pleased with the results, however, getting right down the second seam on the leg proved to be quite a challenge, and I certainly wouldn't have managed it had the leg been any narrower. If you haven't heard of flat felled seams before, it is a type of seam where there are no raw edges left out, and is commonly seen on jeans and shirts. The interesting part of a flat felled seam is that you start by sewing your 2 pieces of fabric WRONG sides together, which is the opposite of what you would normally do. One seam allowance is then trimmed, and the longer one is folded over it and sewn. Here is a simple diagram that may help explain it better.

I also added 2 patch pockets to the back of the pants, which I lined with a white cotton with a moustache print. I used the same cotton to line the waist band. I used a regular dress zip in the back, and I'm going to use a single large white button on the waistband.

The Lining Fabric

Back of the pants

Close up of the back, showing the lining

Front view

They have ended up a bit snugger than I'd hoped for, but I can get them done up, so that's all that counts, right? I just can't sit down, hahahahaha.

Ah well, despite the slight fit issue, I love how these pants have turned out, and I'm now much more confident in cutting into my nice denim to make myself a pair of 40's style swing pants. I don't have any shots of me wearing them, as it is now late at night and I'm in my pyjamas. I'l try to get a shot of me wearing them on the blog soon. I still have to put on the button, button hole and hems anyway.

Happy Easter everyone!

Dixie

P.S. Actually, I did manage to sit down in them, and I didn't bust a seam!