Saturday 19 April 2014

Style Arc Elle Pants

After a long absence from blogging...three whole months, I am finally back. Life has really been busy lately. My two youngest children have moved out...my daughter finding herself a new job and moving to Canberra and my son was accepted into Sydney University and has moved to Sydney. I am now officially an empty nester. So proud of all my children and their achievements. My darling partner surprised me with a marriage proposal and a gorgeous engagement ring and we have been on holiday to Tasmania where we spent 6 days in the wilderness walking The Overland Track. Despite all these goings on, I have been sewing but no time for blogging so I have some catching up to do.

Style Arc have a growing reputation for their great pants patterns. I have really been wanting to learn how to make great fitting pants so I have bought a variety of Style Arc pants patterns to try, including the Elle Pants.


Elle Pants


Very tight Elle Pants

I chose a size 12 and used some stripy bengaline purchased online from The Remnant Warehouse. Boy did these turn out tight. I could barely pull them up over my hips and they are skin tight.


Front view showing way too much.

I certainly won't be wearing these in public. I was really surprised that they were so tight so I did some internet research. Lots of other sewing bloggers have commented on varying results, blaming the amount of stretch in the fabric used. 


Even though these are tight there is not too much wrinkling.

I compared my stripy bengaline with some black bengaline purchased at the same time from The Remnant Warehouse, and it didn't have nearly as much stretch as the black. I had assumed that all bengaline was the same, but apparently it is not.


Pleased with my stripe matching, shame they are too tight.

The waistline hit me at a very unflattering place, causing a huge bulge over the top. Despite this disaster, I did like the general shape of these pants and I was determined to make them work. So I made a second pair straight away using the black bengaline with more stretch.


These are definitely a more relaxed fit.
Not happy with all the wrinkles.


What is causing all those wrinkles.

The only changes I made to the pattern was to add 5cm to the top of the pants to raise the waistline so that it didn't cut my spare tyre in half. This has resulted in a much smoother fit around the waist.


Raised waist by 5cm


Woops...forgot to suck tummy in.


I would never wear these pants without a long top.

I have been wearing these pants all day and they are so comfortable. The skinny leg is a new thing for me...I usually wear a bootcut style in pants. I would appreciate any ideas for how to reduce the wrinkling in the legs. Now off to order some more "stretchy" bengaline.




Happy sewing.

21 comments:

  1. So glad you are back! Congrats on all your happy news!

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    1. Thanks Hill Country Gal. You make me feel like I was missed.

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  2. I am glad you did not give up. I really like the second pair, they look classy and comfortable. The too tight pair, maybe you could wear with longer tops? I don't know what causes the wrinkles, I do know that they are there in RTW and we seem to just accept it then. :-) Great job!

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    1. Thanks Kelly. I am glad that I tried again too. Need to order some more stretchy bengaline so I can work on getting rid of those wrinkles.

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  3. Love! They fit you really nice and you have a great shape to pull them off!

    Congrats on your engagement and becoming an empty nester too!!!! :)

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    1. Thanks Nakisha. I will be working on perfecting the fit of these pants because they are so comfortable to wear.

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  4. Such exciting news ~ congrats on your engagement! Great to see you back in the blogging world ~ can't help you with the wrinkles either, but love the look of your second pair of pants. The waistline does sit beautifully now and looks really comfy ... J

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    1. Thanks Judith. It has been an exciting time but I have missed the sewing blogging community. I love how the waistband is constructed on these pants...it sits so flat.

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  5. I think you need a large calf adjustment. I recognize the issue as I have it myself. It looks like the pants are too tight around your calves, resulting in the fabric pooling/wrinkling above them.

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    1. I think you have hit the nail on the head. I will definitely keep this in mind for the next pair. Thanks for your helpful advice.

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  6. Congratulations on the engagement and welcome back! It sounds like you had an exciting few months...can't wait to wear about all the sewing and camaraderie!

    Unfortunately, I know nothing about sewing pants - sorry, can't help you there. But the second pair look good from what I can see!

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    1. Hi again - I nominated you for a Liebster award! Check it out here: http://www.craftedbycarrie.com/?p=3128

      I hope you're still basking in all the excitement and happiness!

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    2. Thanks Carrie for the engagement congratulations. A very exciting time, as you know. Thanks also for the nomination for the Liebster Award. I feel very honoured. I have also received one from Paola at http://lasartora.blogspot.com.au/ and have yet to respond. Hopefully I will be able to devote some time to this in the coming weeks.

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  7. I love your fix on the pants! Higher waisted pants are definitely more flattering on me as well. I, too, mostly wear bootcut but need to try some skinnier pants. And congratulations on raising all your children and on your upcoming nuptials:)

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    1. Thanks very much Angela. These pants would look great on you and they are so easy to make.

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  8. I'm moving into straight leg trousers at the moment too - like you I usually wear boot cut or wide legged. I think you could pinch out 3-5cm from the back legs; do this about the crotch area (just under the bum). Pin it out on your pants first to see if the wrinkles are reduced, measure it then fold your pattern piece the same measurement and cut the new backs.
    Congratulations on your engagement - planning a wedding outfit then?

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    1. Thanks so much Ruth for your helpful advice. I will keep this in mind for the next pair. Thanks for your congratulations and yes...there is definitely planning under way for a wedding outfit.

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  9. Congratulations on your engagement! My first thought was whether you planned to sew your wedding outfit :) Look forward to future posts on that one!
    As for pants, I can't offer any advice, I'm afraid. Even though I have a pants sloper, I still find that each and every pair I make needs basting and fine-tuning, and it all seems to be down to the fabric used. I think the slimmer leg does suit you too.

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    1. Thanks Paola. The wedding outfit is just a whole lot of ideas running around in my head so far.
      The fabric used in pants making sure does have a big impact on fit. Something I need to keep in mind for next time.

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  10. Congratulations on lots of lovely news. I really like these pants and the skinny style is very flattering on your slim figure. So jealous of your Tassie trip too!

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    1. Thankyou Megan for your very flattering comments. If you are interested in seeing more about my trip to Tassie go to the 'My Other Love' tab at the top of the page and you will find links to all my hiking trips.

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