We Made Pants

The Jalie Renee Pants class yesterday went very well. I had four students—three have been in previous classes of mine and one student was new. Two students used sergers, and two used sewing machines. Not everyone has the budget or desire for a serger, so it’s good to be able to accommodate all kinds of machines. For most projects, as long as the sewing machine can make some kind of stretch stitch, it can sew knits. (Stretch & Sew, anyone?)

The two students using sewing machines had never made clothing before. The other two students had been in my Easton Cowl class and had Bernina sergers. We started with a general discussion about measurements and fitting, then moved on to the specifics in the pattern. The Jalie patterns are well drafted and exceptionally thorough. I went over hip and waist measurements and helped each student choose the correct size. For this pattern, we went by full hip measurement.

The first time I taught this class, one of my students made “bike shorts” for her muslin. I suggested these students do the same thing. Getting the fit at the top of the pants is crucial; figuring out the length can wait until later. Also, that saves on fabric, although I had brought plenty of leftovers and remnants for the students to use for their muslins. It’s easier for me to bring a chunk of polyester interlock from the Walmart mystery rack—at $8 for three yards of 60” wide fabric—than to have the students try to source that material on their own when they might not yet have a good understanding of what they need.

The students traced their patterns, then cut their muslins. All of that had taken most of the morning (two hours). We stopped for a lunch break, and after lunch, they worked on assembling their bike shorts. Making the pants doesn’t take nearly as much time as prepping for them. One by one, as each student finished her shorts, I had her go into the bathroom and change into them. I came in and checked the fit. I had suggested that they NOT sew the waist darts in at the beginning. Some students don’t need them. I’ve made five pairs of these for myself, and I didn’t put the darts in the most recent pair, simply because I was in a hurry and forgot. Because these are knit pants with an elastic waist, I don’t think it changes the fit much unless there is a large discrepancy between the hip and waist measurements.

Every single one of them nailed the fit. One woman said they fit so well she felt like she wasn’t wearing anything. Only one student needed darts, and she didn’t need darts as large as the pattern piece for her size indicated. I pinned them in for her and helped her mark and sew them so she would understand what she needed to do on the final version.

Each student finished a muslin. (The woman who said she felt like she wasn’t wearing anything also said she planned to hem hers and wear them this summer.) We figured out the appropriate inseam lengths, and two students got their pants cut from the Robert Kaufman ponte the store had brought in for the class. And one student—who had never made clothing before—finished her pants except for the hems and the elastic at the waist:

She used a vintage Bernina Record 730 sewing machine to make her pants and had zero issues.

All in all, I was very happy with how the class went. The most gratifying part is seeing how excited these women get when they realize they can make clothing that fits them well. It doesn’t matter if they are short or tall, rail thin or plump. They are no longer confined to buying ill-fitting ready-to-wear, and that’s a heady feeling.

A student I’ve had in some of my other classes was also in the store, quilting a top on one of the store’s longarm machines. She joined us for lunch and told us about her current project of drafting and making bras for herself. That was fascinating.

The store is having another Bernina serger event in April. Unfortunately, I am going to be at the homesteading conference that weekend; otherwise, I would come in to help.

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I think we’re finally out of the deep freeze, although I heard a rumor that it might be windy again today. Ugh. Maybe the wind will be out of the southwest and won’t affect us as much.

I have one side of binding left to sew down on the Sunbonnet Sue quilt. I’d like to get that done this evening. Today’s task will be making the keyhole top (New Look 6555). I spent way too much time looking for the fabric for that top yesterday morning, so I should probably spend some time cleaning and organizing, too.