Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I am a sucker for Style Arc pants – especially (probably only) those with an elasticised waist.  I’ve already sewed the Style Arc Besharl jacket (the Besharl top is currently cut out awaiting construction) – here are the Besharl pants!

I had a length of Thai cotton in stash with embroidery running lengthwise near the selvage. I thought it would be fun to use the white embroidery as a feature near the pants hemline. This meant I had to cut the pants out on the cross grain. I made my usual alteration of shortening the pattern pieces about an inch and a half before cutting out.

These pants have a fun tucked at the bottom of the outer side seam. It’s easy to do and brings in the volume. The waistband is fully elasticised, with wide elastic encased inside a wide waistband and stitched down in lots of parallel rows. This means that you really need to get the length of elastic right for your waist. I probably could have cut the elastic a little shorter – these are fractionally on the loose side when I wear them.

Size wise, I sewed the 12 pant. I often sew size 10 in Style Arc pants – especially those in a stretch fabric – but with my weight gain thought that I’d be better off trying the 12 in a woven. My hips are close to Style Arc’s size 12 measurements (my waist is WAY bigger – hence the choice of elastic waisted pants) and overall I think these fit quite well.

From the Style Arc website: In a relaxed yet tailored fit, these pants have an elastic waist band and inseam pockets. The cleverly designed tuck at the hem gives these pants the on trend look of the season. Go casual with our Besharl Tee and flat sandals or add our Besharl Jacket for a more sophisticated look. FABRIC SUGGESTION Linen, rayon, crepe or even a knit fabric.

You’ve already noticed that I also made a top from the same fabric.  It’s the Tessuti Leni top, with a couple of modifications. The main one is an increase in the length. I also left off the hem facing and just stitched a narrow hem.

Once again I was playing with limited fabric quantities, so figuring out the most effective layout was a challenge. I thought hard about how to best align and centre the embroidery along the bottom of the front – then after I had cut the front pieces out I realised that I had oh so carefully cut it out in a way that did not centre the motifs at all! It’s going to annoy me forever, but there wasn’t enough fabric left to recut. It was much easier to align the embroidery along the back yoke.

I’d sewn this top once before. It didn’t make it to the blog – I took a couple of quick photos, and rapidly realised that despite the fabric being rather lovely I would never wear a top quite that cropped, with a hemline that stood away from the body quite that much. It has however been re-homed.

The green version was sewn in size Medium, which is a size smaller than Tessuti suggest for my bust measurement. I reprinted and cut size Small for the navy version, added around three inches to the length by inserting a section mid-way through the pattern pieces, and eliminated the hem facings. I also cut wider strips of bias from the fabric scraps to bind the armholes with, rather than using them like a narrow facing turned to the inside.

From the Tessuti website: This boxy, cropped style features a narrow v-neck, extended sleeve and a lovely wide hem with facing. The Leni Top pairs perfectly with high-waisted pants, shorts and skirts. Suitable for woven fabrics e.g. good quality, medium weight linen, crisp cotton, silk dupion, jacquards, pique cotton etc. Not suitable for very stretchy or fine fabrics. 

I’m pleased with this top and pants combination. The top was a good pattern for a situation where I needed to play a bit of pattern tetris – there are a few pieces and I was able to move things around to maximise the fabric that was available to me. I always like a V neckline, and the neckline facing makes the top sit well. All in all this is a casual win.