Megan Nielsen Tania Culottes in coral rayon

Another project that I planned last summer, but the fabric, a rayon from Anna ka Bazaar, was not the drapey rayon that I expected and eventually turned into my Lucie dress.  I knew that I specifically wanted to use drapey rayon and until I found it I had to be patient...

When I walked into a shop in Paris this April, this bolt of coral woven rayon was schmoozing with some sparkly knits in the corner.  I couldn't resist it and it was already saying Tania! Tania!  I wasn't even too concerned about how it is transparent. I got so excited about this project as the temperature rose.  It makes such a huge difference to make projects now that I plan now for now!  I am always playing catch up with the past, with projects planned last summer (luckily I am pretty sure I don't have any that I planned in New Zealand...) I don't have a lot of enthusiasm for those things.  Unlike culottes which seem like exactly what I need right now.  Especially coral ones.

Cutting was pretty easy.  I cut a S as most reviews said that it is true to size.   It was a bit scary to sew the pleats but construction was actually very simple - only I got done with the zip and put them on and had a moment of panic thinking I had skipped the culotte step! (it's near the end.)  My rayon was slippery and made me nervous, especially as my sewing machine has a tendency to chew up things anytime I backstitch or anytime the bobbin gets low. I stabilised the zip and I sewed the bottom together first, although then you have to be careful not to get a bubble at the zip's bottom. I actually took a bit of time with these...I wanted them to be amazing!  I did sew one piece of the waistband upside down.  I think it was the inside back.  But I am not sure.  I am dyslexic with facings and seems like it extends to waistbands...anything that involves a bunch of strips. I was surprised how long the culottes were initially but once I had the hem evened out they got shorter.  Definitely not too short though, I would say they are just right.  I am 5'4''. 

That's about it.  They are amazing!  I let them hang for two days then had a friend trim them.  And then I practiced long and hard with the micro rolly hem thing.  This is the first time I have used it.  Ahem, I mean the rolled hem foot.  It works out pretty good but it is still a long process...I sewed a line of stitching first which made a huge difference in being able to feed the fabric into the curl of the foot. The learning curve is evident, one side is better than the other but any other hem would have been a tragic nightmare so I am ecstatic.

My friend Pädde took the photos when I visited him last weekend in Luzern.  We are on top of the Museggmauer, the city rampart wall, in one of the towers.  It was very windy so I can attest that the culottes do blow up rather far...the Japanese tourists were having a laugh at our photo session in the wind.  I will spare you some of those windblown pictures!