Flat Fell till you Fall: the Sew Liberated Arthur pants

After being not very interested in Arthur or Bob pants for the longest time, suddenly I was seized by the urge.  And it was sudden and urgent!  I had these off to the printer within one week.  They jumped all queues.  The fabric was my stashed beautiful hemp something blend fabric from my last shop at Blackbird Fabrics (I think.)  I've been saving it because it is just so lovely, but a bit too drapey for jeans, and the linen denim I got in the meantime was better for my jacket experiments.  This is the only fabric I had 3 meters of.  Truthfully I don't think I needed 3m, but I didn't test the pattern on shorter lengths of stash fabric.  I have enough left over for a pair of shorts.  

I think this is a good weight for these (or maybe just a bit heavy), a bit heavier than chambray, but it did get thick when I was folding up the french seams of the side.  

My first flat felled seam was a bit wavy but all the others were better.  I did gain confidence as I went along, and I was really glad I used a fabric that doesn't fray.  I think a fraying fabric would really make the process hard.  

I sewed size 4.  I think that is usually what I sew in Sew Liberated Patterns.  I shortened the rise 1" and the height 2" at the lines, noting the pattern is drafted for a height of 5'7".  

 

These are so beautiful on the insides.  That's the trade off for the endless flat felling.  My final feeling is that they are wearable, which is good, though they feel a bit heavy.  But I should have actually just removed 3" from the rise and left the leg shape alone.  I think I created a more curvy looking leg when I adjusted it, and I really do not like a droopy crotch, my thighs are introverts and prefer privacy.  There is however so much fabric in these overall that maybe my thighs won't get too sweaty together, time will tell. 

I think I might do the adjustment of just the rise and make a knit pair quickly (100% overlocker here we come) to see what I think of the shape but without the commitment.  Shapeless loungy pants are my friends and my two pairs of linen lounge pants have SO MANY holes.  It will be awhile before I have an interest in making these in a woven fabric again, it's too useless of a shape for my life in general.  I do think a pair in patterned linen would be interesting though (and I was very tempted in the fabric stores a few weeks ago, but managed to resist.) 

Helene - back in the jeans game

 Third pair of Helene Jeans

Second with the exact same fabric - I had enough left to make a second pair in this really lovely recycled denim from Blackbird Fabrics that I bought last year.  Wasn't entirely happy with the zipper situation in the first pair, and the waistband was a bit tight.  So I passed them to a friend who fit them nicely. 

Learning from my second pair, which were done in a size 6.  They are roomy - but not oversized - and very cool.

I used the slim straight leg pattern, length 30" (not 32 as I had previously thought) base size 4, but went to size 6 for the yoke and waistband. Shortened 2" in the crotch height, and took a tiny wedge from the front crotch to see if that would remove the wrinkles that always collect there.

No dramas sewing these jeans!  And they fit great.  Initially I was uncertain. Seemed my modification at the front created a weird camel toe, but I think with wear they have settled and it is not too prominent.  However I have a perfect crotch on the modified Dawn jeans pattern I have perfected, so I might apply that front crotch to these jeans and see if I can actually get the Perfect Jeans. 

 

But, as I was trying them on I realised a thing, which is that classic clothes are great and necessary, and a style like this is pretty classic, but all of a sudden it's not *stylish* and I want something else.  So I have been sniffing out what it is that I Want Right Now so I can make that too.

Anna Allen Helene Jeans pattern review

I think I had this pattern from the print shop last August, and the fabric was a splurge from Blackbird Fabrics last year...this is a clear example of the things I wanted to sew Right Now when I fell down the work and travel rabbit hole from October to June!  And oh, they are amazing.  Utterly fantastic.  All the jeans will be Helene jeans from now on.  Except for one more pair of Gingers, because my only pair are starting to fall apart and despite the terrible fit, I have worn them quite a bit with long shirts to hide the waist.

(On which topic, find the high rise Ginger pattern that has gone awol in mine or Tessa's stashes??  Or find a way to add some length to the top of the rise of the midrise pattern?  Also, will I finally suss out how to get rid of the extra fabric in the thighs?  And finally, why do people like those idiot tummy-stay pockets?)

Back on task. 

Made size 4, matches me on the size chart and is what I have usually made with Anna Allen patterns. 

This recycled denim is beautiful to look at but it has an oddly sticky feel at times while sewing.  Not when wearing - it's just fantastic feeling on.

32" inseam, slim straight version - I wanted to do the straight version but for some reason I didn't find the pattern pieces first and had already adjusted this one. 

Shortened rise a mere 1/2" because I compared it to the Persephone pants and the rise is like 2" lower in the front, so I didn't go crazy. 

I did, however, do a different crazy thing when cutting these out.  For some reason I decided I was Done With Leg Twist.  On the Cone Mills website they have a cutting layout to avoid leg twist and I used it.  I don't think that it uses more fabric to do things that way, although it does mean you can't use the selvedge. On which topic - how can you BOTH use the selvedge AND avoid leg twist?? 

(To find this link: Look up Cone Mills prevention of Leg twist and it will download the pdf with a diagram, also via Fashion incubator.)

Topstitching thread is Mara 70.  It's great on many things, but I think I can use heavier topstitching thread when I really want a nice topstitched effect. My Bernina can handle it, and this sort of vanishes into the fabric in places.  Rivets are KATM but I had to order them so they aren't in the pictures. 

The zippers in my stash were Riri "trouser" zips which I do think I bought specifically for this...back in October, in Switzerland, and the zip was a little too short. I made a tactical error of leaving a gap at the top of the zip.  Don't do this!!  The trouser zip is a bit hard to grab and bitey on my fingers, which I will survive, but the 1 cm gap at the top of the pants below the waistband is right where there is a heavy lateral pull anyway, and it worsens drag lines, pocket pulling, and pulls the front belly open.  All bad things. I will have to hand sew a little snap or hook in there.  

 Sorry these photos are rather poor.  I definitely don't think they display that these jeans are amazing.

Putting these together was relatively drama free. The zip fly instructions are not the best.  The Persephone add-on zip fly instructions are much better.  Overall, the Dawn Jeans instructions still win as the best jeans instructions EVER but these are still very good. 

And of course the final exciting shocker: these have the best butt and thigh fit I have ever gotten in any pants.  I read on a review that some people have been sad by how loose their Helenes are compared to the designer's photos.  I did not find this to be true at all.  I know there's all sorts of panty line in my photos, but these are not tight.  The butt and the thighs are supremely comfortable.  I have full range of motion in these, my butt feels lifted and supported, my thighs are cuddled, there's no excess fabric anywhere....it's shocking. 

I still need to do some work on the rise though, I think it's too high and as is always the problem with AA patterns, I can't get my hands into the pockets very easily. I will need to lower, maybe another 1" and then widen the top back up a bit.  It's not as easy as with Philippa pants, where I literally just cut off the top inch of the pattern.

I have dreamy designer fabric and for once I'm enthused to go straight in.  However, I've had thoughts.  I'm doing a different leg version - the straight leg I was more keen on.  And I'll actually size up to 6 but shorten 1.5" from the rise.  Thinking it will be a 30" inseam and I plan to leave the hems raw.  Unfortunately I already cut out all the pattern pieces as a size 4 so I've been a bit slowed by this!

Made for Mermaids Juniper Jumper review

I bought this pattern without planning ahead of time, and sent it to the printers with a bunch of other patterns.  Then equally rushed I cut it out of beautiful scuba fabric from Blackbird Fabrics.  And then it sat on the floor and collected dust because I wasn't sure I cared that much.  I got rather sad to have used this gorgeous fabric on this as other ideas came and went. 

Size: purple.  Matches my waist/hips, and my bust of 33 as the "high bust" seemed fine, the bust measurement was 34-35 and really I would not have wanted this style to be tighter, though I see many of the pattern testers preferred a snug fit.

 

I used the high front, low back, but as you see, it's not particularly high front or particularly low back though the armholes are quite cut out towards the front.  I expected to need a top under this, and instead it's a dress all on its own! 

I'm not sure there were marks on the skirt for where to put the pockets (could have been me since the pieces sat for a few months.)  I put them 1.5" down. 

I got annoyed by the dust bunnies and summer is basically here and dresses are great, finally inspired me to get on with it.  I actually sewed this entirely on my sewing machine except for the waist seam and the hem seam (to make it prettier.)  I didn't finish any of the other seams because of the scuba fabric.  The top is fully enclosed. I understitched the neckline, but the SA is 1/4" which is too little to snip into and in the scuba even with understitching it rotates outward.  For the first time I get the appeal of the larger SA on this spot.  The SA, other than the neck and armholes, is 1/2" so beware! 

The scuba from Blackbird - bought probably last Feb or so, so I'm not sure what it is.  Maybe bamboo.  It has a standard scuba look on one side, and a paler, matte on the other which is so beautiful.  I used that matte as the exterior.  This scuba has more drape than usual scuba fabric, less body, and is a bit thinner.

1" hem. 

To my surprise I love this little dress.  It's so cute and simple and in a fabric like this that doesn't need finishing, the innards are so very neat.  The pockets are a stupid shape, there's no reason to not make them into Elbe Textiles Bardon pockets (the platonic ideal of pockets) or reshape them deeper, because the skirt billows out enough to hide all.  I knew this and didn't do it.  Live and learn.

Misusu Dia sweatshirt x 3

Oh I saw this and wanted to make it right away now now! I had other projects in the way but it jumped to the top of my winter sweatshirt queue.  I used stable sweatshirting from The Fabric Box and a colour combination that I knew would pop...though I wasn't entirely sure how well it would work together.

 The size chart is very precise, I cut BB, based on the fact that the finished measurements had a hip of 39" which is a nice amount of ease for my 37" hip.  I sewed all the diamond pieces together before overlocking and the stitching got pretty thick, and then my overlocker broke a needle!  I've never changed a needle on my overlocker so I didn't even know what I could use and that slowed things down a bit.  I ended up using a normal sewing machine needle, which the machine didn't love, but it did work.  (I was in a hurry because I wanted to take it on a weekend away with me, which I did.)

 

There's a tiny mismatch at the base of the diamond but everything else came up perfectly, and it is a pretty fun project to tetris together.  The high-low hem of the sweatshirt is hard to shorten - you have to shorten through a lot of pieces, but I think you could also just shorten at the hem.  I was lazy with the hem and didn't snip into the turning points, which I would do in the future.  You do not need to stretch any of the hem bands to fit.  

Basically after this I wanted to make more!  I thought I'd shorten the high-low hem in future, but I also thought I would make the tunic length next, and then I changed my mind and instead I decided to do another one exactly the same, plus a straight hem version in normal tshirt weights of lovely hoarded scraps.  

I went scrappy first: 

And oh, it's too long.  That was foreseeable...drat.  I am going to cut it by just cutting off the binding and shortening it, but I wanted to wear it around first and get a sense for how much to crop, so for now it's staying long.

I went straight on to my precious bamboo sweatshirting from Blackbird Fabrics.  This stuff is so cozy, soft and very stretchy, feels a bit thinner than standard cotton/poly sweatshirting.  I was happy to have a few run throughs done because I already knew the pitfalls.  Really happy with this - and this time I did snip the hem after sewing it on the machine, so that I could overlock it cleanly.  

 

 

On all three versions I heavily leaned on my sewing machine. I sewed each part of the diamond and the front with the machine then overlocked to finish it.  When sewing the top and bottom of the diamond together, I sewed just the match points until they matched (3 tries...) and then sewed it together.  I think this is necessary to get good matching on all these geometric bits.

This is a project that takes more than the usual hour for a sweatshirt, but it is so fantastic that it's worth it.  I'm done with Dias for now but I am looking over Misusu's other offerings. I loved the instructions, the drafting was great, the detail was fantastic.  Rare these days.