Cheap & easy VS learning though experience

My mom has sewed since she was a teenager.  Growing up she sewed for me and my sister.  She has an amazing ability to look at a thrift store sheet and turn it into something wonderful.  But yesterday when she was showed me a pair of thrift store capri pants that she wasn't that happy with I was scratching my head in wonder why wouldn't she taper them in slightly and hem them up if that's what was bugging her.

As we discussed the pair of pants I spend the last 3 months working on and recently finished, it dawned on me why she wouldn't try to fix them.  Although she has decades of sewing experience, she stopped sewing for herself when things started to require a bit more work to get them to fit.  Knowing how much time I put into my pants she asked if it would of been easier/cheaper to just go buy a pair.

Short answer, maybe, long answer, not really.  I didn't start this project looking for a quick and easy fix.  I knew when I started I didn't know what I was doing and set out to learn; because I felt my options for ready to wear pants were limited.  I'm not willing to spend $70+ for a pair of jeans, and I'm not ready to go with all elastic waist pants.  As my daughter pointed out, "Those are Grandma Pants."  I've never been to worried about keeping up with the latest fashions, but I still have ideals of what I like and what I think look good in and I just wasn't finding it in the stores.

Thanks to all my hard work and the help and guidance of some wonderful women, on the internet, who were very patience and took the time to point out my mistakes and how to fix them, I now have a pattern that I know fits and doesn't look half bad, and  I can make design changes for different looks.  Depending on what kind of fabric I use, I can make dress pants, casual summer capris, or work pants all from one pattern.  I also gained the knowledge and confidence to tackle fitting a jean pattern for myself.  When you weigh the skills I learned and the multiple pattern options against the cost of the fabric, my time, and the frustration of looking for ready to wear (more than once a shopping trip turned into a crying fit in the dressing room), I think I came out ahead.

Finishing up my pants

 I decided since I was desperate for something to wear to go ahead and make a pair of pants even though I'm not quite done with the fitting process.  These are looking ok, but there's still room for improvement.  I figured the problem I was having with the inseam wasn't going to be that big of a deal if I made regular pants that I could roll up into capris.  There's a button tab on each side of the legs to hold the cuffs up once I get the buttons sewn on the outsides.  I also love cargo pockets so I put some on,  although they are a little low.  I could raise them up at least 2 inches, but for this pair I'll just leave them, and they're a little baggy, but I'd rather have them baggy than to tight.  I just need to sew the waistband on, hem them up and sew on the buttons.

So close, but so far

My pants fitting saga continues.  Just when I think I'm good to go, something's wrong with them.  I've worked on getting the crotch right, adding to the waist & hips, getting them balanced, adjusting the waistline, adjusting the darts.  The only thing I thought I had left to was to level out the hem.  So just as I was getting excited about making a pair to wear I'm told they're still wrong.  The back is to baggy and the front crotch is to long.

 I don't know what to do anymore, but I'm desperate.  I went looking for jeans the other day and the only ones I found that fit were out of my price range.  I had a favorite brand, but they've been discontinued and replaced with something I don't care for.  I guess I really only have one choice here, become a nudest.

Pants & Fauxhawks

Boy, it's been a long week, and I feel like I've accomplished nothing.  I had things to do this week that I couldn't ignore, so that left no time to knit or sew, not to mention the house is a disaster and laundry is piled up.  I guess now you know where my priorities are.

Yesterday I was able to sneak in a pants fitting and finally got the thumbs up to go ahead and attempt a wearable muslin.  I'm just a few tweaks from finally having my pants pattern perfected.  I was so excited I decided it was time to buy some new fabric to do them in.  Up until now I've been working with this polyester stuff I picked up on ebay for a bargain.  It looks nice but I wouldn't be caught dead wearing polyester pants.  I bought it specifically for pants muslins.  I picked up some navy twill, and I'm debating if I want to do them as capris or full length pants.

While I was at the fabric store, I picked up some fun fur to use in an upcoming baby shower gift.  I'm making matching father/son fauxhawk hats.  How cute is this?  I knitted the baby one up in just 2 hours.  It was a fun little project and a nice break from my hectic week and all the weeks I've spend on my pants.   

Making progress

From "fluffy pants" as my son calls them to better fitting pants.  The ones on the right still need some work but they look so much better than my original pair.  I need to straighten out the low hip a little to remove a little bit of a bubble there, fix the front and I'm still having issues with winkles in the back, but hopefully in the next week or so I'll finally be able to make a wearable pair.

Taking a mental health break

These pants make me want to cry.  It seems like nothing I do is making them any better.  I've been getting help from lovely lady at Pattern Review, who's been very patient, but I think if she could react though the computer she'd strangle me.  We both made the comment that it would be much easier if we were actually in the same room.  I know how difficult and frustrating it is to try and diagnose and solve issues from a distance.  My mom calls me all the time with her computer problems, and it's usually an easy fix, but I can't see that until I actually get my hands on it.  Until then it drives me nuts trying to explain what I want her to do, when she doesn't understand what I'm telling her.  Which is kind of where we are with this pants pattern.

So I spend the morning playing on facebook, doing laundry, straighing up the kitchen...anything to avoid the sewing machine.  Then I thought maybe there was somebody at the local sewing machine dealer who could help me.  Turns out they couldn't, but while I was there I got to test drive a expensive Janome.  I'll never be able to afford it but it was fun trying it out.

Orange and lavender spots?

My daughter is just finishing the class room portion of Driver's Training.  On the way home last night I was quizzing her on what different signs and signals mean and what you're suppose to do.  She was doing pretty well until I posed this questions to her...

 

When the light is green you go.

When the light is red you stop.

But what do you do

When the light is blue

With orange and lavender spots?

~Shel Silverstein 

She had never heard that poem before and gave me a strange look.  I told her to ask her driver's ed teacher for his advice.