Skip to main content

Taking a Risk (or I Made Harem Pants)

My sewing lately has been quite intentional, planned, and purpose-driven. I typically work well that way, but last week I needed a bit of a break and wanted to just sew something for fun. If it didn't turn out to be a runaway success, I wasn't going to worry about it.

I pulled out a piece of black ponte knit fabric that was in my stash. I know it isn't the best quality and I didn't want to be tempted to use it for something that I would invest a lot of time in or would want to last awhile. It's a fairly heavyweight knit, but has quite a lot of stretch and decent drape.

I don't know made me want to make harem pants, but after I had the thought I really wanted to go ahead with it. After looking for a pattern to download from Burdastyle, I remembered that I already had an issue with a suitable pattern in it (1/2011 #124).



I didn't think I would like that deep yoke, so I modified that to be narrower and straighter across and also changed the front and back leg pieces to compensate. I do like pockets in pants, so I added those. I chose the pattern size based on my hip measurement, but I don't think it really matters in this style! I did decrease the fullness at the lower CF/CB seams. There's still plenty left! 


Burda would have you interface the yoke and insert a zipper. I didn't like that idea. Instead, I added elastic at the top of the yoke so they would be easy, comfy, pull-on pants.

Here they are slightly "in motion" (head cropped because I was making a funny face).


They are indeed very comfortable. They are not conventionally flattering, but sometimes it's fun to try something different. I wore them this week with a black top and this jacket and got a few compliments. I also got a few puzzled looks. :)

Whatever you think of the pants, I'm convinced that the top is a winner. This is the Maria Denmark Kirsten Kimono T-shirt. This is a free pattern (you need to sign up for the newsletter to get it, but it's a good newsletter!) and it couldn't be easier to make. It's also easy to make and looks good on just about everyone.


The harem pants pattern will probably not see the light of day again, but I'm sure I'll make more of these tops.
Labels:

Comments

  1. VanessaMay 30, 2014 at 10:01 PM

    I never got into harem pants, but I think yours are cute! Also, you can't go wrong with MD's Kirsten Kimono Tee! I love your version!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ann Made StudioJune 13, 2014 at 11:30 AM

    Well good for you for being adventurous and having fun :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Burda Skirt Again

I'm not sure what prompted it, but awhile ago I decided that I needed a green skirt. The last time I was at Fabricland I saw this green wide-wale corduroy. I wasn't really looking for the skirt to be corduroy and the color was a little different than I was hoping for, but since I had my eyes peeled for awhile and hadn't seen anything better, I thought I'd try the corduroy. After looking for a suitable pattern, I settled on the Burda 2/2010 skirt that I've already used three times . Because of the weight and bulk of the corduroy, I didn't want to try to mess with too many details. I'll use another skirt pattern soon. Really, I will. One of the things I really like about this pattern is the pockets. This time I made the pocket facings and part of the pocket bag out of a cotton woven solid to reduce bulk. Since I'll be wearing this skirt with tights I added a lining. Adding the lining was really simple except that I cut the lining exactly the sam...
14 comments
Read more

Predestined for Millinery? I think not...

The church I'm a member of belongs in the Calvinist tradition.  If John Calvin were still alive today, he would be 500 years old.  Our church is having a "birthday party" for him this week.  His birthday was actually in July, but when it's been 500 years, what's a month here or there?  The Preacher tells me that it is the year that is the significant part.  As part of this celebration, one of the church members is playing the role of John Calvin and he asked me to make a hat as part of his costume. You can think what you want about John Calvin, but you've got to admit that the man had a pretty cool hat .  Even as cool as it is, it isn't a popular style today (surprising, isn't it?!) so I was on my own for making/adapting a pattern.  I started with Vogue 8528 , View C (top left). I added a brim and the (very strange) earflap piece and (after two muslins) ended up with this: Front: Side: Back: The hat is velvet and I was nervous about se...
14 comments
Read more

Vogue 9091 - Black Culottes

Every once in awhile I feel like I want something "different" in my closet. Generally I'm not super trendy, but from time to time an odd trend appeals to me. This time it was culottes. I had a piece of black wool in my stash that was too lightweight for pants. Using it for a skirt was an option, but that would have left a good sized remnant that would be too big to toss and too small to do much else with. Since it was lightweight and had some good drape, I thought it could work for culottes. Plus, stash fabric seems "free" to me, so if it was a total bust not much was lost. There are quite a few patterns for culottes available now. The one I chose was  Vogue 9091 . I prefer a yoke to a regular waistband. Views A and B are considered culottes and View C is considered pants. I chose to make View C, but shortened it by five inches. I also added a lining, but those are the only real changes. This is not a complicated pattern. The pleats are deep and gett...
1 comment
Read more