Everybody Pants Now

I really hope you read the title to the tune of “Everybody Dance Now” by C+C Music Factory. If not, go listen to it and meet me back here. I also hope you’re a Parks and Rec fan and remember when Leslie Knope sang that line.

Its January and I’m making pants!!! In 2018 I made:

• leggings
• culottes
• casual trousers
• jeans

Okay when I put it all together that sounds like a lot. In my mind I didn’t make a lot of pants last year. These makes were spread out across the year and I made a lot more dresses and tops than pants. After I saw the #sewfancypants and #sewwithme2019 challenges I decided that I should focus on making some pants this month.

Leggings and jeans are on my Make Nine 2019 list, so I know that I’ll be carving out some time for those. I wanted to take this month to try some pant styles that I hadn’t made before. I’m also trying to make more clothes to wear to work.

Thats where the Seamwork Channing pants come in. As soon as I saw this pattern I knew that I had to make them. They have an old school vibe with a funky update. I made a size 22 based on my measurements and jumped into sewing with some wool suiting I picked up at Sewfisticated Fabrics.

When I first tried them on I thought they were a bit large for my intended silhouette. I also noticed that I had sewn the pleats incorrectly on one side. I don’t usually try on my garments until they are completed but I’m glad I did in this case.

The positive ease was clearly indicated when I compared the body and finished garment measurements. That’s all on me for not checking ahead of time. My desired silhouette is also just a personal preference. I think the silhouette of the original pattern is really nice. I just decided to tweak it for my intended look.

I took off 2 inches at the outer leg seam and 1 inch at the inner leg seam starting from the bottom of the pocket down to the hem. I didn’t want to distort the pocket, so thats why I didn’t alter the fit starting at the waist. I haven’t done a lot of fit adjustments (especially on pants) so that was my best guess at how to achieve my goal. Starting at the pockets made the upper part of the pants look a bit more curved than I intended, but it isn’t going to stop me from wearing the mess out of these pants. I decide to pair these pants with two of my favorite Cashmerette tops – the Pembroke and Montrose.

I didn’t make any adjustments to the waistband because the flat front and elastic back worked out great for me. I really love these pants. They are fun, very comfortable, and definitely appropriate for work. I am really excited to make them again in a black wool suiting I found on the remnant table.

I think I’ll size down for my next version, or take them in starting at the waist. I really like the pleats in these pants and they definitely make me feel fancy. I’m thinking about trying some sort of printed fabric in the future. I also wonder how a slightly heavier or more structured fabric would look.

What is your favorite pants pattern? What do you like most about that pattern? Feel free to leave a comment and share your pants story.