After this past week, it's easy to see why I disappear from the blog world. The projects I've been working on have had serious glitches and I've been dithering about what to do with them. Let me give you a recent example.
Last Friday was my birthday. As Birthday Queen, I claimed the right to sew for me on my day. As I was knee deep in other things (like pattern drafting), I wanted a short, simple project.
Silhouette Patterns #600, the basic blouse, has been in my queue for awhile. Peggy Sagers has several podcasts featuring this blouse. Have you seen her podcasts? They're great. I've learned so much from them. I'm a big fan of Peggy's.
Alas, the first basic blouse podcast, the one where Peggy demonstrates how to fit this pattern, is currently unavailable. Their broadcast technology has changed and this old one must be giving them problems. I hope it comes back, or they redo it, because it was great.
In a more recent podcast, Peggy constructs this blouse, including cutting it out, in an hour. And she isn't even rushed. When the session ended, all she had left to do were the hems and buttonholes/buttons.
I really, really wanted to love this blouse. I knew that once I tweaked the fit, the whole series of shirt/blouse patterns would open up to me as Peggy uses the same basic block for them all.
But this pattern is so homely on me. The neck does not come anywhere close to my neckline, it goes halfway up my throat. The garment doesn't skim my body - it hangs from me in a way that waist darts could never cure. The armscye is too low, and the sleeves seriously restrict my arm movement.
I could adjust this pattern but would be more than tweaking. And the style of the basic blouse isn't appealing enough for me to want to put in the time. As a zippity-quick top, it was fine. For extended fitting work, not so much.
Other patterns fit me better, with less work. As much as I admire the Silhouette philosophy, I don't seem to fit their body type. I wanted to love it. Dang.
Showing posts with label Silhouette patterns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Silhouette patterns. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Ommmmm Pants
According to Peggy Sagers of Silhouette Patterns, yoga pants are the new jeans. When I look at what women on the street are wearing, I can almost believe it. But in my heart, jeans can never be replaced. For me, yoga pants are the new sweatpants.
At one time, sweatpants were da bomb! a unisex trend favoured by males and females of all ages. Like yoga pants, sweatpants were worn as exercise and street attire. At their trendiest prime, sweatpant suits, aka track suits, went practically everywhere. It fuelled a huge label war, launching athletic wear firmly into the mainstream.
The current sweatpant incarnation is anything but unisexual. Yoga pants are thin, stretchy garments cut to flatter and shape the female derriere, unlike thick, shapeless sweatpants. Guys still wear sweatpants, but not too many girls. Yoga pants are decidedly sexy. Sweatpants aren't.
Like any trendy garment that flatters the female form, yoga pants have transcended their original purpose. They've gone beyond exercise wear. Beyond leisure wear. In the right fabric, they're considered dressy and refined enough for work.
Because they're so sexy, many schools are banning girls from wearing them.
When you examine them, what are yoga pants? A low riding pant, with a 2" elastic waistband yoke, made of synthetic fabric. Raise the waistband and narrow it by an inch and what do you have - good ol' polyester pants like my grandmother used to favour. Mind you, Granny didn't wear hers skin tight, and no one ever admired her butt in them.
Amazing what a bit of styling and lycra can do for an old trend....
Anyhoo, I decided to make myself a pair or three. I bought some fabulous athletic fabric (said to be from Lululemon) and was eager to give it a go. I used Peggy Sager's 3-piece Yoga Pants pattern.
Very easy to sew. The hardest part is picking the size. Peggy suggests taking your hip measurement and going down 1 size for 1-way stretchy fabric and 2 sizes for all-way stretchy fabric (like Slinky). Those who want their pant to skim, not cling, use the size indicated by your hip measurement.
I fall into the latter category, so I cut a size 12. The basted pant bagged rather than skimmed, so took in all the seam allowances, including centre front and back, as per Peggy's suggestion. It's at least a 10 now, maybe an 8. I found a level of fit that while it isn't what my daughters would wear, it isn't what my Granny would wear either.
The only alterations I did were to lop off 2.5" inches from the hem and raise the waist. Yes, raise the waist. I have stretch-marks and fluff, I don't want my abdomen hanging out.
Are you a fan of the yoga pants trend?
- Lady T
At one time, sweatpants were da bomb! a unisex trend favoured by males and females of all ages. Like yoga pants, sweatpants were worn as exercise and street attire. At their trendiest prime, sweatpant suits, aka track suits, went practically everywhere. It fuelled a huge label war, launching athletic wear firmly into the mainstream.
The current sweatpant incarnation is anything but unisexual. Yoga pants are thin, stretchy garments cut to flatter and shape the female derriere, unlike thick, shapeless sweatpants. Guys still wear sweatpants, but not too many girls. Yoga pants are decidedly sexy. Sweatpants aren't.
Like any trendy garment that flatters the female form, yoga pants have transcended their original purpose. They've gone beyond exercise wear. Beyond leisure wear. In the right fabric, they're considered dressy and refined enough for work.
Because they're so sexy, many schools are banning girls from wearing them.
When you examine them, what are yoga pants? A low riding pant, with a 2" elastic waistband yoke, made of synthetic fabric. Raise the waistband and narrow it by an inch and what do you have - good ol' polyester pants like my grandmother used to favour. Mind you, Granny didn't wear hers skin tight, and no one ever admired her butt in them.
Amazing what a bit of styling and lycra can do for an old trend....
Anyhoo, I decided to make myself a pair or three. I bought some fabulous athletic fabric (said to be from Lululemon) and was eager to give it a go. I used Peggy Sager's 3-piece Yoga Pants pattern.
Very easy to sew. The hardest part is picking the size. Peggy suggests taking your hip measurement and going down 1 size for 1-way stretchy fabric and 2 sizes for all-way stretchy fabric (like Slinky). Those who want their pant to skim, not cling, use the size indicated by your hip measurement.
I fall into the latter category, so I cut a size 12. The basted pant bagged rather than skimmed, so took in all the seam allowances, including centre front and back, as per Peggy's suggestion. It's at least a 10 now, maybe an 8. I found a level of fit that while it isn't what my daughters would wear, it isn't what my Granny would wear either.
The only alterations I did were to lop off 2.5" inches from the hem and raise the waist. Yes, raise the waist. I have stretch-marks and fluff, I don't want my abdomen hanging out.
Are you a fan of the yoga pants trend?
- Lady T
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