Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Sasha Trousers, Closet Case Patterns

Last August, I had started fitting a muslin for the Sasha Trousers pattern I picked up when mom and I were in Canada. There were three versions made at the time, but nothing I was ready to try in fashion fabric. In February, I decided to give fitting pants another go. I believe the pattern I cut for this version was a size 14 graded out to 16 through the hips. I added 3/4" to the upper lengthen line and 2" to the lower lengthen line. That 2" could safely be taken back down to 1" in the future.
Maybe not ideal coordinating footwear
Fabric is a ponte knit from Vogue and it was very easy to cut and sew. It has good stretch and will be comfortable to wear to work all day.

Checks are small enough that I do not need to try to pattern match at seams
For some reason, I didn't take pictures during constructions. Looking back now, I don't remember any significant issues, but maybe pics would have helped to jog my memory.
Pocket lining
Pockets and lining are scraps of quilting cotton. The right and left sides don't match, but no one will see the inside except me. The next set of pics is when I finished sewing the trousers up the first time. I set my camera phone on a timer and took a few shots to assess fit.
Horizontal lines at the crotch and zipper pulls open
Hands out helps, but I 'set' the zipper cover for this picture
Based on these pics, I added top-stitching to the flap over the zipper to help stabilize it and then I decided to wear the pants to work trying not to use the pockets. Shortly after getting to work that first day, I knew I needed to take in the waistband. By the end of first period my waistband was stretched out too much and I had to borrow a safety pin to keep my pants cinched in for the rest of the day.  A week or two later, I finally got around to making more fit adjustments. I took off the waistband in the back and cut out 1.5" before reattaching it. That improved the gaping in the back and ensured that my pants were not in danger of falling down again at work. Adjusting the waistband also helped reduce the crotch lines. The next set of pics was during self-distancing so I was employing the iPhone timer again.
Even with hands in pockets, fewer stretch lines
From the back, you can see the seam where I took in the waistband. The center back seam and the waistband seam do not line up exactly, but I'm definitely not going to lose sleep over that.
The fit on these is much improved

Zipper is still too short for these pants, next time I'll lengthen that too
Side view
Porch sitting
Zipper, snap, and a hook and eye fastener
I do intend to make another pair of these trousers to try out some adjustments to the pattern.  That's on hold for awhile though until I can get back to the fabric store. We just got word today that the stay-at-home order has been extended through April 30, so I'll move on to another sewing project for now.

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