After discovering last week that the coveted pants from Burda July 2010 were not meant to be, I pulled out my entire Burda collection and started sifting through for other flowy pant patterns, but nothing was really to my liking. And then the day before yesterday for no reason, a phrase popped into my head:
“Pants with a bow!”
It kind of stuck in my head and I said it over and over to myself, “pantswithabowpantswithabowpantswithabow…” I’m not sure if this is inspiration or mental deterioration at play, but suffice it to say I became quite fixed on the idea of “pants with a bow.” I drafted them mentally on the way to work yesterday morning, and then on paper yesterday evening (using my pant sloper), and finished off the evening by sewing them up zippy quick. Here’s how they turned out:
Super easy pants! (BTW, I love how a pair of pants that actually fits properly makes me feel so much less short- the inseam on these is a meager 27.5″, and I cut them to wear them with very high heels, so you can imagine how short my actual inseam is. But I look almost sort of tall-ish in these pants when no one is standing next to me!) They have a 2.5″ wide waistband, slightly flared legs, and a side zip. No pockets, no fly, no darts, no cuffs, just simple and clean! Here’s the rear view (kids, cover your eyes!)
(Incidentally, I really don’t care for how not blind my machine-stitched blind hem is compared to when I hem by hand. I almost always hem by hand, but I decided to give it another shot with the machine last night since it was getting late, and really, I might just unpick it and re-hem these by hand.)
And of course, there is the bow. I realize that by adding this bow, I’m reducing the wearability of these pants (you can wear a pair of basic beige pants once a week if you want, but I don’t think you can get away with giant bow crazypants quite as often), but I wanted them. With a bow. And I didn’t want some cop-out detachable bow either. I wanted the bow engineered into the pants. I just made two long tapered sashes which are sort of “inserted” into the waistband about an inch away from the side zip.
Actually, I slashed the outer waistband and inserted the sash so that there are no exposed ends. If anyone is interested, I can show you how to draft the pattern for this- it’s very simple. When the sashes are tied into a bow, it mostly hides the side closure, which is nice.
The fabric is some drapey stone beige wool that I’ve had in my stash for a long time. It’s smooth and kind of spongey and it might be wool crepe, but I don’t really recognize the weave. I think I bought it to make some basic pants a while ago, then wasn’t interested in making beige pants anymore. Recently I pulled it out again and earmarked it for the Vogue 1183 Kay Unger dress, but upon holding it up to myself in the mirror, I realized that the cool beige color does not belong anywhere near my face.
Anyway, that’s it. Some new quick-to-draft and quick-to-sew crazypants for the Selfish Seamstress. Pants with a bow! Pants with a bow! Pants with a bow!
66 comments
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June 30, 2010 at 8:58 am
Bernadette
And now I’m thinking how pretty a side bow like that would be on top of a simple full skirt. Dammit. Now I’m going to have to try to make that…
June 30, 2010 at 8:59 am
Lydia
They look great! I shuddered upon reading the title, but the end result is actually very trendy and sophisticated-looking.
June 30, 2010 at 9:00 am
Bernadette
I should have perhaps also mentioned that your pants are way too cute, and envy-inducing! Curse your inspirational sewing and design abilities!
June 30, 2010 at 9:09 am
sewsister
Are there idiot-proof instructions for a pants sloper available on the interwebs you’d recommend? A book perhaps?
Love your pants, even the bow!
June 30, 2010 at 9:59 am
selfishseamstress
I used the Helen Joseph Armstrong book “Patternmaking for Fashion Design” instructions to create my pants sloper. There are lots of tutorials online, but I haven’t tried them so I can’t vouch for them. BurdaStyle is currently featuring a trouser block tutorial:
http://www.burdastyle.com/techniques/constructing-the-basic-trouser-block
I think it’ll be hard to find something that is “idiot-proof” in the sense that you just do the steps and voila, perfectly fitting sloper. My guess is that any instructions will get you to a certain point, after which it will be a matter of trying them, identifying the fit problems, editing them, trying them, identifying the fit problems, editing, and so on until it works. The Helen Joseph Armstrong instructions were pretty close on the first try, but I think I still went through another three iterations after that to get to the sloper I use now (which, if I’m being honest, could still use a couple of tweaks.) I think if you manage to find a set of instructions that gives you a usable sloper on the first try, it’s probably more that you got lucky than that the method was perfect.
But DO try it- it might take a little persistence, but it’s not rocket science. I’m sure you can do it :) And it’s well worth it, especially if you tend to have fit issues with pants patterns or RTW pants.
June 30, 2010 at 9:10 am
HollyS
Your pants-with-a-bow look fantastic!!! Please do show us how to draft these Ms. Selfish! Pretty please? I am offering one day of servitude to your selfish whims. Um…long distance of course. You can make me dance like a chicken if it so pleases you.
June 30, 2010 at 10:00 am
selfishseamstress
Ok, I’ll show you how to draft the waistband and bow. But only if you promise to keep your chicken dancing private :D
Keep your eyes peeled for a tutorial.
June 30, 2010 at 10:29 am
HollyS
I can make no such promise.
June 30, 2010 at 10:35 am
Jennifer
I was just about to comment saying I would love love love a tutorial! I can envision the bow on a pleated skirt as well!
The pants look lovely! How long and how many failed attempts did it take you to figure out how to fit pants correctly for your body? I would love to make some, but they really intimidate me!
June 30, 2010 at 9:12 am
Anonymous
They remind of me of a pair of pants Marilyn Monroe wore in some movie. I think they are super cute!
June 30, 2010 at 9:15 am
Rebecca
Cute pants!
June 30, 2010 at 9:17 am
Jali
I love it! I never thought it possible to place pants and bow in one phrase, let alone ever make something like this. But this is a pleasant outcome. Love the sash style tied as a bow. And since its in such a neutral shade this definitely looks more stylish and not outlandish.
June 30, 2010 at 9:20 am
Lynette
Super cute! Now I’m off to try to do the same thing…
June 30, 2010 at 9:20 am
Claudine
Cute trousers! You could also pull the ends of the sash around to the other side if you wanted a shorter bow and a bit of sash effect. I made a pair of bow trousers a couple of years ago. I was afraid I would never wear them because they might annoy me, but, like you, I felt compelled. I actually wear more than I thought I would. There are here:
http://couturearts.wordpress.com/2008/05/23/swishy-trousers/
June 30, 2010 at 9:42 am
sandoz18
Please do post a tutorial on drafting the bow… pretty, pretty please!!
June 30, 2010 at 9:47 am
Kristie
What a cute idea! Your legs look long in them
June 30, 2010 at 9:48 am
Elizabeth
I love your pantswithabow pants. I can’t believe you sewed these in one day It takes me 3 days to make a stupid pencil skirt. ARGH!!! Are your pants lined?
June 30, 2010 at 10:03 am
selfishseamstress
The pants aren’t lined, which is part of the reason they were so quick to sew. (And I still need to finish some of the inside seams as they’re just raw edges at the moment) But I probably should take them apart and line them for undergarment-related reasons.
June 30, 2010 at 9:51 am
Tasia
Gorgeous and elegant! You DO look taller, who would have thought adding bow would somehow lengthen your legs? Love ’em!
June 30, 2010 at 9:57 am
Tenshi
Gorgeous! I love them! Sophisticated and elegant yet fun and crazy, too. IN a good and grown-up way crazy.
I guess I will have to adapt some pants pattern to this some day. It’s just too genious not to copy it. Okay, I’m saying it: You’re a genius, and I will show my worship by shameless copying.
June 30, 2010 at 10:13 am
BeckyMc
I Love the pants with a bow!!! I am a fan. I grovel at your selfishishness’s creative feet.
June 30, 2010 at 10:28 am
Wendy
Excellent pants with a bow! In my pattern shop I have a 1969 version for a 25 inch waist, for someone who doesn’t want to have to draft her own pattern.
June 30, 2010 at 10:30 am
Wendy
Oops, here’s the link to the pattern:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/11651118/60s-mod-side-tie-fitted-pants-simplicity
Wendy
June 30, 2010 at 10:31 am
Alison
Me want!!!
They’re stunning – I love them
June 30, 2010 at 10:42 am
Olga
V. cute! You know, Jonathan Coulton has a song about fancy pants:
June 30, 2010 at 10:46 am
selfishseamstress
Awesome! This is my favorite fancy pants-related song:
http://music.thisisdanrosen.com/track/my-favorite-pants?permalink
June 30, 2010 at 10:50 am
Deborah
Freaking LOVE the bow. Must have a pair very, very similar. And: totally in the same boat when it comes to beige at the face. Cannot wear that look, no matter how much I admire it on other women…
Love these pants! Wow.
June 30, 2010 at 11:03 am
Colleen P.
They really do make your legs look miles long-I would never have guessed your inseam length, looking at the way these fit. Really flattering for your frame! I admit to some trepidation when reading the title, but the bow is great and the pants, being so spare and streamlined themselves, can handle the extra fabric without looking bulky.
As you said, not something you can wear often but who cares? You weren’t going to use the fabric for the dress anyway, so why not make something whimsical?
June 30, 2010 at 11:07 am
Colleen P.
BTW-did you draft a curved waistband or is it straight? I’ve found in RTW that a curved waistband works better for me, I’m just wondering if it’s as simple as it looks to draft.
June 30, 2010 at 12:44 pm
selfishseamstress
Yep- the waistband is curved. I almost always use a curve waistband on pants. I’m not sure you could do a straight waistband that is this wide- seems like it’d make for a poor fit.
June 30, 2010 at 11:21 am
Venus de Hilo
Spectacular pants! Great idea and execution.
June 30, 2010 at 12:19 pm
Anonymous
I would love a pattern for the pants! No bow for me, I have enough hips/booty and don’t need to add any volume down there, just basic pants! They’re so flattering! Great job.
June 30, 2010 at 12:47 pm
selfishseamstress
If you’ve got hips, I’m guessing that my pants pattern won’t do you any good :) They’re pretty much drafted for my decidedly straight figure.
But in absence of the bow, the pants are totally basic. There’s really nothing special to them- you should be able to find lots of similar patterns out there with no problem, and it would probably be easier for you to tweak a commercial pant to fit your curves than to tweak my custom-for-me pattern to fit you. Maybe something like this?
http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v8157-products-6662.php?page_id=284
June 30, 2010 at 12:31 pm
kathleen
Beautiful pantswithabow! Only a genius would have thought of it :)
June 30, 2010 at 12:32 pm
PetitePear
Those pants are so flattering. I was just reading the BurdaStyle pants block tutorial last night and thinking I should go ahead and give it a whirl. It would be so nice to find pants that fit.
But don’t leave us hanging on the fate of the Camicia sleeves!
June 30, 2010 at 12:50 pm
Lee
great pants! but the camisole is to die for!! details, puhleeeeeeeeeeze!
June 30, 2010 at 1:01 pm
selfishseamstress
Hahaha, I figured someone would ask about that eventually. Okay. So the camisole is made out of leafy green silk jersey for which I paid $40/yard because I loved the color so much! I drafted the pattern using directions in a Japanese sewing book called “Complicated Blouses for Professional Sewing.” Needless to say, this entailed learning some Japanese, but it was well worth it. The book is out of print, but I managed to find it on eBay Japan for about $70 US. (Yay for free shipping!) It’s among the most complicated garments I’ve ever sewn- there are 11 pieces in the front alone and it required a steel spring boning that I had to cut to custom lengths. I think I made about 4 muslins before I finally got it to fit properly without any weird bits sticking out.
No, I’m TOTALLY lying. The camisole is some cheapo polyester thing that I probably picked up for about $5 at some hoochie store in a mall in San Jose when I was about 24, and the only reason it hasn’t gone to the goodwill with all of the other hoochie stretchy tops of my early-20s wardrobe is because I like the color. Let’s see… the tag says “Papaya.” Oh, I remember that store now- it was sort of like a low-rent Forever 21, if you can imagine that.
June 30, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Anonymous
You are such a tease.
June 30, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Sherry
Great trousers – fun but still sophisticated! You don’t look short at all – you have great proportions. Maybe the light colour gives the illusion of length as well, although you won’t see me in light coloured pants because it also gives the illusion of, er, width!
June 30, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Debbie Cook
Adorable! You are way too productive when you’re on your own. Me, I tend to become a slug when there’s no one here to make demands.
June 30, 2010 at 1:25 pm
Auntie Allyn
Goodness, I was afraid the bow was going to be plastered on your backside!!!! Love the way these pants turned out . . . they look so stunning and stylish!
June 30, 2010 at 1:45 pm
Victoria Baylor
I would never had guess pants with a bow would be so cute! This is a good style for you and an introduction to a new style for me! Thanks!
June 30, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Vicki
You are a clever little girl! You look very sleek – even with that big bow!
June 30, 2010 at 3:37 pm
~ ~Ahrisha~ ~
OMG these pants are stunning. . .on you My Dear. Thin young thing that you are. I shall admire them from afar! What! You are older than 24? I do some sewing but could never get a pair of pants to fit me. The last pair I attempted went into the trash.
~ ~Ahrisha~ ~
June 30, 2010 at 4:49 pm
Curry
Cute pants. Looking forward to the waistband+bow tutorial. It would looking fetching on a skirt as well, no?
June 30, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Renay
Thanks a lot for adding something else to the ‘to do list’. nice pantaloons!
June 30, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Tami S.
Super cute pants! They look great on you.
I have found that using the blind hem on my machine works best on straight hemlines, such as a straight skirt, straight trousers (think Katherine Hepburn style), even a gathered skirt. When the hemline flares, it is harder to get the machine to ease the hem like you do when you hand sew it. Try some practice strips, and work out how far back your fold needs to be for your machine. That will help you get a less visible stitch. Considering you were doing this on flared pants, I think it looks really good!
That waistband treatment would be fantastic on a dressy skirt too.
June 30, 2010 at 6:30 pm
marLou
Gee, you look like your 5’10” with this outfit. I need to get these pants. Great job!
June 30, 2010 at 7:31 pm
elily00
Well, I say your pants with a bow are much better than pants on the ground. Really, they fit you so well! I’m so impressed with your drafting abilities… someday I hope to be as good! I love the bow, and think maybe I might make a pair up myself sometime :) Of course, I will use my tried and true method of altering a pattern I know will fit me… I’m way too lazy to draft pants. Pssh… draft…pants… who drafts pants anyway? You’ve gotta be some kind of fool with your pants on the ground to make the effort to draft pants that fit
…ok wow that was terrible I know, but I just couldn’t help myself… happy 4th :)
June 30, 2010 at 9:38 pm
KathrynT
Coming out of lurkdom to say: Way cool pants!
June 30, 2010 at 10:23 pm
Kara
I adore those pants-with-a-bow! They are so cute!
July 1, 2010 at 2:15 am
jimena
Dear Selfish Seamstress> You look so pretty in your new pants! Congratulations! There is a website I know that helps you decide which colors are better for you, you and I are winter type which means we look great in bright colors, black, white, etc. Fucsia, reds, emerald green, blues, grey, etc. Beige, browns, etc are a big no, no for us. I am latin american and I know what I am talking about because this colors make me look sick. My mom wears them all the time and she does not look great cause it’s as she is of one color with the clothes!!!
If you care there is a book called: Color me Beautiful wich I haven’t read yet (I live in the Middle East) that tells you about your colors, etc. The website I am talking to you about is: http://www.ireneeonline.com and I remember I did a test or questionnaire with them but I don’t remember how I got to do it (I visited it before writing to you and I could not find it).
Anyways, thanks a lot for your nice blog, I am writing a lot today and it’s my first time.
Hope you are enjoying your time alone
Jimena
July 1, 2010 at 3:10 am
seemane
I think you should “Take a bow” and a round of applause for such lovely Pants-with-a-bow! They look great :)
July 1, 2010 at 4:21 am
Victoria
Great pants! I think the bow would look great on skirts too.
I sympathise with the 27.5″ inside leg thing – My inside leg is 27″. Must learn to sew pants so I can start making my own instead of having to shorten so-called petite pants with an inseam of 30″!
July 1, 2010 at 4:27 am
Katie
Love the bow!! I would have never thought to put a bow on a pair of pants, but they are adorable. While I think I’m too hippy for a bow there, it does very nice things for your dancer’s figure.
Must think of somewhere to put a bow where I don’t stick out… Alas, there just aren’t that many places that fit that criteria.
July 1, 2010 at 6:35 am
Vildy
Just one more person to tell you that the crazypants are amazing and you are
so a genius.
July 1, 2010 at 6:39 am
UrbanJill
They’re georgeous!! Perfect for Tango dancing?? How long did you make the ties?
July 1, 2010 at 7:16 am
amber
So cute! And aside from the bow, those pants fit you perfectly. That is a great shape and length for you m’dear.
July 1, 2010 at 8:35 am
Rachel
Those pants are amazing!!!!! Please share how to draft them. I have to have a pair.
July 1, 2010 at 3:59 pm
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