Pattern Review: Wide-Leg Pants by Peppermint Magazine & In The Folds
Here’s another cracker pattern from Peppermint Magazine that is free – the Wide-Leg Pants. Created in collaboration with In The Folds, this pattern is well-drafted with clear instructions. There can never be too many wide-leg pants in my closet, so a free pattern is always a good way to add to the collection.
Sizes come in A-J, catering to waist measurements of 64cm-116cm. I sewed up a size B for a 66cm waist, but since I used a stretch denim, I knew that there would be adjustments made to the side seams for a better fit.
The pattern is drafted for non-stretch woven fabric, so I was a little naughty using a stretch denim, but I prefer some give in my pants to allow for belly expansion when I’m gobbling up my meals. The stretch is provided by 2% Spandex in this gorgeous Lady McElroy cotton denim in Barbie Pink, and it was gifted to me by Minerva in exchange for a blog post. Gigantic THANKS!!!. Because this fabric is the bomb. First, the colour is irresistible. Any fabric named Barbie Pink will not escape being in my stash. This shade of pink transports me back to my tween days when all my toys and candy come in this colour. Now in my late 40s, I wear this pinkest of pinks unabashedly because it simply brightens up my day, and gives my skin an instant glow.
There are some details that I love about this pattern. First, the large front pockets extend into the fly, so they fulfil a second function of being a tummy stay. For these generous pockets, I used another fabric gifted to me by Minerva – a checked Madras cotton lawn. Second, the high-waist is super high, and I like it! Things that I feel are missing in this pattern are back pockets, and belt loops. I added back pockets from the Megan Nielsen Dawn Jeans, and for the belt loops – I decided I can go without. I am not totally happy about the placement of the back pockets. I think they should be about 1 – 1 1/2 inch higher so that they don’t give the look of DBS – droopy butt syndrome. I will get to this alteration soon.
Actually, I have already made a first alteration to these pants. They were too baggy below the crotch, and I took in about 1 inch the length of the whole inseam to fix that quickly. You can see from the pictures below what they look like before the alteration:
When you look at the pictures after the alteration (when I am standing on green metal with clouds swirling above me) you will see that the pants are a much better fit. This justifies a change to the paper pattern that I have to do for the next make so that it’ll fit me properly. But since I didn’t do a muslin, this alteration that I did is the next best thing. I wasn’t sure how long I wanted the pants to be and kept the full length of it when I cut the fabric. It turns out that I can afford to take another 3 cm off the length for a more cropped version. But I just turned the hem up one more time for another quick fix.
While I’m writing this down, I am thinking that maybe I should just size down for the next make, especially if I am using a stretch denim. I eventually did make an adjustment to the side seams and took in about 1/4 inch there. But I reckon I would still need to remove some more ease at the back inseam and shorten the crotch depth. While fitting pants, I like to leave the side seams to sew up last so that I can make little tweaks to get the perfect fit. Because of this, I changed up the sewing order and machine-basted the side seams for a fitting session before sewing it down. This is always something I do before sewing on the waistband.
Since this pattern is free, it’s like winning the lottery while making this pair of pants. Some high-waisted pants do not have a curved waistband, and this pattern does, which is a big draw for me for a better fit. The way the zipper fly is attached is a completely different method that I haven’t encountered before. I was a little nervous testing it out, but it all went smoothly, which was a relief. I ended up adding some topstitching here and there just because. Another cool thing about the PDF pattern is that the layered sizes also come with seam lines drawn in. I love that. This makes adjustments to the pattern easier (even though I didn’t do it on paper this time), and I like tracing off the seam lines on the fabric for more accurate sewing.
I made these pants as part of an outfit paired up with a denim jacket, and I am currently writing up a pattern review of the Hampton Jean Jacket by Alina Sewing Design Co. For those of you who are subscribers to my blog, you might have noticed that I am publishing more entries since this month started. It’s my way of filling up the monthly quota that I’ve set for myself (which is at least 4 a month) before the second half of the month rolls around. I have a feeling that things will start getting hectic closer to the end of year celebrations, and I wanted to put in as many entries as I could before I give myself permission to disappear for a week or two.
In my part of the world, we are already in the thick of Hannukah celebrations. And I’ve been wearing my Barbie Pink Wide-Leg Pants while lighting the ritual candles. They have been kind to me for containing the widening waistline after eating so many donuts and fried potato latkes.
