Hacking Pants With Simplicity 8701

I decided to try hacking pants with Simplicity 8701 as the pattern. This is considered a “design hacking pattern”. Honestly, you can “hack” or make any pattern your own by whatever alterations you chose to make. I actually liked the style of the pattern on the envelope cover. That is considered the base pattern.

Pattern Details

This pair is what I consider to be a wearable muslin. I used a quilting cotton that has a very wide width. I like the view that the model on the pattern envelope is wearing. It’s a rather simple style with a wide, straight leg.

Line drawing for hacking with Simplicity 8701

With no back yoke, just a simple waistband, I figure that these will be easy to fit. That was partially true. I think I should have chosen a slightly smaller size (just for the upper back piece). These are a bit big in the back and the last thing I want is my pants falling down!

My Alterations

To keep the back waist from gapping or falling I made a quick fix to this pair. I used 3/8″ elastic inside the back waistband. That means I did have to open up just that part of the finished pants. I kept pulling the elastic until I felt it was tight enough. There is a fly front on the pants so keep that in mind.

In order to prevent having to do this in the future, I will make the back waist smaller. There are darts in the back that I can make wider which will take up some excess. Also, making adjustments to the back pattern pieces or sizing down in that area will help. The pants are a good fit in the waist, so no need to over adjust anything there.

Hacking Pants With Simplicity 8701

The biggest issue I have with the pants I made is their lack of pockets. I LOVE having pockets in my clothing (even if I don’t use them). There are only two small front pockets that are included with the pattern.

Next time, I will add cargo-type pockets to the sides of the pants. Back pockets will be a plus as well.

The pockets Im thinking of are like the pockets in these Kerry Cargo pants here. A slightly narrower leg will be good as well.

Conclusion

Hacking pants with Simplicity 8701 is great to start with if you’ve never done it before. They have instructions for different hacking techniques/designs that you may be interested in. But in all honesty, you can change any pattern you like as long as you are willing to give it a try! I would rate this as easy (they really are easy to sew) and great for the enthusiastic beginner.

Transforming A Pattern To Suit My Style

It’s hot here. So while the weather is still warm, I decided to make more shorts. For this particular pair, I’m transforming a pattern to suit my style. And I hope to explain how you can do the same for yourself as well. Burda Style 6812 has become a favorite of mine, and that’s what I used for these.

BurdaStyle 6812 transforming to suit my style

Transforming The Pattern

As you can see in the photo above, the pattern has pleats in the front. Personally, I am not a fan of that look on me. So, I incorporated the pleats into the pattern, traced it and cut it out. This way, I haven’t changed the size of the pattern, I’ve only eliminated the pleats.

This small change gives me the look I want. I get flat-front shorts or pants, and then I can make any other necessary alterations for fit.

Transforming BurdaStyle 6812 pattern front to suit my style

Here’s an earlier blog post I wrote using the same pattern to get the same results.

My Shorts

I used a stretch cotton twill in navy for mine. Here is a similar fabric if you’re interested.

The only other change I needed to make is actually my usual for pants/shorts fitting. I did a scoop adjustment on these for the back piece as a full seat adjustment. This change really works well, at least for me.

So that’s it. That’s how I go about transforming a pattern to suit my style! At least, in this case. Incorporating the pleats into the front gives me that flat-front look and style I like.

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Making A Classic Little Black Dress

I want to share making a classic little black dress with you. I haven’t made anything like this in ages, so I was happy to add something that I really needed to my wardrobe. For this project, I pulled out a pattern I’ve had in my stash for quite some time – Simplicity 1417.

This is a pattern from 2014, so it’s not terribly old (in my opinion). But the style is so classic that this can be made anytime.

The Pattern For The Little Black Dress

Simplicity 1417 is an OOP pattern that is one from their Amazing Fit line. It features princess seams, a slightly flared peplum, a waist seam, and pattern pieces for B, C, D cups. The point of these pattern details is to give the wearer some shaping and fit options.

There are also some sleeve options with a sleeveless, tulip sleeve, and cap sleeve. I made the cap sleeve option which is View B (and the one on the pattern envelope). This is the perfect pattern for making a classic little black dress.

Instructions are detailed for those who need extra fit advice or help. 1″ side seam allowances make fitting the dress an easy process.

My Dress

I used a linen rayon blend that I bought from Fabric dot com (it’s an Amazon company). There were no fit issues with mine, so it was an easy process. I did not make a muslin first because I really felt confident that I could get a great fit.

The main difference with min is that I attached to peplum to the outside of the garment, rather than attaching it in the seams (which is how it’s supposed to be done). Instructions call for the peplum to be lined, which is unnecessary. I do recommend that you read through the instructions first to be aware of the process.

Here is the YouTube video I did on this particular dress:

By the way, you should follow me on YouTube as well 😉.

This is definitely something I am so glad I made. I believe I can get a lot of use out of this dress.

Here are some other recent dresses I’ve made.

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