Saturday, May 30, 2009

Corduroy stretch jeans

Did the title of this post send shivers down your spine? I think stretch jeans get a bad name from all those who think the extra ease is an invitation to go down a size. Having said that, I didn't go out of my way to buy stretch, wasn't till I started sewing it I realised it must have some elastine in it.

Corduroy is THE winter trouser fabric. It's so nice and snugly to put on. I made the pants using M 5142 which I bought recently in their half price sale. Right off I was hooked on the styling with the generous use of embellishment and bedazzling.




You will remember my initial pocket design sparked by this instruction:



But in the end, because I don't have an embroidery machine and I have to top-stitch everything on my machine I simplified the design right down. Choosing the colour for the thread was tricky - nothing really stood out - I wanted something subtle, but not invisible. In the end I went with "bone" , partly because I believe there's no harm in flogging a good joke.





You'd really have to seriously be checking out my toosh though to make sense of it. I mean, does it say "knitting needles and wool to you?" I think the knitting needles would work better longer, personally, and corduroy does not carry embroidery well - too textured to bring out the stitching. Still, it will amuse me no end, and I'm the one wearing them.

The fit on these pants is not for those wishing to avoid the state of their derriere. They hug the bootie in a "cross your heart bra" lift and separate kind of way, evidenced in my photos. I did make mine a little on the tight side, but only because I've been caught out by corduroy before, it stretches a lot through the bias of the crotch after sewing. However, there's no doubt: it's too tight, despite me using the flattest back and lowest derriere option available. I have more work to do on the pattern.




The lesson of these pants for me though, has been "sew in haste, unpick at leisure." I grab moments to sew when I can, but I try to cram so much into that time that I inevitably make mistakes, like not stream shrinking out the ease of the waist band before I edgestitched and topstitched, creating serious puckering.

I don't know about you, but I cannot wear something I've made that I've made badly. So I spent twice the amount of time unpicking as it took me to sew it in the first place.

Harumph!

But these will be a useful serviceable pair of pants, and as wearable a muslin as any. Now on Monday I am going to start making these again (with modifications for a better fit) , the capri pant length, in my ugly fabric.

Seriously.



post editing note:

I just had to go back and do something about that back, which would be fine, if say, I was twenty years younger and my name was Brittney. Better, but the real problem is the crotch length, and I am going to address that in my next pair of pants.

13 comments:

  1. Oh very nice! To me it does look like a ball of wool, but then I've been with you throughout this sewing journey so my mind had it fixed as a ball of wall already. I do so love cord though, and they are a very snazzy pair of pants indeed!
    I thought you had a thing against capris? Wasn't it you I was talking about that with?
    On a different topic, my main computer shat itself yesterday afternoon, thus losing me all of Thursday and Friday's work. It's so seriously locked up it won't even start, so I'm back to the elderly laptop instead. What a great way to end the week! She shouted sarcastically to the universe.

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  2. I agree that fall & winter are all about the corduroy, and the color on these is fantastic. I cannot -- CANNOT -- wait to see these in capri length in the "ugly fabric". As in, waiting with bated breath.

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  3. They've come out great :-)
    Capris, eh? Are you doing the vertical fabric for the leg and the chicken bit for a horizontal band? I'm most intrigued....looking forward to seeing more.

    J

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  4. I really like those. I had ordered some stretch cord to make into pants but when I got it I realized it was waaaay too thin for that.

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  5. I admit, I knew they were knitting needles, but the ball of yarn kept me guessing.

    OMG. You're not feeling all too well yet, and you're on your second pair of pants?!! But they look fantastic on you.

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  6. Hey - have you been reading my mind? I've got a pair of stretch corduroy pants 3/4 done on my sewing desk RIGHT NOW! Not nearly as cheerful a colour as yours, and definitely no witty pocket topstitching, but still stretch cord pants. Now I've seen yours I think I might need to make mine a bit flasher ;-)

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  7. I love that colour. If I had pants that colour, I would wear them all the time. I must admit, you lost me with the needles and ball of wool...I can see it now that you point it out. I must admit, I wear clothes purely for fun a lot more often these days (I mean, it's not loke anyone else is looking), so your smirky designs give me pleasure.

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  8. Glad you made these pants. I have this pattern and it is nice to see that they look so good on a real woman! Nice touch on the back pockets.

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  9. I love the play on image you have there with the needles/wool that could be also read as skull and bones! It adds a certain panache that I would, of course, completely expect of you.

    The color: perfect. And in the picture, I have to say that I did not notice anything but that they looked lovely on you. I am so impressed. Corduroy pants! Ha! And me and my little victory with my simple PJ pants...

    XO
    Iris

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  10. Already commented above, but I also thought that those back pockets had a skull and bones on them. I think it's genius that they're not and just resemble them from a distance.

    Also, thanks for your comments on my projects!

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