Copying my "Go To" Pants

Do I own any 'Ready-to-Wear' garments ?  Yes, but not that many.   I find the shopping process very frustrating when you still feel the garment must have some alteration to get the fit you are looking for. I can usually sew something in less time!   Anyhow, I actually had a pair of cotton pants that fit just great.  I wore them and wore them until they were only appropriate to be worn for yard work.  Rather than toss them into the garbage can I converted them into a pattern.  This guarantees a great fit without having to make a muslin on a new pattern and spend endless hours tweaking the fit.

For detailed instructions of my process please check out the October/November 2017 issue of Threads magazine.  I'm rather excited they chose to publish some of my work!

For detailed instructions of the Deconstruction process please look at the October/November 2

The dotted tracing paper lines show on the wrong side of the fabric.

The area where the welt pocket is to be sewn has a strip of fusible interfacing to prevent cross grain stretch.
 The back welt is machine stitched and basted close .

Fabric: Dusty purple wool gabardine from Sawyer Brook Distinctive Fabrics in Clinton, Mass.




The waist band is finished off with a facing .




After the waist band facing is attached I top stitched next to the white hand basted guide lines .

Purple Linen Sashiko Skirt

Finally, the skirt is done.  These last few weeks in August have been quite humid.  It's hard to do anything when the heat and humidity slow you down.
I experimented with the Babylock Sashiko machine again.  I did apply fusible interfacing to the bias waistband but not on the skirt area.  I wasn't sure whether the machine would stitch smoothly without interfacing or batting but it did just fine!  The variegated thread is Valdani cotton.

(Click on any pic if you need to see an enlargement)

























On the inside waist band facing I chose to hand pick the under stitching to keep the facing from rolling to the outside.  Machine under stitching can be rigid with crisp fabrics, therefore I chose to hand stitch to keep it more pliable.  I also used the silk twill for the Hong Kong seam finish.   The lining is Bemberg Ambiance rayon. 

I suppose I need to make a blouse to go with this.  I have a habit of drifting onto other projects so that may not happen right away.