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How to Make Wide-Leg Rayon Pants with the Parkside Shorts Pattern

July 9, 2018
Posted by Sara
June 25, 2018
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A couple of weeks ago, I tried on some black and white wide-leg rayon pants in the store and loved them. I couldn’t bring myself to pay $40 for thin, cheap fabric and less than perfect pattern matching and construction though. Don’t we all do that? How many times do we leave things behind because we can “make it better ourselves”?

This time I actually did it. I ordered this black and white rayon crepe from Style Maker Fabrics. I know many bloggers regularly shop there and always highly recommend the shop. I actually emailed the owner to make sure this fabric would be heavy enough for pants before ordering. She emailed back a couple of options that would work well, including the one I had my eye on.

I looked at several patterns but in the end, I decided to hack a pattern I already own. I just needed a simple elastic waist pant pattern with a wide leg. I was wearing a pair of my linen Parkside Shorts earlier this week and realized that I could definitely hack the Parkside Shorts pattern. I already knew it fit and I could easily extend the length!

I did some quick calculations and ordered 2 1/2 yds. of fabric. If you are considering ordering rayon crepe, be aware that it shrinks a lot! I lost 12″ in length and 8″ in width. I expected some shrinkage. I always wash rayon, even though it’s prone to shrinking. I don’t have time to hand wash all of my clothes, so I just wash them on delicate and tumble dry on low. This material really crinkles up a lot though.

After washing, I wasn’t sure how I was going to fit my pattern pieces on the fabric anymore. I had planned to place the pant legs side by side, but losing the width made that impossible. I bought enough extra to stagger the legs, placing the wide part next to a narrower part but that wasn’t working either. And I didn’t have enough to place them end to end.

Then I remembered a top I made earlier this year with rayon crepe. I left it crinkled and cut the pattern pieces like that. The top ended up being much too big.

So I decided to try ironing the fabric to see if I could stretch it back out. I gained 4″ in width, which was almost enough to squeeze my pieces across. To save a little more fabric, I taped the front and back pant leg pieces together overlapping the seam allowances to create one seamless pant leg piece. That gave me the last inch I needed to make it fit on the fabric! (I made a medium, so if you are a small or x-small you should be able to get away with 2 yds. of fabric.) – See the end of the post for an update about what happened after washing…

I definitely appreciated not having to match stripes on the outer leg seams, but I did lose the pockets I was planning to add. I think pockets may have been too heavy anyway, so the trade-off worked out. Plus, ironing out the crinkles was a good call for a better fit.

Other than creating one pattern piece and eliminating the side seam and pocket, the other change I made was to add length. I measured a 34″ inseam and cut straight down from the existing side seams on the shorts. That’s it! I had more than enough length to create a 2″ hem at the end.

I constructed the pants with french seams to keep the rayon from fraying everywhere. Without pockets, it’s really just sewing the crotch seams, the inside leg seams, and the waistband. It didn’t take very long to sew these together.

The only thing I would do differently is straighten out the back waist seam. It’s drafted at an angle, which is fine for solid fabric. On the striped fabric, it creates little chevrons across the backside instead of straight horizontal stripes like the rest of the pants. I don’t think it’s too noticeable now, but I did alter the back seam slightly after sewing it to make the effect more subtle.

The pants are super comfortable, but taking photos made me feel like they might not be that flattering. I’m used to wearing more fitted clothes. These make me feel very conspicuous….like I’m wearing pajamas. I’m sure I’ll still wear them. I just need to work out the best way to style them…

UPDATE: So…ironing the fabric was not the right call. One wash and the pants are at least two sizes smaller. The waist still fits, but the pants are a few inches too short and way too clingy now. I think I will save them for my preteen daughter. They should fit her next year, so it’s not a total loss!

Tips for rayon crepe anyone? The time I didn’t iron, the garment was too big. When I did iron, it was too small. How do you prep your fabric?

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Sewing

Striped Knit Dance Dresses

June 19, 2018
Posted by Sara
June 20, 2018
2 comments

This year, my oldest daughter started taking ballet lessons. As with most girls their age, our daughters love to put on “shows” and regularly choreograph dances for us. They’ve been practicing a dance for our family reunion talent show for weeks and requested matching dance dresses. I used a striped rayon jersey knit to make them matching dance dresses.

I could have bought them something, but I thought quick, knit tank dresses would be easy enough. I ended up just creating patterns for them myself by tracing a store-bought tank they already had and adding some length. (I probably could have used the top of another pattern like I did with the knit Southport Dress here…but I didn’t think of it then.)

I cut the front and back of the tank plus some 1 1/2″ wide strips for the bindings. I folded those strips in half horizontally, wrong sides together. In order to attach the binding flat (and to avoid figuring out exact measurements for sewing them on in the round…), I sewed one shoulder seam, then added the neck binding. Then I sewed the other shoulder seam and added the sleeve bindings. If you’ve made almost any t-shirt pattern, the method is the same. Just stretch the binding slightly as you sew.

For the most part that worked well. At that point, I tried the dresses on the girls and discovered there was too much ease under the arms. That was an easy fix because I hadn’t sewed the side seams yet. I just took in the side seams under the arms and graded out to the original line.

I left the bottom edge raw and cut it with an uneven hem. My daughter had a unique hemline on a top that she liked so we copied that hemline. It has a rounded front and back with squared off sides.

For dancing, a turned-up hem would have weighed down the “twirliness” of the skirt. The shape of the dresses is an A-line shape, so they don’t spin out as much as a circle skirt would but they still have pretty movement.

Overall, the girls love the dresses and are happy to have matching dance outfits for their many performances, so I call that a success!

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Sewing

Rayon Ogden Cami Dress

June 19, 2018
Posted by Sara
June 15, 2018
6 comments

I’ve been eyeing this beautiful Treasured Kermes print by April Rhodes since it was released. Blue and red are my go-to colors for both clothes and decor (as you can see from the colors in my kitchen). Every garment I’ve seen in this fabric is gorgeous. Last week I needed a more fabric to fill up my cart for free shipping, so I grabbed a couple of yards. Please tell me you do this too!

I knew two yards would be enough for a top but was hopeful that I could squeeze a sundress out of it. It was just enough for an Ogden Cami Dress!

I’m a big fan of the True Bias patterns I have used (see Hudson Pants, Southport Dress, and Lodo Dress). I didn’t buy the Ogden Cami right away because it seemed so basic. As usual, I always need basics but forget to sew them. It turns out the Ogden Cami is basic, but not overly simple. The details make the top. It has a half lining and the shape is nicely fitted at the bust flaring out slightly at the waist and hips. It seems to be flattering on a variety of body shapes.

The Ogden Cami pattern doesn’t come with a dress option, though Kelly shared a dress hack on the True Bias blog. I had less fabric to work with so I just cut the front and back longer instead of adding a fuller skirt.

I measured the pattern pieces at the hip to make sure that there was enough ease (there was). I measured 36″ from the underarm and marked that as my length (that hits just below the knee). Then I measured 2″ beyond the hip width and drew a smooth line from the bottom of the pattern piece to the bottom corner I marked. I used the hemline on the pattern piece I wasn’t using to create a slightly curved hem.

The cami could be a super quick sew if you skip some of the finishing steps, but I wanted a quality dress and spent the time doing all of the staystitching and understitching. Since I used rayon, I felt like it was important to finish the side seams to avoid fraying. I should have planned ahead and cut larger seam allowances for French seams but I didn’t.

After sewing the seams I decided the best way to finish them was to fold the seam allowances under to create a straight, clean edge. Is there a name for this? I couldn’t find one (other than “clean finish edge”). It worked well and overall it’s less bulky than a french seam.

I always find it helpful to compare sizes. My measurements are around 34, 30, 38. I cut a size 4, graded out to a 6 in the hips. I think the fit is just right.

As with all of the True Bias patterns I’ve made, I’m sure I will make more Ogden Camis! This is such a classic shape that can be layered and worn in many different ways. A simple black one would work for a night out or as an everyday top. I need more versatile pieces like this.

Here are a few of the best Ogden Cami’s I’ve seen around the sewing blog community if you’d like more inspiration:

This striking Silk Crepe de Chine Ogden Cami by Sewbon is one of my favorites.

I unintentionally copied, and I’m now matching with @lindsayinstitsches! I totally missed this when I was searching for inspiration.

Leslie’s linen drawstring dress is a really creative use of this pattern.

Teresa made the perfect classic black Ogden Cami. This is definitely on my to-do list.

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Pattern Review, Sewing

Marigold Dress in Chambray

March 21, 2018
Posted by Sara
March 20, 2018
2 comments

Back in January, I discovered the Marigold Dress pattern by Blank Slate patterns. I was familiar with Blank Slate before, but it’s not one of my go-to pattern companies. I had seen the Marigold before, but it was Abbey’s short-sleeved chambray version that grabbed my attention.

(This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks!)

With a nursing baby, I’ve struggled to find dresses that work for me. I actually spent hours looking for any type of dress that was nursing friendly a few weeks ago. We had a last minute Christmas party and I didn’t have anything in my closet that seemed appropriate and no time to sew. In the end, I settled for a very stretchy knit A-line dress that definitely wasn’t appropriate for nursing in public. I had to find a place to hide just to feed the baby.

When I saw the Marigold and realized that it would work for nursing, I remembered how thankful I am for the ability to sew what I need. You would think a shirt dress would be relatively easy to find, but it just seemed to be “out of style” this season and impossible to find.

I started sewing in January, and what should have been a 3-hour project took 6 weeks of sewing in 10-15 minute spurts. It was definitely not the most efficient method of sewing since I had to keep finding my place every time I got started again. But with a 6-month old baby, you sew when you can—even if that means it’s only 15 minutes here and there.

I chose some Kaufman Chambray for my Marigold Dress. It’s lightweight and has a nice drape. The fabric is slightly sheer, but I always layer tank tops and bike shorts or a slip under my dresses so it seemed fine. I wouldn’t recommend it for a dress or skirt without an extra layer though.

The Marigold pattern has lots of options. You can make it with longer sleeves, a belt, skirt only, or as a peplum top. I chose to make a short-sleeved version of the dress, with the longest skirt length. I think it will be a great year-round style. I can wear it in the summer as it is and also layer it with a sweater and leggings on a cold day.

The pattern instructions were well-organized, especially considering all of the options available. I was able to follow the instructions for my style without confusion. Though I prefer illustrations, I found the photos clear and helpful for construction. I should have looked through the pattern for information on seam finishes before cutting. The collar, placket, and shoulder seams are all clean and hidden, but the side seams need to be finished. My serger seized up last month so I ended up sewing french seams on the sides of the bodice and skirt. I would have cut slightly larger seam allowances if I had planned ahead.

I made a size medium with no alterations. My bust and measurements were right in line with the size chart and my waist is a couple of inches larger. Since the elastic in the waist can be adjusted to the right size, I didn’t worry about that. The finished fit is great, and I don’t think I would make any changes. It’s a flexible style and will continue to fit as I lose baby weight or if I gain a few pounds.

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How to Make Wide-Leg Rayon Pants with the Parkside Shorts Pattern

Striped Knit Dance Dresses

Rayon Ogden Cami Dress

Marigold Dress in Chambray