Even when I think it's a sure thing that a project is going to be easy, something messes it up. Usually it's my own impatience, frugalness, or unorganization.
I picked up a pants pattern at Value Village quite a while ago. Totally not my size, by about 5", but the design is simple so I thought it would be okay to upsize. I'm finally getting to it. I open it up, it has been opened before and the pattern pieces are nicely folded with many straight pins holding the layers snug. Then I notice there's some pieces in a different colour tissue. Oh! Someone has included another pants pattern. Now I get worried. I look at the proper pieces, they are partially cut out, but at the waist, they were cut, tapering from the largest size to the smallest size--so no largest size to extend outwards for myself.
So I have to guesstimate how much to add. I need 5", that's 2 1/2" for front and 2 1/2" for back, or 1 1/4" each seam, right? I start doing that and then see that the center seams are the cut line for all sizes. I'm not sure that what I added at the sides will be enough, especially for the front.
The wide yoke is cut on the bias. Which, given it stretches, means it's not cut the same size as the pants. But how much difference? I have to guess. And do I want it stretchy? It's not going to be "stretchy" but just not stiff and tight. While stretchy waist bands are comfy, they aren't flattering. I need a waist that's snug to keep me all in place LOL. BUT...I want to copy pants I have like this, but they're in a stretch fabric, which means the yoke doesn't need to stretch...BUT the fabric I'm thinking of using for the trial pair is very unstretchy. What to do?!
I finish up with the pattern and head to the fabric. My table isn't big enough to really lay the pieces out and the fabric has some wrinkles....so I'll stretch it out on the concrete floor and iron it right on the floor! The piece is about 24"wide by 15ft long. Maybe longer. When I start with the ironing, the steam is getting the fabric really wet, maybe cause the floor is so cold so the steam condenses rather than evaporates. And the floor isn't particularly clean, there are some residues from the old flooring. Okay, back to the ironing board on my table.
Before I pick it all up, I decide to lay out the pieces, rather than just start cutting. I realize there is a subtle grid pattern that I might want to make sure lines up right at the butt seam--something I've never done. Laying out the pieces (which I haven't shortened to account for my short legs), it appears I might not be able to fit it all on. The yoke pieces waste a lot of fabric because of the narrowness of the fabric (it was a window topper!) and being on the bias. Even doing the capri length (which often ends up as ankle length on me) is iffy. There is a seam across the fabric too, so I need to work around that. I decide that I'll just have to do long shorts. Really, I just need to fit the torso, right?
I head back to iron it all. It's soooo long. So I cut across the seam, making two long pieces. All this time I'm thinking of how all these little issues are stacking up and I'm really losing interest in these "two hour" pants, that might, or might not, be wearable. I really do want new pants, just like these. But with pockets...
Dinner time. After dinner I remember that I wanted to google sun hat patterns. Gee, that fabric would make a good sun hat probably, if it's wide enough for the brim (or...I could do the brim in two pieces if I remember to add seam allowance...)....
I have no ink to print out the sun hat pattern.
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