I barely need to say it, do I!  These are both repeat patterns.

I first sewed the Style Arc Bob pants in 2019, in chambray and in linen. I enjoy wearing both pairs, and wondered if the pattern would work in a more wintery fabric such as corduroy. As it turns out, it does!

I sewed the same size 12, with legs shortened an inch and a half for my 158cm height. I did alter the front pattern piece to give an angled pocket opening, rather than do the inseam pockets that were included in the pattern. This was very straightforward; I just grabbed the two pocket pieces out of the Barry pattern and used those, in combination with folding back the top of the front leg pattern at the side seam at the same angle as the pocket piece. I much prefer this style of pocket; it doesn’t flap around as it is secured into the front waist seam, and it’s still nice and deep.

The corduroy came from The Cloth Shop, and it’s very soft and drapey. Choose your corduroy carefully; this wide-wale soft cotton works beautifully. The waistband is quite wide; I find wide elastic very comfortable in waistbands. I did my usual trick of securing the elastic with a safety pin and wearing it a few times before securing it. This helps me to make sure it is at the most comfortable length for me.

From the Style Arc website: Achieve great style with this simple pant. The pattern for this pant leg has been engineered to create the balloon shape. Casual inseam pockets and elastic waist make this a must addition to your wardrobe. FABRIC SUGGESTION: Washed linen, light wool, rayon, crepe. Note that there is now a step-by-step tutorial for sewing the Bob pants, and a quick Google reveals customer reviews and tutorials on YouTube.  I have cut out another pair of Bob pants for winter, this time in grey herringbone weave wool.  Maybe they’ll get sewn up later today!

If I am counting correctly, this is the sixth time I have sewn the Tessuti Athina top (a free pattern). In many ways it is the woven version of the Tessuti Mandy boat tee. I sew size Large, with a forward shoulder adjustment. This is the shorter length; the other is definitely tunic length on me. From the Tessuti website: The Athina Top is a boxy style featuring an extended shoulder and dropped sleeve. Comfortable and casual, this simple garment is a quick and easy sew and looks great with skirts, pants & jeans. The pattern includes two length options. Sizes (AUS): XS-XL Recommended fabrics: woven fabrics including linen, lightweight wool and cottons. Not suitable for knits, stretch wovens or stiff cottons.

There is a story to the fabric that I used. I picked up the fabulous green floral from a friend at a destash event (it’s from the Outback Wife range by Gertrude Made that was wildly popular a few years ago). It turns out that she got it from another sewing friends destash! As you can see, I didn’t have quite enough fabric for an entire garment, so I used a coordinating blue crepe from stash for the back. It matches the blue in the flowers.

There’s not much more to report about this pattern – it’s definitely a tried and true for me, and I can sew one in a short amount of time. I use bias binding applied like a facing to finish the neckline. This is definitely outfit success for me – I love both the top and the pants!

I even tried doing the front tuck that is so popular again nowadays (I used to do that back in the early 1990s). Although it looks okay in these photos, it didn’t look okay in real life. The verdict from me and my daughters was a resounding, unanimous ‘no’. No tucking in for me – whether full tuck or half tuck!