Oh Miss K. She never has enough bottoms. Store ones never fit her right so it's up to Mom to make them. Sweats are the easiest because they meet K's list: fuzzy, comfortable, easy to move in; They also meet my list: knit so they fit better, easy to sew, fast to sew.
(Top pairs are longicorn, bottom pairs are saija - dark fuzzy velour does not photo well)
I sewed up 4 pairs for K over the course of the last week, two of each pattern. I will make K some corduroy pants and jeans over the winter but I needed these pants fast. The cold came just like a light switch flipping on and now K has enough pants to last her all week at school. Whew!
Let's talk about
04/2011 #33 Longicorn first
Size:
I traced, cut and sewed these in a straight 134. They fit well but are a bit long - cool because they should last her all year and maybe if I'm lucky, next year.
Changes: I eliminated the pockets to save time - I must say, the pockets on these are a bit weird. I don't really care for that design. In the future if I make these again with pockets I'll use the normal ones from the next pattern below. On the second pair I lowered the front piece waist by 3/4" in the front tapering to 0" to meet the back side seam. K liked them much better. She hates things up by her belly button. For both pairs I didn't use a drawstring or put buttonholes on the waistband.
Fabric:
Pair 1: A teal sweatshirt fleece from Mill End Textiles - 1 yard - $3.95; ribbing is a purple from Fabric.com - only a small bit is used. Maybe 1/4 yard?
Pair 2: A light pink sweatshirt fleece from Mill End Textiles - 1 yard - $3.95; ribbing is a light pink modal that I managed from scraps of a previous bubble skirt of K's that didn't work well.
Instructions: Sorry, I didn't use them. I can only assume they are easy to understand because they are pants. Pants are easy to sew. I always sew F & back inseams together first, then crotch seam, then side seams, attach the waistband and cuffs or hem.
(The bottom cuffs sort of get lost as on right. left is when she held the pant leg up)
Conclusion: I like these a lot. They look nice and the cuff at the bottom keeps K warm. They will fit in her winter boots nice too.
Ok, now for
01/2009 #29 "Saija" Sweatpants
Size:
I traced, cut and sewed these in a straight 134. When I trace I always put 1a and 1b together before cutting out. So if you do this also, there are only 4 pieces (with the pocket). I used a 1/2" seam allowance.
They fit well but are a bit long - cool because they should last her all year and maybe if I'm lucky, next year.
Changes:
I eliminated the pockets to save time, although I like these ones - they are cute.
I also eliminated the buttonholes in the waistband and did not use petersham ribbon in it. In the first pair I used 2" elastic within the ribbed waistband and cut about 2 inches off in height. I made a bow and just sewed it down on the front of the pants. In the second pair I eliminated the ribbed waistband, added 1.5" to the top waist of both pattern pieces and sewed in 1" elastic, flipping it over and top-stitching.
(7am surprise photo shoot. lol)
Fabric:
Pair 1: Navy blue stretch velour. I actually cut up an old pair of mine from when I was much larger. They sewed up nice and were my "trial" pair. I like how they fit although they are a bit long.
Pair 2: An Eggplant purple stretch velour from Fabric.com - 1 yard.
Instructions: Sorry, I didn't use them. I can only assume they are easy to understand because they are pants. Pants are easy to sew. I always sew F & back inseams together first, then crotch seam, then side seams, attach the waistband and cuffs or hem.
Conclusion: I love these. They are so cute and look very comfy for K. I'm sure this pattern will become a staple around here.
~ Happy Sewing! ~ Kristin ~
