Vogue 8499 is a pattern that I had in stash for ages before giving it a whirl – you saw the skirt version here (wine pockets!).  I saw a couple of people sew up the pants version on one of my Sewjourn trips, which prompted me to give them a go as well.

Yes, this is another one of those time when I said to myself ‘WHY didn’t I sew these sooner’? – what a terrific pair of pants!

Now, I will NEVER be wearing these with a top tucked in as in some of these photos – but I can’t show you the details properly if I don’t!

I sewed these from a lightweight striped woven that I bought from Super Cheap Fabrics for something like $2 per metre. It’s actually a stretch woven – there’s clearly a whole lot of spandex in those fibres – but stretch isn’t required for this pattern. Recommended fabrics actually include linen, stretch denim and silk jacquard. I reckon that they could be sewn in quite a variety of fabrics, with different types making them more or less structured.

Let’s take a look at the details! There are pockets in the front side panels, sewn rather ingeniously. The front leg piece also has darts at somewhere around knee level for extra shaping. The back leg is also panelled, and the waist elastic is only at the back with the front waist kept flat with a facing.  There are also a couple of darts at the front waist for additional shaping.

I really adore the pair on the pattern cover in denim with contrast top-stitching that highlights the darts and seaming.  By the way, I sewed view B of the pants – on me it’s pretty much full length, which is what I assumed would happen.

I did most of the construction on the sewing machine, with the overlocker used to finish the edges.  These weren’t super fast to sew – there are a few pieces involved – but it was so satisfying.  I’ll definitely be making these again!

So, to the top. It’s the free Tessuti Athina top. I sewed size Medium, at the shorter length. It would have benefitted from a forward shoulder alteration to take my rounded shoulders into account, but it’s quite wearable as it is.

The neckline is finished with a strip of bias, applied like a facing. Tessuti’s instructions for the application are a little different to the way they usually have you do it, and it worked nicely. It’s sewn in linen. I’m getting more and more keen on linen at the moment, and am really enjoying sewing with it and wearing it. It seems to work well in every season other than winter, depending on what it is worn with.

The sleeves are quite long, and look good rolled up a bit. This is a very fast garment to sew, as you’ve probably already guessed. From the Tessuti website: This boxy style top features an extended shoulder and dropped sleeve. There are two length options available.  

As I’ve said before, simple styles – the sort you may think ‘why do I need a pattern for that?’ – really do require good drafting.  There is nowhere to hide if things don’t fit together properly, or if they don’t fit!  I appreciate that even though this pattern appears to be very simple, it’s been drafted by an experienced pattern maker and has been thoroughly tested.  This results in the proportions being right, the neckline curving nicely, and the sleeves having the right length to roll up effectively. It’s great that someone else has figured all of that out for me!

I have worn this outfit combination frequently already. So satisfying when you know you’re on a winner!

By the way, I recently ordered some new woven labels from the Dutch Label Shop. They had so many terrific options that I actually ordered three variations!

The website was very easy to use, and delivery was fast. I’ll use them again in the future. They’ve kindly offered my blog readers a 15% discount if you use the code thornberry15 in the next week or so.