I made pants! My very first pair. These are Cashmerette’s Calder pants, in rust-colored linen from Fabric.com. I’ve had that pattern printed for awhile, thinking it would be a good one for a first foray into pants-making, and finally took the plunge.
I did make a muslin and discovered that the crotch was way too low. I think it’s still a bit low on the finished garment, even though I raised it a couple inches. (I got spooked by a tutorial that said to be conservative with crotch-lifting, as fractions of an inch can make a big difference.) I also think these might be a tiny bit big, possibly because the linen is more loosely woven than the muslin I used for the test garment. I wonder, though: the waist could stand to be brought in by an inch or two, but then would I still be able to get the pants up over my hips? They barely fit as it is. Perhaps just the elastic needs to be shortened.
I was quite intimidated about making pants, even though in the end they were, as everyone says, not really a big deal. I had always dismissed the idea of making pants out of hand, until it occurred to me to wonder why. I realized that somewhere in my head exists the idea that my legs are so grossly misshapen that no garment I make can possibly house them. That’s ridiculous, of course—they’re just legs. But wow, body stuff runs really deep; this idea about myself has been there for a long, long time. Have I ever mentioned how absolutely loathsomely our culture behaves toward women?
Anyway. I also made another Fiore skirt, this one out of an upholstery-weight linen I got on clearance at Joann. This version is the plain-fronted, zipper-backed variation, although I did add side-seam pockets, because I just won’t wear clothing otherwise. There’s not a lot to say about this, except I feel like I’m vindicated on my earlier observation that the waistband in the pattern is too short!! It happened again!! Why does this information not appear anywhere on the internet? Mysterious.
I also made the two tanks I’m wearing in each of these pictures: a little tank-making project I have going on. I’m trying to create the perfect semi-cropped tank for my body, since I always admire the Ashton top when I see it in pictures but refuse to spend money on it since, damn it, it’s so simple! I started with the Willow top, since I like the way it fits my shoulders, and lowered the dart and increased the bust width enormously. Then I flared out the sides. The white version, the first one I made, has more flare than the colorful cotton version; I restrained the flare a little in my next version.
I’ve also made a third version, as-yet-unphotographed, out of the same linen I made the pants out of, and I have to say, wow, a shirt that fits makes a big difference. I don’t think I’d ever have picked a top like this off the rack, since there’s nothing really special about it, but once I put it on, I don’t know. It just feels better.
I’m not quite sure what’s next on my list. There are certainly a lot of things I’d like to make: another jumpsuit, another pair of Calder pants, a couple of dresses. I may, however, have to start on Dora’s Halloween costume (she wants to be a Catrina) as well as Davy’s (he is going to be a S’more). Hope you’re hanging in there.