The Bow Tie Pant: Simplicity 8389

When I first saw the pattern for these pants, I thought it would be the perfect comfy pair of pants for work. But once I made it, I realised it was much more than that. Not only could I dress it up for work or a party, but I could also dress it down for a really chill hang out in the day.

Photo credit: Andre Tabula

The Outfit: Top Temt | Jewellery Lovisa | Heels Spendless Shoes

Fabric: Panama Stretch Suiting ($8.99 per metre at Spotlight)
Pattern: Simplicity 8389 D – Misses Pants with Length and Width Variations and Tie Belt
Pattern Difficulty: Easy-to-sew

The Process

ONE – PATTERN PIECES

TWO – The main part (aka my weight loss ad)

THREE – PUTTING IN THE POCKETS

FOUR –  THE WAIST BAND

FIVE – PUTTING IN THE ELASTIC (hack: use a safety pin to push the elastic through)

SIX – ALTERING

SEVEN – DONE

Altering

One thing that can confuse me about commercial patterns is sizing. I was a size 14 on my hips and a size 8 on my waist. I decided to make a size 14 and it ended up being too baggy for my liking. So this became one huge altering experiment.

Attempt Numero Uno

For my first attempt, I decided to base my altering on a pair of pants I bought from Boohoo which fits me nicely.

The issue with doing it this way was that I couldn’t put my legs through it! Why? I realised that the Boohoo pants were made from a far more stretchier material than my Panama Stretch Suiting. So the Bohoo pants would perfectly stretch to my size, but the pants I was sewing just didn’t stretch the same way.

So that was a FAIL.

Attempt Numero Dos

I then decided to use myself as the model. After all, what’s better way to see what would fit my legs than by measuring my actual legs?

Showing off the pins

So I brought my box of pins with me and stood myself in front of a mirror wearing my pants inside out. Then I just pinned and I just took in how much I thought was necessary for it to look decent. I wasn’t 100% satisfied, but I was still happy.

So that was GOOD ENOUGH.

Before (left), after (right) – not sure if it made much of a difference but I’m happy with the balance between loose fitting but not baggy

Passion Tips

This blog is more than just about fashion and sewing, for me it’s about pursuing a passion. So this section is about what I learnt while sewing and tips I hope you take on while you pursue your own passions!

My passion tip for this week is don’t be afraid to make mistakes. During the altering process, I made a lot of mistakes. But if I didn’t make these mistakes, I wouldn’t have the final product I have now and gained new skills.

The Final Product

See more photos at the gallery!

Photo Credit: Andre Tabula

Check out the gallery for more

Yay! You’ve made it to the end of my blog post! Next week’s blog post will be about my first ever sewing project, follow Dressmaking Diary on Facebook and Instagram to keep updated 😉