Peppermint peplum top plus some Clyde pants

Out of the blue I realised the thing I needed in life was a peplum top to wear under my cropped sweaters.  I needed it to be relatively fitted for that purpose.  I hunted around and settled on the Peppermint magazine Peplum top - a free pattern! Win! I made a practice version from some linen scraps.  Smallest size, no modifications except that I self lined the bodice instead of using bias tape.  I prefer this most of the time, however the armpits can sag, so I might try a clever interfacing along the armscye next time I do this.

It was a fun top to make, and easy. However it's not fit for purpose. It's too short to hang out below my sweaters and it hangs too far away from my body.  I considered whether I could introduce a dart into the top but I couldn't figure out how you just add in a dart, and I worried then I would need a zip as well.  I thought in the end I will make the top again and lengthen it, as it is quite short, and see if that's enough. I might decrease the A line shape of it slightly as well.  In the meantime, this is a cute top on its own so I'm not dissatisfied. 

AND I know I'm always talking about how I'll never make any more Clyde pants...but I got this amazing cashmere coating.  And in my defence, in the shop it was nice, thin, lightweight and the most fantastically soft coziness...and I thought it would make great Clyde pants.  Once I washed it it fluffed up and felt kind of ridiculous to be using for pants but I carried on anyway.  And so it does make very cozy Clyde pants and they are rather like wearing a cashmere coat on your legs, and it does feel great but a bit ridiculous.  This is a good pattern for fabric like this which has a lot of body.  I used my usual pattern pieces which are size 4 short.  I had kind of angled the front waistband down previously and I ditched that, as it was harder to get the waistband to fold over.  Just accept a long crotch... 

Merchant and Mills Eve trousers, an experimental foray

 I've been really slow at starting to sew again after moving.  My sewing room feels cramped and my best friend has just taken up knitting, inspiring me to binge knit to finish projects as fast as she now does.  It's been frustrating as my sewing queue literally is full of projects I thought up a year ago and every time I look in shops I see things that I want to sew and have been planning to sew and could already be wearing if I had sewn them.  Ah, time.  

Because of that when I started these it took something like 1-2 weeks to sew them as I kept stepping away from the sewing room and not going back in.  I was really scared of the flap zipper for some reason.  

 The fabric is a hemp-wool blend from one of my binge purchases online.  It is possibly from Ansje Handmade, but I can't be sure.  I've had it around for awhile but I only got a small piece so it wasn't going to be a big jacket, the plan was always some kind of pants.  The fabric is a relatively loose weave but totally opaque, and has a rather scratchy feel and not much drape.  As winter has crept up the idea of these pants landed in my head.  I made a size 10 I think.  

No problems overall.  I find the instructions of Merchant and Mills to sometimes be a bit funny, while also clear.  Like you can't look ahead too much or you get confused, but when you are there all is good.  I expected the zip to be very hidden so I absolutely forged ahead with a bright yellow invisible zip and...it peeks out.  The flap behind the zip is a nice idea and overall I do like the closure.  I opted for a sewn on hook and eye instead of a button.  The waistband is a bit narrower than I anticipated, and it lands at my high waist and is snug there, but not actually too tight.

As you can see the footwear struggle is real.

Overall these are sort of shapeless baggy pants with a comfortable fit.  The waist is at my real waist, there is room, they aren't tight, and the crotch is a bit dropped but not so badly that I can't ride my bike.  The pants themselves are a touch cropped, making it hard to know what footwear to wear with them in winter - and as scratchy wool pants they are definitely winter wear!  I think it's really stupid that patterns give you a back pocket but no front, however I decided to wear these for some reason before putting on the front pockets, always a bad idea, so the front pockets are indeed Not On Yet.  And I miss them!  

They are going on soon - wanted to do them on the cross grain but it ends up I only have a tiny piece of fabric left so they will be on grain.