Pinstriped Trousers & Sheer Blouse

Hello! You might notice some small changes around here--it was time to spring clean my design and I had started changing it forever ago, but never finished. I think my favorite part of the new set up is the large space for posts--and thus, large photos!

These were pants I made for my Advanced Pattern Development class. We had to make lined wool trousers from our drafted patterns. My initial draft fit almost perfectly--all I needed to do was shorten the front rise and raise the back rise, and taper the waist a bit more. Then I widened the pant leg and made it into a sailor front style. The pattern development for pants was a total breeze after working on my coat!



Actually, making the pants was quite a breeze, too. I did fellstitch twill tape along the entire waist binding, and the six mini bound buttonholes were pretty painful to do, but everything else went really quick, even the pockets. There is a stitched crease in front and a seam down the back of each leg. The lining hangs freely at the bottom for ease of movement. I must say, it is bizarre to have lined pants. It feels so weird! I understand the reasoning, but it's just so much extra fabric. Speaking of the fabric, I got this wool at Vogue Fabrics in Chicago in March. It's a nice weight for pants, I think--and so super soft.




The triangle welt pockets were so fun to do. I just love how funky they are! And they were easy. It was just a faced triangle hole, and then stitching the welts along the opening! This makes me want to try all sorts of shapes--maybe some ovals or circles?




All photos taken by Hannah Riordan.

I also made the chiffon button down. It's just a simple collared shirt and I kind of fudged my way through it because working with chiffon was an absolute pain the neck. Everything was slipping around as I cut it (though it surely didn't help that I was working on my dorm room floor), so it was a pretty imprecise process. But it looks pretty okay, and you can't tell that the grain was all wonky, haha.

Oh, there is so much to update on! June simply flew by. I had a blast in Chicago, and even met up with a blog friend, Amber of Leah Leaf Designs! We walked around Wicker Park, in and out of vintage shops, and talked about sewing, blogging, Etsy, clothing, and lots more! It was so fun to meet in real life--so much fun that we forgot to take pictures! But it was a wonderful first experience of meeting someone from the blogosphere!

I have so many projects to post, too, so hopefully you'll hear from me again soon. Link me up to projects you've been working on lately, too! I'd love to see!