Spring break project: (faux) wrap pants - Day 7

It's time for a fitting. Put the pants on inside out and pin at the sides at the waist band so the pants fit. The waistband will gape in the front and back and that's OK. Darts will take care of that later. You can also use an existing garment that has the right curves at the hips to mark and cut the sides.

We are going to sew the side seam at the waist band on the left side (when wearing) and have a slit and button band closure on the right side. Lay the pants with front side facing, inside out, and pin at the triple point (line up the crotch seam front and back and the waist band seam, put a pin at that intersection through the two layers). Mark where the side seam is going to be.

Leaving a seam allowance, cut the extra fabric. Work an overlock stitch over the raw edges then stitch up the side all the way to the top of the waist band.

Draw a line that continues straight up from the crotch seam on the waist band, to serve as a symmetry axis. Then mirror the side seam stitch line on the other side. That other side will not get sewn shut, so we are talking about just drawing a line. Note: on the picture below, you will notice that the extra fabric has magically reappeared on the left side. That's because I did things a little out of order. It wasn't tragic, just a little more difficult the way I did it. As I mentioned before, part of this tutorial is what I wished I had done, not what I actually did.

The next step is kind of subtle to see. We are attempting to clean up and finish the side that will have the slit. Flip the pants over so the front side is facing down. Fold up the waistband for 1 cm or so and stitch in place.

Cut off the excess fabric. Then fold the other flap of the waist band over, pin to the trimmed waist band that's underneath it. Flip the pants over and cut following the same line.

Finish the raw edges with overhang stitches then press the hem. Stitch the hem on the front side only for now. Align the front patterned panel and include it in the stitching when you are hemming. If you had not been doing that, you need to use matching thread for at least the next few steps, as those lines of stitches will show on the finished garment.

Final step for today, we set in the strap. First, prepare the end of the strap, as it will show. Begin by trimming the strap to the correct length with a generous seam allowance (1 and half inch) then block the raw edge with an overlocking stitch.

Turn the pants right side out as you will wear them and lay them with the front facing you. Open up so you can see the back part of the pants (you should see the wrong side of the patterned fabric). Lay down the strap with the raw edge at the waist seam and the seam line of the strap mirrors what you did on the other side. Mine had the seam facing downward. Do a length adjustment so that it matches the other strap, then a horizontal and vertical alignment as described on Day 6.

Turn the raw edge of the strap under and pin the strap in place. Now hem the back panel of the waist band, with the right side facing on your sewing machine so you can control to make sure the line of stitching is clean.

The strap sewn in place