Jalie 2445

I needed pants for an oriental dance classes I started taking, which are, by the way, so much fun it's unbelievable. I'm loving it! I was looking around in stores and all the pants I liked were considerably over-priced. So, I decided to make them myself.

I used this Jalie pattern, which turned out to be another winner.



Pattern Description: Women's loungewear pants and shorts - The comfortable pants you have always been looking for! Easy-fit stretch pants or shorts, with drawstring wasistband for incredible comfort, straight for a flattering look.

Pattern Sizing: All sizes from children to women. I made size R without alterations.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Very easy.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I love this style, it's very comfortable and straight leg is very flattering. I love the fact that I made the pants in less that 2 hours from tracing the pattern to the final seam.

Fabric Used: Cotton - lycra knit. This knit is quite heavy in weight and has amazing recovery. It's perfect for this type of pants.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I omitted the drawstrings in the belt and made the waistband from a simple band, that I cut 3cm shorter that the waist. This way the belt is stretched just enough that is comfortable and makes the pants stay put.




Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I'll sew it again very soon and I do recommend it to others. I've seen pants made from this kind of fabric that are priced around 30 or even 40€. I definitely saved some money on this one.

Conclusion: Great loungewear, yoga pant pattern. Very easy and fast to make. Another winner in my book.

Here are photos of the finished project, front and side view:

Now I Know What Everyone's Talking About

Brocade, chiffon, double knit, satin, taffeta, organdy, poplin, seersucker, etc.
I've been reading these and many names of types of fabric for years, but never knew exactly what those were. Fabric stores here only label fabrics by their fiber content, so I never knew exactly what I was buying. I simply relied on the feel of the fabric. And, that's also one of the reasons why I was afraid to shop online.

I heard a lot about the All About series, and I decided to order the three books: All About Cotton, Silk and Wool from the Rain City Publishing. And let me tell you, this was the best decision I ever made.


(pics taken from the Rain City Publishing website)


Books come with numerous helpful information about different types of fabrics, their care, sewing guidelines and, my favourite part, fabric swatches. Now I can feel different types of fabrics with my hands and recognize the fabrics in my stash.

This was by all means one of the best purchases I ever made. These books are a treasure. And taping swatches into books was really fun.
I probably don't even have to mention what a Doh! moment feeling all those swatches was for me.

Vogue 8379

First of all, let me just state that I'm still alive and well. I've just been preoccupied with life.

As for this dress....

I needed a dress for my BF's grandmother's 80th Birthday party. And since I found nothing appropriate in my closet, I decided to make a dress. This turned into my own little Project Runway moment. Naturally, I decided to make the dress the last minute and ended up hemming it minutes before I had to leave home.

All the rushing aside, let me tell you I LOVE this dress. This pattern instantly became one of my favourite patterns.
I made size 10 straight out of the envelope, I made no special alterations to the pattern, except shortened it.

Click here to read my review on PR.

More pics of the dress. Please excuse my choice of pictures. I don't have any decent ones, so I'll just post the ones from the party :-)





(ignore my smile, my lips tend to spread without limits)


I also made some really nice sewing-related purchases lately and I'll share them in the next post in a day or two.