Spring break project: (faux) wrap pants - Day 1
I got the idea of making the pants at a science competition I attended recently. I noticed several of the girls wearing long, flowy, wrap (summer) pants with vertical lines. I loved the look, even though I would have waited until June to wear pants like that (it was snowing). But now is the perfect time to work on my summer wardrobe. I thrifted two long skirts to use as fabric.
I started by taking the lime linen wrap skirt apart to work on the front of the pants. I unwrapped the skirt and separated the panels and waist band. I used the side panels (which wrap around the front) to do the front part of the pant legs. I removed all darts and all stray threads and pressed them flat. Even though it made for more (tedious) work, I ripped seams whenever I could instead of cutting because I tried to use as much of the finishing of the raw edges as possible.
Another note on cutting and designing. I made a plan, complete with sketches before starting the project. Knowing that the plans will have to be changed as I move through implementation, I am doing the cutting as late as possible. For instance, when cutting the front of the pant legs, I left the side seams uncut (and way too wide). I will only cut them after I sew the sides of the pant legs and I am positive that the look is what I want.
I found pants that had the kind of fit I was looking for and cut the crotch area. I realized, fortunately almost immediately (but after I took the picture and made the first cut), that I needed to leave a seam allowance at the inner leg seam. This means that I ended up cutting the crotch 1/2 deeper than pictured below (mistake #1, averted).
I mirrored the cut on the other panel by laying them wrong side to wrong side and cutting the second panel.
I used an overlocking stitch on my sewing machine to block the raw edges of the fabric along the inseam and pant leg inner seam. Linen doesn't stretch, but it frays rapidly.
I set the front of the pants aside.
I removed the elastic waist band from the other skirt (with the patterned, stretchy fabric that is going to make up the back of the pants and the front panels) and lay it flat to cut the back parts of the pant legs.
The skirt is A line and made up of a large panel in the front and two half panels in the back. I turned the skirt inside out, folded it down the middle of the front panel and laid it flat. I placed the front pieces of the pant legs in the lime linen fabric on top, along the edge made by the middle back seam of the skirt. That is where the stripe pattern is vertical and I want to preserve that for the pants.
The patterned skirt is a size S (close to my size), so I used the waist of that skirt to guide the width of the pant legs. I folded the front pant leg panels (left to their original, extra width for now) at the waist to match the waist measurement of the patterned skirt. I cut the two overlaid panels of the patterned skirt following the inseam and inner leg seam of the front pant panels, with a generous seam allowance at the inner leg seam (2 inches).
Since I was working with stretchy fabric, I carefully pinned the pieces together so they would not move as I cut. I started by pinning the bottom hem, and then pinned the two middle seams together (as I had it folded). Then I added a few more pins in the part of the fabric that was going to make up the pant legs for good measure.
After cutting I ripped the seam holding the two pieces together. While I was cutting, it was good to have as it secured the two pieces together, but eventually they had to be separated.
For each leg, I placed the front and back panels with right sides facing and pinned along the inner leg seam. Because I am working off two different skirts (the wrap skirt having a straight design and the patterned skirt being half-circle), the bottom hems ended up not matching up all the way. Following my motto of cutting at the last minute, I left them uneven at that stage. I was hopping to use the existing hems, but it won't work out that way.
First thing tomorrow, sew the two pinned seams, leaving two inches undone at the bottom to finish the hemline later.
I started by taking the lime linen wrap skirt apart to work on the front of the pants. I unwrapped the skirt and separated the panels and waist band. I used the side panels (which wrap around the front) to do the front part of the pant legs. I removed all darts and all stray threads and pressed them flat. Even though it made for more (tedious) work, I ripped seams whenever I could instead of cutting because I tried to use as much of the finishing of the raw edges as possible.
Another note on cutting and designing. I made a plan, complete with sketches before starting the project. Knowing that the plans will have to be changed as I move through implementation, I am doing the cutting as late as possible. For instance, when cutting the front of the pant legs, I left the side seams uncut (and way too wide). I will only cut them after I sew the sides of the pant legs and I am positive that the look is what I want.
I found pants that had the kind of fit I was looking for and cut the crotch area. I realized, fortunately almost immediately (but after I took the picture and made the first cut), that I needed to leave a seam allowance at the inner leg seam. This means that I ended up cutting the crotch 1/2 deeper than pictured below (mistake #1, averted).
I mirrored the cut on the other panel by laying them wrong side to wrong side and cutting the second panel.
I used an overlocking stitch on my sewing machine to block the raw edges of the fabric along the inseam and pant leg inner seam. Linen doesn't stretch, but it frays rapidly.
I set the front of the pants aside.
I removed the elastic waist band from the other skirt (with the patterned, stretchy fabric that is going to make up the back of the pants and the front panels) and lay it flat to cut the back parts of the pant legs.
The skirt is A line and made up of a large panel in the front and two half panels in the back. I turned the skirt inside out, folded it down the middle of the front panel and laid it flat. I placed the front pieces of the pant legs in the lime linen fabric on top, along the edge made by the middle back seam of the skirt. That is where the stripe pattern is vertical and I want to preserve that for the pants.
The patterned skirt is a size S (close to my size), so I used the waist of that skirt to guide the width of the pant legs. I folded the front pant leg panels (left to their original, extra width for now) at the waist to match the waist measurement of the patterned skirt. I cut the two overlaid panels of the patterned skirt following the inseam and inner leg seam of the front pant panels, with a generous seam allowance at the inner leg seam (2 inches).
Since I was working with stretchy fabric, I carefully pinned the pieces together so they would not move as I cut. I started by pinning the bottom hem, and then pinned the two middle seams together (as I had it folded). Then I added a few more pins in the part of the fabric that was going to make up the pant legs for good measure.
After cutting I ripped the seam holding the two pieces together. While I was cutting, it was good to have as it secured the two pieces together, but eventually they had to be separated.
For each leg, I placed the front and back panels with right sides facing and pinned along the inner leg seam. Because I am working off two different skirts (the wrap skirt having a straight design and the patterned skirt being half-circle), the bottom hems ended up not matching up all the way. Following my motto of cutting at the last minute, I left them uneven at that stage. I was hopping to use the existing hems, but it won't work out that way.
First thing tomorrow, sew the two pinned seams, leaving two inches undone at the bottom to finish the hemline later.
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