Three pairs of Pietra Pants

In my mission to make the perfect pair of pants I have had some dismal failures and I’ve learned a fair amount about what sort of pants do – and mainly DON’T – look good on me. But through the trials and tribulations, I came across this awesome pattern: Closet Core’s Pietra Pants pattern miraculously combines a great fit with comfort and style. So of course, one pair wasn’t enough and I ended up making three!

The first pair I made was the wide leg version made from a navy blue linen. It is the first time I’ve worked with linen and it feels so good and is pretty easy to work with! It does fray quite easily but I used my overlocker to finish the edges before sewing the pieces together and that helped.

The pants are designed to fit at the waist and the front of the pants have a flat, fitted styling with slanted pockets that are integrated into the front panels.

One of the fantastic features about this design is that even with a flattering, fitted front, there are no closures needed because the back is elasticised. This also means the pants are very comfortable even with a high waist. I did, however, make the mistake of not making the elastic tight enough so sadly this pair falls down and is a bit annoying. The elastic is fully integrated into the pants so it’s very hard to make it tighter after the fact. I also learned an important lesson – wide leg pants are not very flattering on me. I thought I needed more width in the pants to hide my short muscular legs but turns out that might not be the best solution and I should just go and show off my legs!

So the next pair was the shorter tighter version and I much prefer the fit. I used a piece of grey tartan-ish fabric. It’s a synthetic material so not my favourite but they are fun and comfortable to wear. The shorter pants length isn’t my normal style and I struggle to find shoes to wear with these pants and I can’t decide if they are winter or summer pants!

The fit at the back was better this time with a tighter elastic.

Once I had proved that the fit was good, I decided I needed to go wild! I chose a fabulous piece of cotton that my fair godmother had given me and I made my third pair of Pietras.

I love how these turned out! They can be dressed up or down, the waist is slightly tighter and I made the fit over the hips a little closer too.

Whenever I wear these, I get compliments and they make me smile.

They even got shown off on our trip to Greece earlier this year!

Pattern: Closet Core’s Pietra Pants

Fabric: Navy blue linen, grey synthetic tartan, black and yellow cotton print

Do it again: The shorts could be fun for summer 🙂

Winter PJs for Mom

My dear mother has a collection of sleepwear that leaves much to be desired. Typically they are stretched cotton knit nighties with cheesy slogans like “sweet dreams” emblazoned across the front. She has often admired my Carolyn Pajamas so I decided it was time to make her some decent pajamas as an early birthday present before a recent trip. The very special thing about these PJs is that for the fabric, I upcycled an old cotton sheet that she had cherished years ago.

The sheet I used was a hand-me-down from my mom that she had received when she was first married. It is a rather busy print but quite fun and I thought would make great pajamas especially as the cotton was soft from years of use. The great thing about using a sheet for sewing is that it is really wide and so your pattern placement options seem endless. The tricky thing about using an OLD sheet is that you need to be quite clever about placement to avoid the more used middle section of the sheet. For some specific pattern pieces like the cuffs, I used a matching pillow case as the fabric was in better condition. I used self-made blue piping along the edges and cuffs. I think the piping really brings the whole thing together.

Once again I used Closet Core’s Carolyn Pajamas pattern, this time in the long sleeve version. This is such a great pattern. It’s classic, it’s classy but you can have fun with fabric choices and piping. The step-by-step instructions are great and even though it feels a bit overwhelming in the beginning, it comes together relatively easily. The fit has worked out really well (I did add lengthen the sleeves a bit to accommodate my mom’s long arms) and the report back is that they are very comfy to sleep in.

…They’re also good to sing Elvis songs in!

Pattern: Closet Core’s Carolyn Pajamas

Fabric: An upcycled cotton sheet

Do it again: I love my summer version and I might need to make myself a winter pair now :-). Or maybe a night shirt hack?