Muna And Broad Glebe Pants

The Glebe Pants have easily become one of my favorite pants patterns. I’ve made four pairs so far, and I wear them pretty often, like at least two pairs every week. These are easy to make and wear. I didn’t have a lot of wide leg pants in my wardrobe because I wasn’t sure how I felt about the silhouette. How high did I want the rise? Exactly how wide did I want the pants? Do I want to try pockets on my butt? All of these questions have been answered by a combination of sketching, Glebe pants construction, and hashtag searching.

I started off making these pants with the original sizing. They were offered as a free pattern and came in sizes 1 through 3. Since then, the sizes have been expanded to include size iii up to size 8 as well as an additional view. The Glebe pants pattern comes with two views — View A has a fully elastic waist while View B has a pleated front waistband with elastic in the back. They are designed for larger bodies and that is evident every time I put them on. The rise is perfect for tucking in tops or cropped sweaters. I did not have to make a fully tummy or full butt adjustment. The crotch fit is spot on and I don’t have any issues with gaping or butt exposure when I sit down.

I made my first pair of Glebes for Atlanta Frocktails back in November. I was really pleased at the end result even though I panic-sewed them just before the event. I made them in a size 1 without any adjustments. I used the roma linen/rayon from Stonemountain & Daughter. I picked up this fabric after seeing a red carpet look from the Shrill premiere. Ultimately I’d like to recreate that look for a full on neon suit. Maybe that’ll happen this spring or summer? I see a matching Pona jacket in the near future. The one mistake I made in my fast sewing was to skip interfacing the edges of the slanted pockets. I was in a hurry and didn’t think I needed that step. I was wrong. My pocket edge sags a little bit because I skipped interfacing, but that doesn’t stop me from wearing this pair frequently.

After my first pair, I knew I wanted to make them in a neutral color. Side note: I have worn my neon pair a LOT more than I expected to, so maybe electric colors can also be neutrals. I wanted some black pants to wear to work. I recently got rid of my last pair of ill fitting black ready-to-wear slacks and needed a replacement. I used a viscose twill from the Sewing Studio. It’s hard to photograph the subtle twill texture of the fabric but it’s a really nice detail that elevates the pants. I made a size 1 again based on my hip measurement of 54 inches. My waist is slightly (2 inches) smaller than the size 1 calls for, but the elastic waist makes that null and void. I knew that I wanted to lengthen this pair but I forgot about it until it was time to hem them. I like wearing my pants pretty high on my waist so that made my hem a bit shorter than I cared for. I decided to make a cuff by cutting two rectangles, folding them in half, and sewing them to the bottom of my pants. I’m sure there are more formal ways of doing that, but this worked for me. I forgot to take notes during the process so I don’t necessarily know how much length I should add. I’m starting to keep a notebook with all of my fit adjustments so hopefully I can keep track of these things!

My third pair of Glebe pants was a wearable muslin of the pleated front view. By the time I made these, Muna and Broad had re-released the Glebe pants with fully illustrated instructions, smaller sizes, and a pleated from view. I’d been dreaming of a 1970s style wide leg pant and I knew the pleated front would achieve that. I don’t typically make muslins, but I thought it was important to get the fit right before I cut into my precious fabric. I used a wool blend suiting I bought during my first trip to Fine Fabrics. I’m not sure what its blended with, but it had a nice drape and is mid to lightweight. I knew that losing the elastic waist in the front would mean that I needed to take in the pants somewhere. I wasn’t exactly sure how I wanted to do that, so I started by cutting a smaller piece of elastic for the back half of the waistband. Ultimately they turned out just a tad too big. It might’ve been better if I wrote down the size of the elastic I used, or tried them on with the elastic just pinned in place. I didn’t do that y’all. If you can’t tell, I am a trial and error kind of sewist. The interesting thing is that I still LOVE this pair and wear them often. I try to pair them with a thicker top or sweater that I can tuck in to take up some of the extra space.

My fourth pair was my fanciest version yet. I used a narrow wale corduroy given to me by Imagine Gnats in the russet colorway. I have seen a lot of corduroy popping up this season and I couldn’t resist using it for these pants. I’d describe it as a rusty orange that is definitely in my newly found color palette. I knew that corduroy would give me the drama and 1970s aesthetic I was going for. I was careful about cutting out my fabric to ensure I avoided two tone pants. I have not worked with corduroy often, but I did remember that piece of advice. I also tested a scrap to see the best way to iron it. I didn’t want to alter the texture of the fabric or crush it in any way. I ended up using a lot of steam rather than pressure, and used a scrap as a pressing cloth. I didn’t have any issues with that technique and was able to successfully interface the waistband and edges of the slanted pocket. I’m pretty pleased with how my serger and sewing machine handled the fabric and I would definitely work with it again.

I paired the corduroy with this lovely custom printed Petal Signature Cotton given to me by Spoonflower. Janine Lecour designed this fabric and I’ve been a fan of her work since she popped up in my Instagram feed. I love her use of color and imagery in general. I used the Petal Signature Cotton for the pocket bag as a funky accent. It would not be visible when wearing the pants but I’d get a glimpse of this awesome print every time I put my hands in my pockets. For this version I needed to figure out how to achieve a waist fit that was comfortable without throwing off my pocket or pleat placement. I decided to make the pleats bigger and the waistband smaller. I made the finished pleats 1.25 inches wide each, and took 1 inch from the length of the waistband. This made them fit better at the waist without compromising any design details. I also added 2.5 inches to the length of the pant, but I think I may need to add 3 inches in the future. I haven’t settled on that, but I always forget about it because I never altered the pattern piece. I also want to try a couple different hem options. I prefer a wider hem, but I’d like to see how that looks on a finished garment. Maybe I could try a blind hem?

I’ve learned something with each pair of Glebes I made.

• The neon pair – don’t skip the interfacing instructions, your pockets will thank you
• The black pair – mark how much you need to lengthen the pants
• The wool suiting pair- do some math instead of just guessing about your waist adjustments
• The corduroy pair – extend your front and back pattern pieces so you remember to lengthen your pants and don’t have to measure anything extra

I am incredibly proud of all four pairs of Glebe pants, and I look forward to making many more. I can’t decide on a favorite pair because they are all in heavy rotation. I can really appreciate a pants pattern that is comfortable, chic, and can be made with a variety of fabrics. The pockets are also large enough to fit boxed water. Yes, I tried it and it works. The Glebe pants are definitely a winner in my book. I have a feeling that I’ll be saying that about all of the patterns coming from Muna and Broad.