Simplicity 2477 white pants

I wonder why I haven't made white pants in so long. Maybe because the commodore look hasn't been my look. Maybe because summer lasts 20 minutes around here. I don't know.


But I had some white cotton sateen and am working on my everyday pants so I decided why not. Of course there is some seam show through and of course if I were making more serious pants I would underline or line them, but these are plain old pants that will be hitting the laundry basket every time I wear them. I am pretty pleased with how they feel and think I will make one more pair of these before moving on. These will do fine for my not work days.

Simplicity 2477

OK brace yourself. This is one of those things you are not supposed to do on the internet. Post embarrassing pictures of yourself.


But I have revisited Simplicity 2477 and moved the waist up higher and added more to the centre front. What I have been aiming for is a pair of everyday pants with a slimmer leg that I can wear with tops over it.   


Of course these aren't perfect, but I think this is very important to remember as you work on pants fitting, neither am I. I have a belly and a big butt. No pair of pants no matter how well I fit them, is going to make that change.


So that said here are some pants that are comfortable and are pretty close to what I was aiming for. I am happy. I must say that I am a lot happier with the waist moved up and laughed when my 25 year old son said how hip I was to have pants that went all the way to my waist. 


Now here's the pictures:

Simplicity 2477

I finished my second pair of pants muslins. I wanted to use the standard set of alterations, with Kay's help with the ab fit, in a new pattern with a fuller leg. 

There were a few technical challenges here - cotton broadcloth, which is totally the wrong fabric for pants and doesn't hang right, and an iron that is the functional equivalent of trying to press with a warm coffee cup.


That said I am pretty pleased with the fit. I made the full waistline and the "boot cut" leg although it really isn't all that shaped, view E. As in the earlier, slimmer pant, a couple of posts ago I shifted the centre front zipper to a side zipper and ran the zipper up through the contoured waistband to the top - something I see all of the time in RTW.


I think I got a little over enthused about adding more to the centre back for butt covering length and the extra 1/2" I added for this pair will not be added to another pair in good fabric.


I took Kay's suggestion and added a further 1/2" to centre front, flattening that curve. (For a complete list of  flat pattern alterations I made for my wide waisted, developed belly (neat description eh?) and rear end see earlier post).


Here are the pictures, with commentary.

Incapably ironed side shot illustrating why not to sew broadcloth pants but also showing that Kay knows how to fit, please contact her directly for her billable rate.

The promised butt shot, in the sun, clearly illustrating why you don't tuck in your T shirt.

Butt shot in the shade with dog being rude.

Black pants are hopeless to photograph, I can't decide which shot is worse - your choice. Also of interest is I always seem to stand at a tilt.

OK, now you have recovered from the shots, where do I go from here with these pants?

Well, in about a week, back to Nova Scotia. To a fully equipped sewing room and tons of fabric. I will probably make some of these in wool crepe for the winter, lined, and some kind of summer version. I am also going to transfer this nice waist high top to my earlier slimmer pants.

Note that I added to the waist and upper hip area only on these size 14 pants, despite the fact that my hip and waist measurements are 16 and 18 respectively. I actually think these pant legs are as full as I want them and certainly don't look as slim or as boot cut as the picture and illustrations suggest. Think of how wide a size 18 leg would look on me.

I think that this approach - matching the pattern to the smallest body dimension, in my case my legs, works pretty well and I am quite pleased with this.

I think I can just go ahead and start sewing real pants now.