They are finished. They fit, they don't ride up and they don't fall down. I don't need to wear a belt (yay!). My welt pockets came out well. Yay! But are they the most amazing looking things? Nah. Are there some weird wrinkles? Yup. Did I try and try and TRY to fix them? Yup. Did I finally give up? Yup.
Here they are:
Front View: Not bad.
Side View: Not terrible. The side seam swings to the front. My butt looks a little more pointy than it should
Back view: Legs apart and legs together. Very odd V shaped wrinkle at CB...gack!
Other wrinkles point to outer thigh/full hip
Am I being too critical? Are we as sewists overly critical with the things we make? Do we accept less that perfect fit with RTW, but not with our own creations? I remember making my first Renfrew top and being annoyed at the armpit wrinkles I had. Yet when I tried on every one of my RTW tees, there were armpit wrinkles there too. Shouldn't we as sewists give ourselves a break? Don't we deserve it? I should really take a few photos of the back view of my RTW shorts that I wear all the time, then I might be happier with the look of these.
I made a size 12 in these shorts and took in the side seams about 1/2" at the waist tapering to nothing 4" down. I took a small wedge out of the waistband pieces to accommodate this and it work perfectly! Once I had the shorts assembled enough to try on, I needed to let them out at the low hip (darn summer indulging).
I am very grateful for LLadybird's tutorials, particularly the ones for the welt pockets and for the fly front. The instructions were clear but it was nice to have photos to follow as well. I think my welt pockets came out very well, and there's no reason to panic about them in the future. I did baste the welts together before sewing the sides of the welts, which held them centered in the openings.
The fabric was from an early purchase in India. It was a slightly stiff "trouser fabric" (that's as specific as the Indian shopkeepers ever got). Once I laid the fabric on my cutting table, I noticed this:
Yes, I bought some "Tessuti 2-ply Premium" fabric in some filthy alleyway in India for a steal. I couldn't possibly have spent more than $5/yard for this! Otherwise I would have balked and bargained for it. I don't know what the fabric content is but it is machine washable. The right side is a bit shiny and the wrong side has a twill weave. I used the wrong side of the fabric for these shorts.
Would I make these again? Sure. Next time I will use a less stiff fabric.
Here's a view of the insides:
 |
| Woo Hoo Fly Front! |
I used a paisley cotton print (also purchased in India) for the lining. It peeks out just a tiny bit on the front waistband at the trouser hook. No matter, it's not often I tuck my shirts in. :)
The final question regarding these shorts: Will I wear them? Yup. I'm giving myself a break. :)
Edited July 23: I've decided that just because I got frustrated with the fit doesn't mean I should be finished. I'm going to let the CB and side seams out a bit and give my bottom more room. Then we'll see if some of the wrinkles diminish. So...more to come!
Hi Megan- if you read my blog you will frequently find me pointing out how sill we are to be hypercritical. Take a look at a few bottoms in the street - although you may want to learn to fit garments better, I think that you will feel reassured that what you made looks as good as a lot of garments out there. I do understand your frustration though, and in sewing I think we are always attempting to do better.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah Liz! I couldn't agree more that there are lots of terrible fitting clothes out there and my wrinkly butt isn't nearly the worst. That being said, I may play around a bit more with the fit (and get back to exercising!!) to see if I can improve them a little more. The good news is that they feel comfortable when I wear them and they don't stretch out over the course of the day. Trying to keep positive! :)
ReplyDeleteSo true! I was waiting in line with my kids at the zoo the other day, and I started looking around at all of the RTW clothes- there were lots of truly terrible fitting clothes! But it is nice to work through the fit and come up with something that looks great. Sometimes it is good to take a break and come back to it fresh!
ReplyDeleteYes it is good to take a break sometimes. I've taken a little break from the Thurlows, done a little research into those funky butt wrinkles (crotch depth issues), and will be ready for round 2 (once I get around to it!)
Delete