1. Following the discussion on my post about the purple knitted monstrosity, I took the advice of several enabling enablers and crept out of my apartment to go buy yarn for a new project. I ended up with Colinette Jitterbug sock yarn in Cinnamon, and as the next few days will be composed of various amounts of tedious sitting around in places that provide little inherent entertainment I shall probably get underway with a new pair of socks before the end of the week.2. My sewing plans for April are quite varied. Some things are easy enough (knit PJs!), but I am also contemplating my first ever fly front skirt, and hopefully, if I start to feel better, going back to trying to fit a woven top muslin (again) so that I can make a simple woven tee. Not that I want a million simple woven tees, but I figure if I can get some kind of basic block sorted out, I can start applying it to more complicated top patterns thereafter. As always, it is my bust that is the problem. Why so troublesome, boobs? >:(
3. As if upper body fitting wasn't enough, I'm starting to think things to myself like "well, maybe it would be worth trying..." about making trousers. Up to now I've kept away because it's all terrifying scooping out this and fish-eye darts that whenever anyone talks about it. However, as I switched over from long PJs (mainly RTW) to PJ shorts (mostly hand-made) this week as the weather warmed up overnight, I realized that I have actually already made some trouser-type objects. Now, I know PJ shorts are hardly the most challenging or fitted of sewing projects, but I also know my Ottobre PJ shorts actually fit exactly the way I like PJ shorts to fit. I found myself thinking that maybe I should trace the proper woven shorts pattern from the most recent Ottobre Woman and give them a try. Or maybe I'll just ignore that little voice going "how hard can it be, really?" in my head, it's a toss up.
4. My copy of Burda Easy S/S 2014 arrived. I cannot for the life of me recall why I bought it. On the other hand, defying all previously held convictions, so far I am tentatively impressed by regular Burda 05/2014, based on the preview. As always, I await technical drawings because god knows Burda's fashion shots are almost indecipherable as to what the pattern actually is, but I will say that for a May issue, it's an unusually encouraging preview, so far.
5. One day, when I am rich and better at sewing, I am going to go on one of those Susan Khalje couture sewing weeks in the US and make a Marfy coat of such supreme loveliness that people will faint in the street at the sight of it. I'll just be over here, waiting for my untold riches to fall from the sky that will enable me to do all that.
You probably inadvertently stumbled on the no.1 best way to get pants to fit. I learned from the Kenneth King Jeans class that the easiest way to fit pants is to make a version that has no design details at all, the pockets (front and back) are just drawn on. They're easy to add back once you have the fitting where you want it, and it's a lot easier to see creases etc, when you don't have the added complication of weird pulling that can happen as a result of pockets and first-attempt fly fronts. If your PJ pattern fits you nicely in the legs and hips, why not cut it out in something a little heavier, and then pinch out darts to get your waist looking right, presto chango you have a regular pants pattern!
ReplyDeleteOh! That is super helpful to know, thank you! I was going to use Ottobre on the basis that if the shape of the Ottobre PJ shorts worked, so too should their regular shorts, assuming they use the same basic trousers block, but it hadn't occurred to me really that for loose trousers actually the entire PATTERN would work if I based it on the PJs. It does make sense to use as basic a pattern as possible as well. The Ottobre shorts pattern I had tentatively picked has a side zip and darts, no fly, no pockets, no pleats, no design details, so that would seem to work with KK's approach as well. :D
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