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.

What I Learned From Making Ottobre Magazine Pants

I want to share what I learned from making The Ottobre Magazine (Fall issue) pants. I really love the pants and the pattern isn’t terribly difficult, especially if you’ve made pants before. But there were some aspects of this I found more challenging than they needed to be.

These pants are described as wide-leg and high-waisted. They are very comfortable and really feel good when wearing. Not to mention that I simply love the style!

What I Learned

One thing that really came to mind when I got to the fly is that I need very clear instructions. The instructions are rather basic. There aren’t many detailed how-tos when constructing these. The website does have additional information. I need details. Using patterns from the “big4”, we get plenty of instruction.

I also need detailed pattern markings. When construction the fly front, I should have done my own markings. The pattern only had a few marks for this part. While I was able to put these together, it would have been better constructed had I added my own details.

What I Did

In order to compensate for the lack of instruction, I did copy some pattern instructions from a Simplicity pants pattern I had made previously.

The Results

What I learned from making Ottobre Magazine pants is that I may need to spend additional time to find resources that will help me in the construction. Getting a good fit for the final garment is always a goal. I am happy with the fit and how these turned out. When using magazine patterns, additional resources might be necessary. If you aren’t sure or don’t do particular techniques often, I highly recommend reading through the instructions and figuring out what else you may need for success.

This was my first time making something from this magazine, although I have a few other Ottobre magazine issues. Let me know if you’ve ever used one of these (or similar) magazine patterns.

Seamwork Ani Pants

When I thinking of what I need most for my Fall/Winter wardrobe, pants (specifically dress pants) come to mind. So when I got the August issue of Seamwork Magazine (you can check out my referral link here) I decided to give the Seamwork Ani Pants a try.

The pants have pleats in the front, tapered legs, zipper fly, and welt pockets in the back. This is a bit different style for me, but I wanted to see how I would like the fit. Front-pleated pants are not something I usually go for, so this was also a style discovery experiment for me as well.

The process

As I usually do when making a new pattern (especially a pants pattern), I made a muslin to check the fit and sizing. These are PDF patterns, by the way. This one was actually very straightforward to put together and didn’t take long at all.

I do like this part of the process because I can decide if I really want to continue or let it go. Generally, I continue. And I can work out all (or at least most) of my fit issues during the process of making a mockup.

Tip:

When doing the muslin or mockup of your pattern, try to use a fabric similar to the weight to the fashion fabric you’re going to use. It’ll make getting a good fit a bit easier in the long run.

The Pants

For my Seamwork Ani pants, I used a fabric I had in my stash. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but it’s some kind of polyester blend suiting (I’m pretty sure). I had a piece of this fabric in one of my favorite colors for Fall – burgundy/wine.

The Results

I am happy I made them. Honestly, this is not my favorite style of pant for me (I prefer a flat-front). But, I’m generally happy with how these turned out. If I made them again, I would shorten the front crotch seam some more (I shortened it about 2″ already). But, wonky welts and all, they turned out pretty good.

As a side note, the fabric I used for this top is the same fabric I used for the pocket lining (save those large pieces). I think the whole look of these pants looks better on me with the longer top.

But if there’s ever something you want to know how it’s going to work on you, either shop for that item (you can just try it on and not buy) or go ahead and make it!

Since I need to work on my welt pocket making and fitting skills, I was happy to give this pattern a try. It’s quite easy to make. I would say the skill level would be for an advanced beginner to intermediate sewer.

That’s it for this review. The pattern is a good one if this style is to your liking.

Until next time…

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