This is a tips and tricks kinda post to help you make your way through sewing the super sassy WINONA pattern from Farbenmix. This babies have been on my list for a while now and my oldest girl is in some serious need of some new apparel. Nancy offered up some great information on sewing these last summer but I'd like to add a little tid-bit or two also.
These are your pattern pieces all cut out and ready to go. I'm trading in the apron for the big bunchy pockets this go-round.
The only thing you really need to pay attention with here is make sure you put the middle leg section going the right way.
In general I'm not a pinner, if I can get away with it. Stitch together the 2 back pieces slowly and taking care to not bunch or stretch the fabric funky. Set aside.
Next I joined the 3 front pieces together, leaving the gathering for later. I found that my middle piece was just a smidge wider than the top and bottom. Maybe I didn't do as accurate job tracing/cutting as I could have or (the way I prefer to think of it) it's cut that way, allowing for the gathering - which hasn't yet happened thanks to this modification. So I centered the middle piece on the others and stitched that way. I feel compelled to stress that this was only a little smidge wider.
Now you've got what look like the beginning of legs. Run a basting stitch along the edges of the middle piece.
Pin the outseams together I put four pins in; top, bottom of the top piece, top of the bottom piece, and the bottom. This left the middle section free to gather up to just the right length
Now you'll want to get your pockets ready. I just followed the directions. Leave an opening at the top center and bottom center
Mark 3 lines: center - side and other side. Thus making 2 casings for your narrow elastic
Since there weren't measurements of how much elastic to use to gather I inserted one end of the elastic into the first casing then the other end of the elastic went into the second casing and I pulled them until I was happy. I messed with what made me happy a few times. I ended up with only a slight gather because I kept trying to imagine how the pockets would lay and how I'd get them stitched if they were cinched up tighter.
Take note that i made my casings from edge to edge and then realized that I should have stopped short. I adjusted my casings per the directions after this picture.
PLACING THE POCKET
Luckily I had my girl available to test out the pocket placement. I do wish it was marked on the pattern but hey, there is so much to LOVE about this pattern that I'm not complaining. Just sayin'.
In case you don't have your girl at the ready this is an image of how I placed mine. This is the 134/140 size for reference.
The bottom of the pocket is just above the middle section and the outside casing line runs pretty much right up the side seam, so they're more on the front leg piece than on the back piece.
After adding the pockets and stitching up the inseam the only hurdle left is topstitching the inseam. h.e.l.l.o. I did ... stitch-stitch scrunch all the way down the leg. That got really challenging toward the end so on the next leg I started at the bottom and stitch-stitch-scrunched my way to the top. I think that worked out marginally better but still slow-going, and lots of fussing and fixing and maybe a word or two here and there, if you get what I mean. *wink*
Man, are these pants ever cute! And the cut, w.o.w. I didn't really pay close attention to the description and it wasn't until after I had cut the fabric, in her regular size, that I read "a slim cut and snug fit." AAHHH! These are for my Olivia, who is more solidly built and was skeptical of corduroy pants to start with. This girl likes leggings and easy on/off pants with room to move. What have I done? T kept reminding me that they'll fit some girl in this house at some point in time. But what-do-you-know They fit her perfect! There's not a lot of growing room but then again there's not that many months of 'pant' weather here either. These pants get a 4 star rating from both this mom and her girl!
Hey, my comment vanished! (Now, of course, they will both appear and I will look like a doofus.) I am not on facebook so I can't join you there, but I do follow the blog!