Closet Core Plateau joggers review

 I realised that I need to be more proactive in making all the loungewear, rather than saying I have enough and then buying more when I see pretty ones in the shop.  The pocket structure on these made them interesting and I don't have any larger, cozier type sweatpants pattern, so I bought the hard copy pattern when I was in Miss Maude (in person!!).  This of course makes it a bit daunting, I ended up cutting a size 4, though I was able to leave the shorts uncut as I think my friend Tessa wants to try the pattern too.  On the size chart the size 4 says waist 26-hip 35, so now I wonder why I didn't make a size 6?  I'm waist 27-hip 37.  Maybe I was thinking about Ginger jeans?  Anyway, don't size down.  These fit, but I would have preferred the baggier fit of a size 6.  

My fabric is the Mind the Maker Cashmere Woolen Fleece knit.  It is amazing, I have it in 2 colours, it has been deep stashed.  I have matching rib for the cuffs, but used the sweatshirting itself for the waistband. 

I usually like the line drawings and instructions by Closet Core well enough.  However, it ends up that I really do not like these pockets. The instructions didn't make sense, things did not line up, and I ended up kind of making the pockets look right, and then retrofit-sewing stuff together to close up holes.  You need to do a lot of sewing with a normal machine for these pants, and considering you are using sweatshirt fabric, it's a bad match.  The sewing lines look bad, the pockets gape and look bad, and seriously wtf about that butt pocket hanging out mid thigh??  

yes!  That's where the pattern says to put this pocket.

 

I think I will ask Tessa for advice on a nice, normal, baggy and unflattering sweatpants pattern.  I don't recommend these particular pants at all because of the amount of normal machine sewing and the challenge of getting the pocket bits to match up. In the end, if you have pockets in sweatpants, there is going to be bulk because of the stuff you put in those pockets, or you can just put a binding on the front pocket edge and sew the pocket onto the front to cut down on bulk -- I don't feel like losing that layer of bulk here ended up creating a nicer looking front.

I will comment that the fabric is so comfortable that these feel ok on despite my gripes with the pattern and despite making what is likely a size too small. They would probably look a bit better if they were looser!

Petite Stitchery Adult Drew joggers review

I really didn't need more lounge pants, but I was so taken in by the slender fit of these and the cool lower leg gathers that I bought the pattern without much debate.  

I went with size small. 

The debate came about when it was time to choose fabric. How heavy? The instructions don't really give you much help.  I perused the tester photos for help.  I suspected in a sweatshirt fabric the gathers might be too thick, but I didn't really want my pants to be tshirt weight.  I had a perfect drapey midweight cupro knit, but for some reason it felt too special to use on this, since I don't know much about this pattern company.  Also, the gathered legs take a lot of fabric!  This is not your 1-meter loungewear special.  I finally compromised on a midweight jersey without much stretch - it was a remnant at Nick's Fabrics in Auckland and was 1.6m.

The instructions are a bit sparse and can be confusing as the different views are intermixed - but really you don't need too many instructions for these pants.  The pattern pieces come together fine.  I found it irritating that there's no top ribbing pocket piece - you have to make it yourself.  This is the kind of small thing that bothers me.  I noticed that it was hard to tell where to stop gathering on the lower leg.  I lined up my pieces and marked the spot, and I've adjusted my pattern pieces now so that I make a notch at that spot.  It would speed up the process a lot to do that in the beginning.  

In the end I like the pants.  I made my waistband too tight.  The cuffs are a bit tight.  This is due to my fabric not really stretching enough.  The fit was great but loungewear is not really very flattering so here are my scruffy hallway-loitering photographs:

The feature of the gathered lower legs does mean the grain goes a bit strange, but really I noticed that when pulling these on, and never again.  I think in stretchy fabric you can size down for a more legging-like look and that weird pull would be even less of an issue.

I think these pants deserve a second go in something cuddly and very stretchy.  I have lightweight sweatshirting with a bit of cashmere in it so I'm debating using that.  I'm happy with the size chart, and pretty happy with this pattern.  It has a lot of options - include a version sans gathers, and a version that rips all the way up the side like those Adidas trackies from the 90s.  (I wanted those so bad. In the 90s.)  However the set up reminds me of Patterns for Pirates and the cousin company Made for Mermaids - in that I would be hesitant to make anything complicated from them.  Simple things like this, fine, because you can really do anything with knits.  However now I'm contradicting myself because I'm in love with the Elliot romper pattern, so watch this space...