You’ve all heard me rabbit on ad nauseum about how I love an elastic waist.  And I do.  But when the Stokx Square Pants began to pop up on blogs and instagram I was continually drawn to their great shape and details – and I figured that the back waist adjustability would make them fit comfortably.  So I gave them a go!

I sewed these in July when I was away with many other sewers on the celebratory weekend I mentioned in an earlier post. And when I finished them, LOTS of us tried them on. It was fascinating how well they worked on so many different shapes and sizes! Sure, others would need to size down or up, or make a few tweaks, but overall everyone who tried them on could see the potential of how they would work for them. That’s pretty impressive!

So, I’d better fill you in on some details. This is the first pattern that I’ve sewn from Stokx Patterns. I’ve copied information about Lindy, the designer, from the ‘About’ page to share with you. I love to make patterns! I have worked in the rag trade for 30+ years. This has taken me from bridal to work wear, from fast fashion to made-to-measure, from factories in Bangladesh to salons in Paris. Slavery in the rag trade has never sat well with me. The exploitative nature of the clothing industry is a dirty secret that fast fashion addicts try to ignore. How can me maximize choice and avoid exploitation? As a designer and artist, I want to shake up the system. Since 2006, I have had the Stokx Shop in Berlin. Over the years, thousands of people of all shapes and sizes have walked through my door. I have tried to have something that fits everyone and have strived to make styles that can easily be adapted to fit the person and the lifestyle of my customers.

It turns out that Lindy is actually Australian! When had a few online chats after I tagged her when sharing photos of my Square Pants in my Instagram stories, and coincidentally we were both in Brisbane at the same time in August! So we caught up for drinks, dinner and lots of sewing chat. It was delightful!

Once again I am reminded of the huge world of connection that sewing in combination with the internet has brought to my life. I have many friends who I met via my blog then Instagram, and I value all of them greatly. It’s probably why I don’t panic about my kids having friends they’ve made online (sensible precautions in place, of course). It’s great to be able to connect via shared interests.

Back to the Square Pants! And be warned, this will be a photo heavy post. At first, I had my usual dilemma about what size to sew. I reached out to Ronda, who has sewn many Stokx Patterns (and is a phenomenally creative quilter) for advice on sizing as we have similar shapes (thanks Ronda!). I eventually decided that I’d try size 3, which sat inbetween my waist measurement and hip measurement. I figured that the back adjustment detail would take care of the waist fitting, and didn’t want the pants to be too large through the hips and legs. I’m pleased with my size choice. I removed length from the legs, but still needed to remove more once the pants were finished. As it is I can cuff the pants depending on what shoes I am wearing with them.

This is an involved sew, but I have to say that the instructions and diagrams made it all quite straightforward. There are plenty of pattern pieces, and plenty of steps. If memory serves me correctly these took an entire day to construct (they were cut out before I arrived at the sewing weekend). From the pattern page: The Square pants are semi-fitted, gender neutral and inclusive. They have a mid century worker trouser character with generous pockets and they feature a classic back adjustment detail. The wearer can decide if they want to wear the trousers high at the natural waist or loose around the hips. When choosing a size pear shapes should orient themselves with the hip measurement, where as apples might look at the waist measurement. There is a handy blog post about common alterations for these pants.

There are plenty of pockets in these pants! The front ones are super deep and incorporate a front stay.

There’s also a mobile phone sized pocket inside one of the front pockets.

I really like the way that the waistband was finished – a regular looking waistband at the front and a facing at the back. I used quilting cotton for the pocket bags and waist facing, and to finish the edge of the fly shield. The front zipper is inserted very early in construction. The instructions resulted in a very pleasing finish.

The back pockets are a nice shape – I wish I had remembered to insert a fun label when I was attaching them! There are some Instagram posts on how to further stabilise or alter the back waist adjustment detail that some of you might be interested in too. Lindy is always ready to take on ideas and inspiration about how to make her patterns more adaptable as well as come up with potential design solutions to fitting problems.

I sewed my pants in dark indigo non-stretch, mid-weight denim from Super Cheap Fabrics. Although I had pre-washed it, my hands were quite blue by the time I finished sewing them! They’re still leaching dye; I have to remember to wash them alone, or at least only with dark colours! Fortunately all that white topstiching is in polyester thread, so it has stayed white throughout.

These pants have gone into high wardrobe rotation, and I’m planning on taking them on our December/January trip to the USA. There’s enough room to layer thermals underneath, while the waist adjustability keeps them comfortable. Although I tucked my top in for these photos to show you the waist detailing I generally leave my tops out. This is how I wore them to meet up with Lindy in Brisbane! The top is an Aeolian tee, and I’ve got a Simone cardigan over my shoulders.

These pants were the first garment I sewed from Stokx Patterns, and they definitely won’t be the last! I have the Stokx Rock ready to cut out, and have been eyeing off the jacket version of the Coco Top, and have added the Gossamer dress to my mental to-sew list. As is always the case for me, there are SO many patterns that I’d love to try but just not enough days in the year to sew or even wear them all!  And I’ll finish this epic blog post with another photo of the back of the pants – because I’ve been told that yes, my bum does look good in this!