My First Barb Pants… Not Quite Finished

October 27, 2014April 17, 2018 ~ Michelle

When we were having our early Christmas, I was spending a little time with my son and he asked me if I could just do what I wanted, what would I do? I’d sew! If only I had time to just sew…

Being a curvy girl means pants and I don’t always get along. Until a few years ago when they came out with curvy styles of pants, they were one of my most dreaded clothing pieces. I hated having to shop for new pants because they weren’t going to fit anyway. Any curvy girls out there who know that large gap at the back of the waistband? However, pants are fitting much better now that manufacturers have realized woman aren’t all straight up and down.

Hearing how difficult pants were, I’d stayed away from them. Even though I’d made maternity pants for myself ever so long ago. I just figured they were ‘hard’, and I didn’t want to even think about it.

However, I needed pants, so I went shopping for a new pair of pants. I wanted a casual dress pant. And I did find a pair. However, they were $60, thin and static-y. I started thinking back a few months ago and how if I signed up for the Style Arc newsletter, I’d get a free Barb pant pattern. I had signed up and had the pattern. So I bargained with my hubby. Instead of buying a pair of pants, how about you let me buy material to make a few pair. He thought it made sense.

BARBS-PANT

Here’s the Barb Pant. The photo is from Style Arc. Click here to take you to the free download.

This free pattern comes as a digital download. That’s not a problem. I’ve worked with digital patterns before. But this time, for some reason, I really didn’t like working from the paper pattern. It was so stiff. It’s possible that because it’s a lot longer than the apron pattern I’d done before, it was just a lot more cutting. For my next pair, I’ll trace the pattern off onto tissue paper for cutting.

Style Arc are also very generously in that they give you three sizes. I wasn’t quite sure, so I ordered what I thought would be closest to my size and then one up and one down from that. And the sizing is spot on.

I sewed up a first draft in some Ponte I have. It was one of those purchases that I wondered about afterwards. I don’t love the color and don’t even know if I’ll ever wear that color. So why did I buy it? Well, I bought it because they didn’t have the color I wanted. However, it was perfect for a muslin of the pants.

Before I got to sewing, I took out my favorite pants and drew off a quick clone of them to compare to the pattern. That helped me right away to know how much to shorten the pants.

I must say, as a first draft, they fit quite well. I did take in the waist elastic as that was too big. But that’s quite normal for me. Another alteration that is still in the works is to take out a little extra fabric at the back, just below the waistband. But other than that, the fit is really good.

Pinned on Catherine

Here are the pants pinned to Catherine – just to show how they’re coming along. This was also before I took the waist in. I’d read Anne of Clothing Engineer had to do the same. You can read about that here. Another alteration I made was to shorten the height of the waistband. The pattern calls for 2-inch elastic, and I know I don’t have that much room. I’m curvy and short.

So, in the photo, my band has some wrinkles before I fixed the elastic, and after taking two inches out, it has more. When the pants are not on, they have a sweat pant look to me. I’m not in love with the waistband as it is. So, I’ve removed it and will re-do that this week.

on Catherine with top

And again on Catherine, this time with the top untucked – like I wear most things. I can’t see that waistband. Even though I will likely wear the pants untucked most of the time, I still wanted a cleaner look on the waistband. So I will make the band 1 size smaller, and the elastic 2 sizes smaller and it should look better.

These still need to be hemmed; next week when they’re done, I’ll put on some Spanx and show them to you on me.

I do have a pair of pants that I don’t use. Again, one of those ‘I don’t like the material’. But I did love the style. It was the waistband that sold me on them. It has a crisscross front. I love little details like that. So out came my seam ripper this week and after I’d removed the Barb pants waistband, I removed the other waistband.

There is still a little more work to be done on these, but they’re coming along a lot better than I had thought.

Happy creating.

Making Your Own Bows

October 20, 2014July 7, 2021 ~ Michelle ~ 8 Comments

It was a while ago now, someone asked me if I made my own bows. At the time I didn’t think too much about it. I usually bought kits from Bra Makers Supply, and they always come with a bow. So I didn’t think I needed to make my own.

Then I had a weekend with a professional Bra Maker, Jane, and I took a few things away from that weekend. One of them was how I attach my straps – it’s forever changed since Jane showed me a slightly different way. You can read about that here.

The second thing I took away from that weekend, is when Jane said to attach bows to the center front and also over the seams where the straps join the cups. I LOVE that look. So, I’ve been doing that since then.

Well, that means that one little bow isn’t enough for me now. I do have a small stash of bows, and I do mean small. I probably have a dozen or so. And not many of them are the fancier bows – the ones with little pearls on them. You know that moment when you see someone’s stash and envy it? I experienced that when Jane pulled out a large plastic bag of bows. Oh my!

Since then I’ve been looking for bows. I’ve been looking on eBay, and haven’t been able to find the mini bows with pearls, or in colors I’d like. So I kept looking.

A site I came across, which unfortunately has been taken down. However, I had a screen shot of what you start with:

bow 1

To the finished bow:

bow 2

She also suggests wrapping ribbon around the elastic or sewing a pearl on.

Another great source is this video. I used both the fork, and my little cardboard template, and I must say I go back to the cardboard. I find it easier.

These were the exact style I was wanting. I went to the fabric store to buy ribbon to start, and the fabric store is not the place to buy ribbon. Michaels was much more economical. They had three out of the four colors I wanted. I’ve also been looking at some pretty, and probably more-expensive-than-I-need Swarovski pearls to attach to the bows. I haven’t bought those yet, but they’re saved in my ‘want to buy’ folder.

So now I have an option for making my bows. And just in time for making bows, a very generous gift of ribbon and some lovely lace. I’d mentioned to a friend how I couldn’t find one color, and look what she sent me. I don’t think I’ll run out of ribbon any time soon. Thank you, Naomi.

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Happy creating!

A Material Mix-Up

October 13, 2014December 27, 2017 ~ Michelle

A few weeks ago when my dear hubby surprised me and my Mum with an overnight trip to the mountains, we took in a few stores in Canmore and Banff. In one of the stores I visited in Banff, there were some lovely fall jackets and I went straight to them. I’d seen that material before. I knew it.

Just as I was checking out the jackets, a woman came up to me and asked me if I knew about the store. No, I replied. She told me it was Canadian owned, and they only used Canadian materials and the garments were manufactured here in Canada. While all this was being explained to me, I’m looking at the $100 price tag on the jacket. That’s not too unreasonable, but I knew I had seen that fabric before, and it wasn’t $100.

I left the jacket in the store, but made a note to go to the fabric store when I got home. And I did.

I searched for the fabric and found it, but when I measured it, didn’t think it was going to be enough. Off to another store to look for the same material. At that second store I bought what I thought was the same material.

denim

Isn’t that gorgeous? I love it. But… something didn’t seem right. This is a flocked denim and it does have a bit of stretch, but only a bit. I thought the material in the jacket had been a stretch knit fabric, not denim. And the material at the first store, I didn’t remember that being denim. However, I didn’t see anything else in the store that even came close, so I bought it. But there was still a little nagging doubt that this wasn’t the same material.

A day or so went by and then I went back to that first store to compare what I’d bought with what I’d seen there. And sure enough, it’s not the same material. The material I wanted was a stretch knit.

flocked knit

Well, they do look awfully close. And the good news is there’s just enough material. We pulled out a pattern while I was at the store and it’s the exact amount I need for what I’m making. Seeing as it was 50% off I didn’t even think about it. I bought it right away.

side by side

Here they are side-by-side. They are really close, but not exact matches. I still love them both too. So for the flocked knit (left in the picture) I’m going to make another McCalls 6844, this time a little more fitted. I’m also thinking of frog closures or something to embellish the front.

For the flocked denim (right in the picture), I’m thinking I’ll use that to make the Flirt Skirt. It’s a lovely skirt. Here‘s the link for the pattern on Pam Howard’s website.

This photo was from the Craftsy web site showing the skirt. They had offered kits and a workshop. I was thinking of making the skirt in a knit, but now might do it in a woven. I also have some lovely black Ponte and dark gray too. Either of those would make a great skirt to go with the McCalls cardigan.

So I may have had a bit of a mix-up with my materials, but I have plans for both of them.

Happy creating! And it’s Thanksgiving day today in Canada. Happy Thanksgiving!

Merry Christmas!

October 6, 2014July 17, 2016 ~ Michelle

Well, that probably seems a little odd seeing as it’s not December. And I’m sure a lot of people thought it was odd. But we did just have Christmas!

My Mum came for a visit, and I haven’t seen her for seven years. I decided I would surprise her and we’d have Christmas. We bought gifts, wrapped them, put the tree up, and bought everything for Christmas dinner. And boy, was my Mum was surprised! And delighted!

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My Mum loves Christmas, so she loved it all. She loves getting gifts and giving them too. As soon as she saw the gifts, that was it, we were going shopping. There was no way she was going to receive gifts and not give them.

We all had such a good time. I think the fun of surprising my Mum made the whole event so much more fun than usual. Everyone had such joy.

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Here she is opening her first gift. Doesn’t she look happy? She was just like a kid!

We had such a fun-filled week. My dear hubby surprised both my Mum and me with an over-night trip to the mountains. We hit Canmore, Banff, and Lake Louise. All in a day. But it was great! One amazing thing about our over-night trip was we stayed at the same resort my hubby and I had stayed at for our anniversary – and we were put in the same room! It really was great.

Then when we got back and my Mum saw the cardigan that I’d made. The McCall’s 6844. She loved it. ‘You can make me one of those, can’t you?’ You know how Mums have a way of asking that’s really telling you – that’s what I was hearing there. She was telling me to make her one. So I showed her a couple of knit options from my stash and she choice this one.

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I wish this picture showed the sparkle that’s part of the material. It’s lovely. I was kind of wishing my Mum had picked the other knit I offered. But she loved this. What’s a daughter to do?

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And here it is all done. I think it is such a lovely pattern. It comes together so easily and it fit my Mum perfectly. I did shorten the sleeves again. I never thought I had short arms at all, but I had to shorten the pattern for myself and for Mum. Other than that, the pattern was good as it was.

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The peplum on this cardigan is so flattering on all shapes. I’m curvy and it ‘hides’ a bit on me; but my Mum is really straight and it gives her more of a fuller looking shape.

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And the back. I really love this cardigan. The shaping is so lovely. When my Mum tried it on, she loved it. My oldest dear son said he really liked it too – just like early Christmas at our house – this cardigan is a hit!

Here is my Mum modeling her new cardigan.

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