Catch-up post

I didn't sew much in 2015! I did only one real creative project, and it's not shown here because it has returned to "unfinished" status as I decided it needed some changes. For the sake of completeness, here is what I did make! Photos my be poor quality because they were not taken for sharing purposes and/or I dislike the garment...

Silver long pants: 100% nylon knit

Grey shorts: 92% cotton, 8% lycra

The pants and shorts above were made in April 2015. I must have decided I'd prefer the elastic waists to sit lower.

But seemingly got distracted while making the adjustment as the waist on the next pair (May) ended up way too low (particularly at the back). Did some piecing to get it a little higher. I don't actually mind the result. However, the fabric pilled immediately upon wearing. Unfortunately, I have some more of it in another colour as well.

Grey long pants: rayon/poly/lycra ponte

Ponte pants piecing

Knit summer pants

I became obsessed with the idea of a pair of wide leg pants in a crazy fabric, which is not something I have ever worn. I have now satisfied that obsession.

Semi-fitted over stomach, hips, loose to hem. Closure by invisible zipper at side. I wanted a shaped yoke, rather than elastic or a band to avoid cinching over my hips. I wanted the legs to be wide, without excess fabric on inside leg. The outseam falls straight to the hem. The inseam angles toward the knee, then falls straight.

One issue with the faced yoke design and side zipper is that it is not easy to take in. I went ahead with those features anyway, with the logic that if I changed to a design that would be easy to take in, the need would never arise. My logic proved true, but in reverse, as a month or so later, I and need to take them in. On a related note, a few days after I finished them, I read info that made me think I should have used stay tape as well as the interfacing on the yoke (I used a cotton lawn) because the interfacing alone would not provide enough stability to keep them up. To top things off, the zipper got stuck the last time I tried to take them off. So I have three reasons to redo the yoke and zip.

The fabric is very lightweight. I wasn't sure it was suitable and considered underlining. I chose not to underline to keep them light and cool. I will have to wait and see whether the pants are durable.

I need to redraft the waist line of the yoke. The shape is a little odd at the back, in particular.

I am super happy with these pants!

So far, I have only worn them to the supermarket and felt extremely self-conscious. But I do love them, so will try to work up the courage to wear them more!

Winter pajama pants and top

 Basic pants and an experimental top.

I love the pants. They fit well and are very comfortable as pajama pants.

The top was an experiment. The concept was a faux jacket over the top of the base layer, but actually sewn as a single top. The whole thing took ages to draft and sew (since I'm a newbie at all this), so I kept dumbing down the design to be done with it more quickly. In the end, I like the deconstructed look of the curling exposed seams, but am very bothered by the unstructured (floppy) area around the neck. Luckily, the seams are falling apart, so I will be rid of it rather soon!

The top was an experiment not just in terms of design, but also in terms of my approach to the learning, design, and sewing process. Turns out I really can't enjoy the results of taking shortcuts (as I expected), so I will try to take the time to learn the techniques needed to achieve the look I'm going for in the future.