Pants...Getting To The Bottom Line

Best laid plans...
Four weeks ago, while at an agility class with Mr. Berkley, I somehow managed to catch my shoe on the rubber tile, and I went flying, landing with all of my weight coming down on my left knee. The trainer ran over and asked if I was okay. The impact was so powerful that I actually felt like throwing up. All I could manage to say was that I needed to take a break. (Silver Lining...I didn't re-injure my wrist!) But, me being me, I sucked it up and stayed through the rest of the class. By the time I made it home, my knee was the size of a large softball. I iced it, and sent my husband to the pharmacy for Arnica cream. It took about a week for the swelling to begin subsiding, but there was a big sack of fluid on my knee. Finally, the fluid began to disappear, but last Friday morning while making the bed, I once again managed to trip and fall, landing on my left knee. I now have an appointment to see an orthopedic doctor. I'm walking on the knee, and it doesn't hurt to walk, but it's extremely painful to touch, and going up and down stairs has been a great challenge. So, with all of that, I am a few days late with my next pant post.

The theme of our second week of our pant posts is all about the bottom line, literally...our bottoms :/ Not something that most of us want to talk about. 

Becky of Trail Balloons, my fellow challenger has a flat bottom. She absolutely loves the Flat Bottom Flos from Style Arc. While those of us who have a round bottom...like me, we tend to think that those with a flat bottom have it made. But it does pose fitting issues that are just as dire to the flat bottom girls as the round bottom girls. Becky has done a very detailed post on fitting a flat bottom in THIS post. 

My favorite pattern for my round bottom is the Barb Pant from Style Arc Patterns. And to make it all the sweeter, you can get the pattern for FREE just for signing up to receive the Style Arc newsletter. HERE'S the link!

   
The pattern photo for the Barb Pant looks like it was drafted for a thin and rather flat bottom. But, that is not the case.

Here's what the pattern actually looks like;

The front is on the left, and the back on the right. Look closely at the front. The crotch curve is minimal. The back has a very deep curve, and looks to be raised at the center back line, as it is. So, with the Barb Pant, the full bottom adjustment is built into the pattern. Score!!! At least score for us full bottomed girls ;)

Another aspect that I love about the Barb Pant is that it was designed for a stretch woven. With a stretch woven, you will get a much more fitted pant, and especially for a pull-on pant, that's really nice.  

Now of course, the pattern has been designed for the middle of the road full bottomed girl. Some of us have rounder bottoms, and some not so round. I really love the tutorial that was done by Colette Patterns. You can find it HERE. The tutorial walks you through a full bottom adjustment as well as adjusting for a flat bottom. A great tutorial to keep on hand.

I have made quite a few pairs of the Barb Pant. I will be back tomorrow, Monday with a fashion show of Barb Pants.

If you haven't downloaded the free pattern,be sure to do so!
Happy pant sewing!!!

Rhonda

The Pant That's Perfect For Even a Novice Sewist

This past week, I once again had the pleasure of hosting a delightful young woman. She came last summer with a shopping list, so thinking that it would once again be on the agenda, I factored it into what I thought we would be doing. The only thing on her shopping list was the need for some new pants to take back to school. I had initially said that we could make pajama pants, but when I showed her the Barb Pant from Style Arc Patterns, that was what she wanted. 

If by chance you have not heard about the Barb Pant from Style Arc, it's a basic, slim fitting pant intended for fabrics with some stretch.

It was even voted the best pattern for 2015 by Pattern Review readers.

I've made 2 pair for myself. Not the best picture of the pants, but they are perfect for pulling on anytime I really want ease of movement. With me below is Kim of The Material Lady. 

  

My little friend was so excited about making pants rather than shopping for them. She ended up with 3 new pair.

I let her go through my fabrics and she chose this fun psychedelic print. It's a cotton and spandex blend. 

The fabric below is a stretch denim. Almost has a yoga pant feel. She's looking forward to pairing them with sweatshirts and sweaters in the fall and winter.

After watching me make 2 pair, she wanted to give the pattern a try, so we purchased another piece of stretch denim and she did an incredible job! I told her that the only problem would now be that when she goes back to school, all of her friends are going to want her to make a pair for them as well. She was so proud of her accomplishment that she wore the pants home on the plane. A true sewist who can't wait to wear what she has made :)

The Barb Pant was offered as a free download just for signing up to the Style Arc newsletter. You can find the link HERE. 

The pants are easy to make and easy to fit, and a great project for someone who is learning to sew. 

So, download the pattern and have a little fun making pants!

Thrifty Thursday/Free Pant Pattern From Style Arc

I am VERY late to the party on this one, but I just made up the Barb Pant from Style Arc patterns, and I LOVE it!!! Once I got the pants made, I slipped them on and I immediately grabbed another piece of fabric and made a second pair, that's how much I like the pattern.

I read a few reviews, and some said that the waist was too high. I didn't find this to be a problem. I made up the size 10 and made just a few adjustments. The waist was just a little too large, about 2" overall. I also made a small adjustment to the crotch, but that was it. I like the width of the leg. It's straight and slim, but it doesn't hug the leg.
The pattern was named the Best Pattern of 2015 by Pattern Review. I think that pretty much says it all. It's a great, simple pant pattern. Easy to pull on since they have an elastic waist. 

I got my pattern for free and I was afraid that the promotion might be over, but I gave it a try just a few days ago, and I was still able to get the pattern for free. In order to get the pattern, you will need to sign up for their weekly newsletter. I have actually enjoyed receiving their newsletter and seeing the new patterns.So if you're late to the party like me,  here's the link to the Free Barb Pant Pattern, 
http://www.stylearc.com/threads-promo/

I know you would like to see me in the pants. I promise to do a fashion show post in the next few days as there are so many pieces that I need to share with you. But in the meantime, just to prove I did make the pants, here are the 2 pair that I made.
This pair are just all out fun.

This pair did not photograph all that well. They are made out of a gold stretch cotton velvet. They have been hemmed since I took the picture :) And BTW, I don't wear my pants this high!!!

The black and white pants have a lot of stretch to the fabric. I was a little concerned about the cotton velvet, it has a good bit of stretch, but not as much as the black and white fabric. But all in all, a great fit and I'm happy.

If you are like me and late to the Barb Pant Party, be sure to download your pattern ASAP as I don't know how much longer the promotion will be available.
Enjoy!
Rhonda

Thrifty Thursday/Free Pajama Pant Pattern

When I came across the free peasant dress/top pattern from Martha Stewart, I also found a free pajama pant pattern. It looked simple and easy, just as a pajama pant should be. Now many of us who have been sewing for quite some time probably have a pajama pant in in our collection of patterns. Pajamas really don't change that much, maybe a little design change here and there,but for the most part, pajamas are pajamas. With all of that in mind, I thought I would still give the pattern a try. I realized that there are many who are new to sewing and as I thought about the pattern, I realized that it could possibly meet a lot of other needs, like teaching someone how to sew. For anyone who may be teaching a summer camp, this is a great pattern for teenagers. The parents will also thank you since it's free, just the cost of printing it out. The pattern is easy to sew and easy to download and tape together.

Here's the pattern once it has been taped together. One person commented that they were upset as had the pattern been moved down a bit, 5 sheets of paper could have been saved. That wasn't a huge deal for me, I recycle the paper, so it just went in the recycle bin.

The only issue I had with the pattern was the front crotch.As you can see in the picture below, the lines do not meet up. It turned out not to be an issue. I just smoothed out the line and went on my merry way.

There are a couple of issues with the materials list. 2 yards of 45" wide fabric will not yield a pair of pants. You will need closer to 2 3/4 yards for the pants. Also, 1 yard for the drawstring is too skimpy. Buy at least 1 1/2 yards of ribbon or twill tape. You want enough to go around your lower waist and still have enough to tie a decent bow.
Once you cut the pants out, sew up each leg. I like to try a leg on just to check the crotch depth and how the pant leg is fitting over all. Since this is intended for sleep wear, you're looking for comfort and that means ease in the pattern. There's nothing worse than a tight pair of pajama pants. At least in my book. The pant pattern was quite long. In fact, I cut 3" off the length of the each leg and still had 2" for hemming.

Just in case you are wondering, yes, it's airplanes!!! I really like airplanes ;)

And now for a very bad picture of me in my pajama pants., no makeup and all!!! The fit is great, not at all constricting. I decided to add elastic to my waistband in addition to the ribbon. After all they are pajama pants and rather like not having to deal with tying my pants if I happen to get up at night.  

You can find the free download of the pattern HERE. I also like the fact that there is a video that accompanies the pattern and instructions. A great tool if you are working with someone who is learning to sew. The video can be found just off to the side of the instructions.
So other than the few issues I told you about earlier, I really like my new pair of pajama pants and I will be making more. The pants would be great with the addition of a side seam pocket. Or you could add back hip pockets. You can also cut the pattern down and make drawstring shorts. The pants would make a great summer pant out of a fun cotton print or gauze. Or you could also use them as a cover up for your swimsuit. So lots of possibilities.
A great pairing with the pajama pants would be the free Tonic Tee pattern from SBCC. Remember, there's a short and long sleeve version!

Thrifty Thursday and OOTD

I had a very busy day today, so this post is coming just under the line for Thursday, at least in America.
Up first is the OOTD, my Hot Patterns Summer Breeze dress. I went with my yellow heels and a purse I made a while back for Fabulous Free Pattern Friday.

Here's a better picture of the bag. If you missed the post, it's actually made out of  a placemat. You can find the post here, http://rhondabuss.blogspot.com/2012/06/fabulous-free-pattern-friday.html. 

 

 I'm really enjoying the dress. Just perfect for summer.

Now for the Thrifty Thursday part of the day. Have you heard of Tina Givens? She has a lovely line of patterns that have been designed for linen or soft cottons. She has a number of free patterns.

Her patterns are soft, romantic and especially easy to wear. Above is the Kika Dress and the Bloom Dress, both free patterns. Below is the Plinka pant, also free.

                                                  

I decided to give the Plinka pant pattern a try for a number of reasons. First of all, sometimes I just want to be comfortable and pull something on that is truly effortless. I also wanted to try out the fit of the pant. They are very loose fitting. This is a pattern that anyone can make and not have issues with the fit as long as you don't mind a loose fit.

A shot of me playing around with my husband :)
I made mine out of a crinkle cotton and I also lined them with a cotton batiste as the white crinkle cotton was just a little too sheer on its own. The pattern goes together quickly and the pants are even easier to make. Of course you could leave the ruffle off the bottom if you like.

In my crazy shot above, you can see that I only pleated up 1 side of the hem. The pattern actually tells you to pleat up the hem in 4 places.
So, a loose fitting pant that is super easy to make and has no fitting issues. You can find the Tina Givens website here along with all of her patterns.
Have fun!