Supplement 270 Model #111 - Autumn 2008
Straight Leg Jeans
Here is my version of model #111 from Supp. 270/2008. I have made this pattern up into long pants before and they were so comfortable that I actually wore them out. We're having such a hot summer here in the San Francisco Bay Area that I decided to supplement my regular wardrobe of T-shirt dresses with some shorts and tops. The peplum top in this photo is model #143 from Lutterloh Supp. 288/2013. I'll review the top in a later post since I did make some modifications to the pattern. You can see that top review here.
Pattern Drafting Hints:
I chose this pattern because of its jeans styling with a straight leg rather than the skinny jeans that are so popular these days. After all not every figure is suited to every style and the skinny jeans tend to give my figure an ice cream cone shape. I feel a little too old to be sporting that look.
A while back I experimented with a few pants patterns to find the right shape for the fit I prefer. You can see that post here. After some trial and error I discovered that I preferred a straight leg with a shaped waistband and back yoke.
Design Changes:
Obviously this pattern is for long pants but what I needed was shorts. Since I already had my personal alterations worked out for this pattern I decided to shorten them to just below the knee. For a tip on how to find the knee point on your pattern see the post I referred to above in Pattern Drafting Hints. The only other change I made to these shorts was to leave off the belt loops. I very rarely wear a belt in my pants because most of my shirts are not tucked in. Why go to the trouble of making all those loops if they'd never be used?
Although not really a design change I thought it worth showing how I used thinner quilting cotton as the pocket bags to reduce the show through on the front of the pants.
Closing Tips:
Once you've determined what style of pants you like to wear you can concentrate on finding a pattern that will give you the right shape. Make sure to pay close attention to the length of zippers, width of the legs and of course the fashion drawings, in all the views provided, to give you clues as to the rise and width of the pants and the weight of the fabric to use.
Here's hoping you find your ideal Lutterloh pants pattern. It is certainly worth the effort.
Until next time, Happy Sewing from,
Ann in Calif.
Pattern Drafting Hints:
I chose this pattern because of its jeans styling with a straight leg rather than the skinny jeans that are so popular these days. After all not every figure is suited to every style and the skinny jeans tend to give my figure an ice cream cone shape. I feel a little too old to be sporting that look.
A while back I experimented with a few pants patterns to find the right shape for the fit I prefer. You can see that post here. After some trial and error I discovered that I preferred a straight leg with a shaped waistband and back yoke.
The picture above is the pattern pieces for these pants. The rise is just a little lower than the ones from my previous post as you can see by the length of the zipper. Fortunately I did find the pockets to be deep enough. I wanted to demonstrate their depth by putting my hand in my pocket for the final photo above.
Fabrics Used/Suggested:
The fabric I used for these shorts is a subtle herringbone stripe stretch twill. It's one of those fabrics that I ordered online and as soon as I used it for a project I wished I had ordered more. Oh well, live and learn. The original pair of pants that I made from this pattern was from a soft stretch pinwale corduroy. The softness of the fabric likely contributed to their early demise. The twill is holding up much better. This pattern does not call for using a stretch fabric but a little extra stretch and recovery never hurts in a pair of pants, huh? Fabrics Used/Suggested:
Design Changes:
Obviously this pattern is for long pants but what I needed was shorts. Since I already had my personal alterations worked out for this pattern I decided to shorten them to just below the knee. For a tip on how to find the knee point on your pattern see the post I referred to above in Pattern Drafting Hints. The only other change I made to these shorts was to leave off the belt loops. I very rarely wear a belt in my pants because most of my shirts are not tucked in. Why go to the trouble of making all those loops if they'd never be used?
Although not really a design change I thought it worth showing how I used thinner quilting cotton as the pocket bags to reduce the show through on the front of the pants.
I sliced the pocket pattern apart in a curve about an inch below the outside curve on the front of the pants. You can use the pattern piece for the front pant to get the curve right. The top of the pocket is cut from your pants fabric and the lower, inside portion can be cut from whatever fabric you choose. I use quilting cotton because its thin and lays flat under the fashion fabric. Once you've cut the pattern piece apart you now need to add seam allowances on both parts. Since the seam will be inside and completely hidden you can attach the upper and lower pieces together by just laying them atop one another creating a less bulky seam. The lining for the front of the pocket is also cut from the quilting fabric. The lining for the front pocket piece will have to be carefully pressed and top stitched to avoid any contrast fabric showing on the pocket curve. This should give you a pocket that looks cohesive with the fashion fabric but doesn't show through much from the front of the pants.
Once you've determined what style of pants you like to wear you can concentrate on finding a pattern that will give you the right shape. Make sure to pay close attention to the length of zippers, width of the legs and of course the fashion drawings, in all the views provided, to give you clues as to the rise and width of the pants and the weight of the fabric to use.
Here's hoping you find your ideal Lutterloh pants pattern. It is certainly worth the effort.
Until next time, Happy Sewing from,
Ann in Calif.
