October Sewing

Typically, if I get a chance to sew during October I'm feverishly making Halloween costumes. This year, though, the kids have decided to make their own. They're going to be Greek goddesses, by the way. And their costumes are really sharp. And, I've been informed, educational (I was informed of this when I suggested using, heaven forbid, the incorrect shape for Athena's shield: "Mooo-ooom, we're trying to be educational with this!").

Left to my own devices, I finally cut out and made that pair of pants I'd started several weeks ago. Not only did I manage to get some sewing done for myself, but I made cargo pants. Topstitching! Pockets all over the place! Fitting issues inherent in pants!



Ottobre Woman 5/2008 design #5 Cargo Crops. Made in black twill purchased at JoAnn's. Because black topstitching on black fabric is hard to see.

Before I started this project, I would've rated my skills at topstitching as Pretty Poor. After this extravaganza of sitting at the machine sewing miles upon miles of topstitching I'm upgrading them to Low Side of Mediocre.


To this day I still cannot find the place on the pattern that shows where to put those side leg pockets. I eventually just slapped them on where I felt like it.





On the bright side, I seem to be gaining skill in how to put into a fly front zipper.

Thalia thinks this means I'm ready to make a Solo Dress for her. I told her that might be true if the Solo Dress has topstitching and patch pockets. Also, I can bang out those buttonholes like nobody's business, so that would be okay, too. Also, it would probably work better if the entire dress is black. Matte black.

As far as alterations go, I added a bit of length to the crotch. I took in the back seam while cutting out, then added it back in while sewing.

Wow, I've never had a pair of pants that fit this well. It's an odd feeling, not having them baggy/too long there and too short/tight there. Sort of makes you want to dance around, know what I mean?



But not too much dancing around, since there are workers over doing something to the neighbor's porch, and they're beginning to wonder why you're repeatedly dragging your daughter and camera out into the back yard with instructions to "try to get the pants in focus, for pete's sake".



I think this makes me an official member of the I'd Rather Make My Own Pants Instead of Spending Hours in the Fitting Room club. You know the club I'm talking about, right? The crowd that hates to shop so much that they'll spend hours figuring out how to sew something wearable.