Enough of tops, let’s look at some pants!  This pair was constructed at Sewjourn a month or so ago.  The pattern is the Style Arc Fifi woven pant.  And before I show you photos – I didn’t sew the top, it was handed down to me from my cousin.

Using a phone camera to take blog photos does mean that the proportions are a bit skewed – things tend to get foreshortened, even though we do try to stand apart enough for that to be semi compensated for. You wouldn’t know from most of my photos that most of my 158cm height is actually in my legs, and that my torso is actually the short part of me; you’ll just have to believe me!

First thing I have to say – I LOVE these pants! Because I was sewing a pattern designed for non-stretch wovens I chose to sew size 12 (I often sew size 10 in Style Arc pants patterns). This is the same size I used for the Tully pants, so from the same block.  The fabric has been in stash for a long, long time (I have a feeling that it came to me from my friend Rachel) and has a slightly textured cross-weave and plenty of drape. It’s very dark grey, probably what you’d describe as charcoal rather than being black.

From the Style Arc website: Pull-on pant sewing pattern with a smooth front yoke, elastic back and side pockets. This new wide leg pant pattern gives you the option of 7/8th or full length. The Fifi Woven Pant is a simple pant to sew that will give you a sophisticated look. FABRIC SUGGESTION Crepe, linen and rayon.

I chose to sew full-length pants, then folded out a chunk of the length from the pattern to accommodate my height.  As it turned out I could have just sewn the 7/8 length, as I had to further shorten the pants considerably despite having altered the pattern!  That’s definitely what I’ll be doing next time.

Everything lined up beautifully on these pants. The seam of the flat front part of the waistband matches exactly with the curve of the pants pockets, and it was very straightforward to alter the elastic length to work with my shape. I really am best in pull-on pants that have elastic in the waist – my waist to hip ratio makes that the most comfortable and generally the best fitting option for me.

Construction was straightforward and shared between the sewing machine and the overlocker. I did simple topstitched hems, but this fabric really did deserve a hand-stitched hem. I might go back and unpick and redo them accordingly (or I might not). I’m definitely going to sew up this pattern again – I plan on doing the shorter version in linen for summer.