My Very First Pair of Pants

If I don't look suitably excited here at the prospect of modeling my first ever pair of pants (I drafted the pattern myself, and sewed them too, of course), it's not because I am unhappy with how they turned out. On the contrary, I am quite happy that I managed to turn these poorly fitting pair of pants (a patternmaking class project for which I received a B+ — unhappy face):

 

Into these:

Yes!!!

Yes, the fine brown pinstripes kinda create that old-school bad TV signal wavy line pattern when you look at them too long from far away. But here they are up close:

No, that sour expression above is due to the unbearable onslaught of tree pollen allergies in the past 48 hours. The real loser in all this is my poor kid, who has to stay indoors with me until it rains (how I wish she had grandparents nearby). I just can't bear to be outside — even medicated. How long does allergy season last? I have no idea because allergies are so new to me (I only began experiencing them two years ago, when I was 31, and I ended up taking hardcore rounds of oral steroids because I couldn't breathe). It has been trial-and-much-error trying to figure out what medications will help me and what won't (sadly, the latter category includes most things.) What is helping are Bepreve eyedrops, which I just discovered cost around $200 for 10 mL. Of course there's no generic equivalent. Anyway, back to happier things.

 Check out all those pattern pieces! Eleven in total, which translates to 11 different places to totally eff up your pair of pants. Here they are one more time:

These Things Make Me Happy

It's spring in New York, which means my eyes are red and itchy, and asthma is settling deep into my lungs. A new study indicates depression and allergies are linked, especially in women. Also, suicide rates spike in spring as the pollen count climbs. Blerg. One thing that stuck out to me in the study is that people reported crying more frequently during allergy season. I can relate. Last spring I cried every night for weeks because my symptoms were not helped by any medication, and just got worse and worse as time wore on.

This year I've found eyedrops that relieve my symptoms (Bepreve), and am taking a homeopathic gemmotherapy tincture. Allergy season is much later because winter in the East was so long, so I can't really tell yet whether the homeopathic remedy has helped — or whether the pollen season has yet to peak. I'm prepared though for when it gets bad: I bought a mask, which I wore today for the first time. Luckily it takes a lot in NYC to earn a second glance. People don't really care what you wear here.




Anyway, to combat allergy-related depression, I am watching the above video daily. I just love the Beastie Boys. Last night I made my husband (who missed most popular culture between the early '80s and late '90s because he was raised in an oppressively conservative church) watch 40 minutes of Beastie Boys videos. At the end, he said: "I don't get it." It's lucky for him that I only just found this out now — and not before we got married.

Other things that are making me happy today:

Awwwwwwwww!

AND (drumroll, please) I fixed my trousers! They're almost done. See?

Yes!

 First I ripped off the waistband. What a mess:

 Then I put the pants on, inside out, and pinned down the side seams until I had a good fit. I blended into the original side seam at the knee:

 Then I sewed along my line of pins, and serged the side seam to finish it:

And then I took a little off the waistband at the side seams (because the waistband is curved and I didn't want the shape to change), and sewed it back on. You can see it's pinned on here:

 

I still have to topstitch the waistband, and then make buttonholes and sew on buttons. But check out that fit! I am stoked. These pants are going to look so awesome with my allergy mask.

That's Why It's Called a "French Curve"

As expected, I got another B+ in patternmaking class last night, for my too-big striped trousers, which I will fix after this semester is over and I have a little more time on my hands. In my favour, however, my professor surmised that my fit problems were not due to an imperfect pattern; my fabric stretched along the bias as I was sewing, which is a sign I need to get my act together and stay-stitch everything if i want my clothes to fit properly — and get an A.

Afterward she stood there for a long time as she was checking my jeans pattern I was working on, her eyes on the hip curve. "You think it's too curved?" I asked her.

"It's very coorved," she agreed. (She's Russian).

Then she looked at my lower half and added: "But you are also very coorved."

And then she shrugged, which I think means "Glad it's you and not me, lady."

A closer look at my jeans pattern

The thing with hips (or any curves, for that matter) is that they make it just so much harder to get a good fit. It wouldn't be hard to make a pair of pants fit two sticks with a pumpkin on top. But throw in a few curves and you need to add darts, seams, pleats, tucks — any of these things can add dimension to your garment to make it fit around areas of the body that won't fit into a pillowcase.

Of course, stretch fabrics eliminate some of these issues. The design doesn't have to be as exacting when a little spandex can compensate for an extra bump here or there. But when you find a brand that fits you just right (for me, that has been Citizens of Humanity, which I cannot afford anymore), be loyal; they use the same general shape for each different pair, so you're likely to fit the brand's other pants too.

The denim I choose for these jeans doesn't have much stretch to it, and as you can see this pattern is for a classic pair of jeans with a touch of flare to the leg. If I can, I'll start cutting tonight.

ModCloth Coat Inspiration

I'm not really one to plan ahead too far. I usually know the next thing I will draft or sew. But the project after that...is subject to three whims that will come up between now and then. That said, I am filing away a picture of this beautiful coat from ModCloth (selling now for $449 US — ouch!) as inspiration for a fall coat. It's too late for me to make a spring coat because NYC has gone from freezing cold to fucking hot in about 2 weeks (yesterday it was 28 C and humid).

Anyway, mere moments after coveting this coat on ModCloth.com, I saw one crafty Burdastyle member's self-drafted version of the same item.  Now, this lady (from the Netherlands) has made a lot of coats, as evidenced from her studio on Burdastyle.com. I have not. But how hard could it be? Stay tuned.

I know you were all hoping to see the long form copy of my birth certificate today, but my scanner isn't working so you'll have to settle for a few pics from my weekend trip to Isla Mujeres, Mexico. Also: I have nothing much to post about because I have been busy dealing with orders from my Etsy store, homework (those damn pants, which are too big and I'm not really sure what to do about it at this point. So that means I will get yet another B+. My prof is a hard-ass marker. Though I managed to get a couple As at the beginning of the semester (plus she asked me twice if I "was in the industry"!), it's been solid B+'s for the past few weeks. I did my best. Somebody please tell me B+ isn't so bad. 

I've also been enjoying cuddling with my lovely girl again, even though she deserves a spanking because she didn't miss me at all while I was away, apparently.

Friends are the best

This little fucker ran right over my legs as I was lounging in a beach chair.