The Business Woman (AKA Ellen) Pants
Well, I wanted grown-up pants, and it appears that’s what I’ve got. Tyo took one look and said “Mom, you look like a business woman!” Syo concurs.
I’m going to choose to take that as a compliment, I guess ;).
Whether that’ll feel too weird to leave the house in, is yet to be determined, I suppose.
They feel deliciously warm. The wool on the inside of the waistband is a tad scratchy (perhaps this would’ve been a perfect opportunity to face with a different fabric… say, more of my lovely Kasha. Hindsight and all that…) but I think it’ll be fine; I’m not super-sensitive. With the lining, they feel very, very substantial… perfect for winter. We’ll see how the un-lined bottom of the legs interact with the knee-high socks I often wear in the winter.
You will note how smashing they look with my grey blazer. Mmm. I’ve had this blazer since high school. It fits perfectly, has just the right amount of structure, and almost never gets worn because…
you guessed it. The sleeves are too short. *headdesk*
I have an ongoing plan to add black corduroy cuffs, at such time as I come into possession of some black corduroy of the right wale-thickness.
Anyway, although it pains me, here’s a couple of more “fitting” shots. You can see that the pockets are still gaping, showing the lining. However, it’s pretty even on each side, so maybe I could pretend that’s a design feature?
Rear view. A touch tight.
You can see that the waistband is a little, ah, snug. I suspect this is a case of me curving less than the pattern does, especially since I had to take the back in for a swayback a bit (though it seems worse in these pants than in the first pair for some reason). More curve in the back, less in the sides. The pants themselves are actually quite loose through the seat/hips. And I’m not sure what it is, but once again I was unable to match up the seam-lines on the waistband with the seamlines on the pants and have the waistband match for length the rest of the pants. I don’t know if it’s because of the pants stretching (I would expect this of the soft wool but not the firm lining) or the fly somehow not being square in the front (though I tried very hard to make sure it was) or even the fly shield throwing things off (it’s an addition not in the original pattern, as far as I can tell). So basically what I’m saying is the waistband is a bust, but provided it can be covered the pants will be fine.
Front view
Here’s from the front. Again, snug waistband=some distortion at the front closure, though the fly isn’t gaping in this version (yay interfacing 🙂 ). The wrinkles at the hips go away if my feet are together as they should’ve been for taking a fitting photo. Did I ever mention how much I loathe fitting photos? ;). Also, I love this shirt, but pouffy sleeves + sleek pants =linebacker look. Holy cow.
Not much more to say. I’ll try wearing them tomorrow, see how they feel. And how they go with my regular boots! Because I gotta tell ya, the heels are gorgeous but not going to happen. Just not.
I have a feeling this will be my last outdoor photo-shoot of the year, which sucks mostly because our indoor light is not great. But man, it was chilly. I don’t have Elaine’s fortitude to take outdoor pics all winter!
So stylish! (?)
Tanit-Isis Sews 
They look awesome, as usual. Nobody can rock a pair of trousers like you!
how did you end up dealing with the lining/fly area? I’m thinking of making another pair of trousers, and I’ll either underline or do a full lining and am thinking about the fly area – also, did I miss where you said what you used to line??
I used Kasha lining (a flannel-backed satin, actually the leftovers from my winter coat). I wound up just leaving it loose (folded under) around the fly. This works well except I should have done it *before* tacking down the fly-shield on the opposite side of the fly; right now when the pants are closed the top of the fly shield is on the inside of the lining, while the bottom is between the lining and the shell, so the lining has to wrap around the side of it. I can take a picture later if you want. 🙂
Sharp looking pants! I am so afraid of a fly front it’s not even funny.
This is my sixth fly front, and probably one of only two that aren’t majorly haphazard. That being said, as long as you can keep the fly from gaping too much (which some good interfacing mostly takes care of) all the mess on the inside isn’t visible, so it’s all good!
Do you have a preference for a real fly versus the mockfly all-in-one piece? I always feel like the real fly is the ‘right’ way to do it, but it’s more fiddly and bulky than the mock fly… the look doesn’t seemm very much different, though… thoughts?
Honestly, I’m not entirely sure what the difference is. All the flies I’ve ever done, including this one, were all in one piece except for the fly facing, which is a little rectangle tacked on to cover the inside of the zipper after. The inside of the fly is a folded-back extension of the front of the fabric (is that the mock-fly?). I *think* I’ve seen instructions for how to do it the other way, with a seam between the CF and the fly facing, in my sewing book, but I’ve never actually encountered this in real clothing (or a pattern, but then I’ve only made 2 different pants patterns so far)… so I guess I don’t consider that the “right” way to do it! ;). Fiddly + bulky = not how I’d like to do it, personally :). Hmm, maybe if your pants fabric was really thin and needed a seam to support the CF of the fly? I think you’d still be better off adding more interfacing or something, though.
Great-looking pants! Gotta love what kids say eh? Business woman pants.
If you wanted to fix the gaping pockets, you could always baste them shut? You know when you buy pants from stores and the pockets are sewn shut – I usually leave them that way so they don’t poke open.
Depends on whether you plan on using them at all!
I like having *somehwere* to tuck things—spare change, my ipod, a set of keys while I run from the lab to the bathroom (our lab is locked at all times)—so I did want functional pockets. I suppose if I wear them with a blazer all the time, it won’t matter (blazer has its own pockets)… but then the welts won’t show, either, so it won’t matter!
conundrums, I tell ya…
The pants look great. The small things you are seeing, hey, you could have the same issues off the rack. When purchasing RTW pants we accept a few fitting wrinkles. I am starting to think that the fitting wrinkles are so common that now if your garment doesn’t have them, then people start looking at your clothes a bit closely. Or maybe I am paranoid . . . 🙂
They look great, and I don’t mind the pockets – design feature!
Great look! Pants turned out so nice. I’d use the pockets as a design feature….with a little white shirt? Shoes are too cute, but I know what ya mean…Oprah calls those “church” shoes. one hour plus or minus a few minutes:) I am a fan of the interfaced hand picked zipper myself. But I always have some unsewing to do as well.
Love the pants, they look lovely on you! Oh, and those shoes… seriously cute!
I love the whole look. The pockets are a nice touch!
They look great and look like they fit perfectly. I’m terrified of a fly front, too. I started a pair of pants about a year ago and quickly abandoned them when I got to the fly front. Did you do the fly just from the pattern instructions or is there another resource to go to?
My favourite fly front tutorial is Debbie Cook’s. Sandra Betzina has a video on the Threads magazine website that’s recommended, too, if you prefer videos; I have trouble following them for some reason. I really barely looked at the pattern instructions for this. Also spending some time looking at a RTW fly helps a lot! 🙂
NICE! I approve of those pants. And the shoes. LOOK OVER THERE! *steals shoes while not looking*
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