Pant suit – Hopefully Creative

Delayed Party-Pantsuit

I was supposed to attend a celebration halfway through March and was planning an outfit for that event. Unfortunately, Covid put a stop to it all. I’d started my new pantsuit in time and had it mostly finished by March 9. Then waited too long to seam the legs in the week of the event (in hopes that it would still go through). However, it took me until last week to actually finish the thing with all bells and whistles. The bells and whistles being a detachable bow-belt thing.

Usually I find a fabric and then look for a pattern with it. In this case, I’d found the pattern and went on a hunt for fabric. In the end, I chose a black and white ‘waffly’-thin-scuba something. I don’t even know how to describe it, but it has stretch in it and the back looks odd. The pantsuit was made from the fabric with the larger scale pattern and the bow from the smaller scale pattern fabric.

Anyway, the plan was to make this pantsuit from Knipmode nr. 9 2019, pattern nr 8. I’d needed to first see if it would fit, so I mocked up a short version of the pants and the top. I had to take in the top and reduce the length in the shoulder straps. When I tried on the shorts, I looked like I was wearing a diaper. So I gave up and used my regular pants pattern.

Since I wasn’t sure if I would always want to walk around with a giant bow on my front, I decided to make the bow detachable. I couldn’t figure out how I actually wanted the bow, so I procrastinated for, well, two and a half months. In the end I made belt loops, and added buttons to the bow. There are tiny thread loops on the suit, at the pockets, centre front and top, to hook the buttons into. I haven’t tested it out for any length of time, so the plan is to do that at some point. Perhaps once I’ve finished a blouse to wear with it, since it is very low in the back. I do like the abstract print of it, so we’ll see how it wears.

Flower Power Pantsuit

This year, my preparation for Graduation was On Point. I went to the market one day in Spring and found the most wonderful black & white striped knit with a wealth of blue flowers on top and bottom and some sparse ones along the middle. I didn’t dare to buy it then, but at four o’clock the same day, I came back. Sadly, it wasn’t in the market truck anymore either, but I agreed to pick up a length the next week.

So after I’d gotten the fabric and washed it, I needed to make the pantsuit. I’d decided to use my normal pants pattern with the straight edges and the top from pattern 19-20 in Simplicity Naaimode 32, also known as Simplicity 8178. Then came the difficulty of placement. I’d decided that I did not want to have half flowers along the crotch seam, for obvious reasons. So I sat on the floor for quite a long time to figure out how to get everything out of a short length of fabric. At the end, I think it worked out well.

So, I sewed the thing together forever ago (April apparently). Then about a month before the actual event, got down to hemming the legs. There’s a small snap at the crossover point at the bust. That’s the only real closure. It’s got giant pockets, made out of a black stretch mesh stuff. The pockets do show the things that I stuff in there, but I’m ok with that.

For now, I’ll just continue to keep wearing it and feeling awesome with it!

Plaid Jumpsuit

So, in preparation for the Plaid Jacket, I browsed the internet to try and figure out if the sleeves came in full length in the pattern (they did not). During the search, I stumbled on this page from YoSaMi and I fell head over heels. Specifically with the tartan jumpsuit that she made from the top of the dress of Simplicity 1325 and the pants that come with the original pattern. Now, I did not have the pants pattern, but I did have the pattern for the dress. For the pants I used the pieces of the Swordfish Pants that were elongated to waist height.

The fabric was some plaid stuff with silver threads. The pattern was nicely small scale which meant matching it was not too difficult. I lined it with some white stuff with small flower things. This was probably not the best choice as it does show in some areas. However, I really like the way it turned out. I started with sewing the pants, including pockets but ignored the darts in the back as those needed to line up with the top. After sewing the top and attaching them together most of the way, I sewed in the darts in the back of the pants and added the zipper. As an afterthought, I added the loops to the back pockets and buttons to match the pull I attached to the zipper to get it off easier.

I wore it yesterday to a birthday and I really like it. I feel it is actually quite flattering (don’t tell me if it isn’t) and it’s quite comfortable. The only issue is that I’m still trying to figure out how to wear it. Decisions on what shirt to wear underneath and stuff like that. However, I don’t think that will stop me from choosing it as I really like it. We’ll see how it holds up to a full day of going to the toilet and getting it on and off in confined spaces…

Fire Playsuit

I have had a piece of stretchy stuff with a sort of fire-ish pattern on it, hanging on a hanger in my sewing room for a seriously long while now. Finding a pattern for it had never worked out so it was just hanging there. One day, I think a few weeks back? I figured I needed to get my act together and actually make something from it. I searched through my pattern magazines yet again and discovered an interesting looking playsuit-thing with a front zipper in Simplicity 27 – model 15. So I copied it onto pattern paper and got myself into gear.

I wanted the whole front to be firey and since the fabric was fire down the middle and black on the sides, this meant that the back of the suit would be completely black. Now, I’m not completely happy with this thing. The interfacing I used along the zipper is too stiff, the whole thing feels frumpy and the neckline is too low. I’m not sure of the length of the legs and overall just not really happy with it. Perhaps it will grow on my once I wear it a little, so I hope the good weather comes out to play and I can incorporate it into my Me-Made-May 18 pledge. If I figure I will not wear it, I might just donate it to someone else and/or goodwill.

Some items are just winners, some are losers but if you have some suggestions on how to make it look.. better, I’m all ears.

Adjusting

I’ve started school the 5th of September. It’s taking a bit of adjusting. Not just the ‘getting up at 7 o’clock in the morning’ is making my life way sleepier, also the incredible amounts of reading I’m supposed to do make my eyes all droopy. All the reading has also lead to limited amount of crafty time. I’ve done a few things, salvaged the top of my wannabe pant suit thing, and made it into an unfinished dress. Only hem and straps left though, I planned to do that Saturday, then I fell and hurt my ankle so I didn’t. The ankle is almost fine now though (yay!). And I’ve been knitting a cardigan.

I quite like knitting. However, I’m not very good at it, nor am I very quick. So starting quite some time ago, I’ve now managed about 22 cm of the back panel. I’m guessing that’s 2/5 of the back panel finished. Which means there’s still a heck of a lot to do before I can actually wear it. But slow progress is still progress right? Ok, writing this was my break from reading, back to chapter 5!

Inspiration There, Energy Gone

I have so many ideas for fun things, and I haven’t finished any these past couple of weeks. It’s starting to be depressing. I started a purple pant suit, and gave up not very long after I started it. I think the pant bit is reasonably ok (although it sort of itches), but I cannot seem to figure out how to do the top bit. So I gave up. Giving up has been very easy. I’m just not feeling it, at all. And I don’t know why exactly. So that is annoying me too.

I also started on the dress from the vintage pattern. Completely messed up the instructions as usual (didn’t read them carefully) but eventually that worked out fine. Except.. I don’t have big enough boobs, or my waist is not small enough, I don’t know yet. And since I don’t have a dress form, I need to fit on myself, and with nobody around to help me I just don’t get around doing it. I just don’t feel like it at all.

I’ve even stopped baking things, there’s nobody here to eat them so why would I. They’d just go to waste. However, I did do some creative things over the past weeks. I tried to draw the same picture as a person from deviantart (phobs) in his -lady in the shawl- drawing. Here it is:

I know the head isn’t right, but I quite like the rest (ok I got fed up with the skirt wrinkles, so I just doodled). I cannot draw from inspiration, I can only draw from example. This is one of them, I don’t do it regularly but since my failure to do creative things at the moment is mostly concerning sewing, I thought drawing might be a good alternative.

Maybe I’ll try a little simple skirt in a minute. Just to get my ‘finish it’-mood back on again.

Even More UFPs

This weekend was very productive for me. I finished two UFPs and started a new project.

The first UFP to be transformed into a FP was my coat. I started it in summer last year I think. But I stopped it when I decided it was too crooked. The fabric has a sort of plaid-y look, but I didn’t line them up, which I assume will be difficult with princess seams.
But since I aim to empty my UFP box before the end of the year (I’ve assigned myself that goal a minute ago), I have to work on some projects in there. And I still liked the fabric of the coat so I figured I’d finish it. I made an asymmetrical front, put pockets on and a hood. I finished all the seams and edges with red bias tape (it’s the same colour as the red stripe in the fabric). Here are the pictures, first front and back, then details of pockets and the inside:

The next project I finished was a petticoat. It’s been laying in the stash basically since I started the frog dress, so two years I think. It was a disaster, since I absolutely hate making ruffles or whatever those things are called that a petticoat are. But I worked steadily, pinned until my fingers were dead and finally finished the thing.

Here it is, I also attached some ribbons on the side to hide the seams but they are not very clear:

So after two UFPs I wanted to start something new (decided I deserved it). So I’m now patching together a pant suit from a free culottes pattern, the vintage blouse pattern and a pattern for some pants (to use the waistband). I hope it’ll work. I’ll show you when (/if) it’s done.

Tag: Pant suit