StyleArc Claudia Pants: The Reveal

I don't know if one ought to put the words "pants" and "reveal" in the same title, but there you go.

Let's start with a zillion photos of what I'm calling a wearable muslin. In truth, it's rather wearable:

These are the pattern pieces I used to make the finished pants. Note: They're not the final pattern pieces. There are more changes I have made on the basis of the "wearable muslin".

Pants really don't look great lying on the floor. But this does give you a sense of the fabric and overall shape.

The darts were a bitch to sew in this rayon "denim" Oh yeah, I shortened the stitch length at the point, I curved the dart slightly at the point, I hammered these things with a clapper after serious pressing. The fabric is SO drapey that it just doesn't take darts well. Fortunately you can't seen those little bumps when the pants are on. They nicely flatten out over one's derriere.

Front facing from the wrong side

Back facing from the wrong side

The rather crappily inserted (but totally strong and functional) zipper. Whatevs. No one cares what the zipper looks like on the inside. See how, since I opted to use a slot zipper (regular) vs an invisible zipper, the facing attaches differently than it would have otherwise. I had a clean finish with the invisible zip. On the fly, I just serged the ends off the facing where it abuts the zipper. I didn't want to fold under and incur unnecessary bulk.

And then there are the money shots:

I freakin' love the drape of these pants.

OK, here's what I learned / what I did / what I'll do next etc...

• I'm going to sew these up in every fabric imaginable, using my new (unphotoed) version of the pattern wherein I learned a few things on this go round:
• I could use another 0.5" of length along the back crotch (fabric depending).
• I could use a slightly shorter length of front crotch (fabric depending).
• The inner thighs are slightly roomy. Next time I'll remove about 1/4" from that wedge I added on after muslin 1 (see top photo, back piece)
• I have to remove about 0.5 inches from the hips with fabric having @20% stretch.
• I want them a bit longer so I'll add another 0.5" to the hem and hem at about 0.5" vs. the 1" hem of these pants.
• The waist is a bit big. But that will serve me well if I use a very firm stretch woven.
• I'm really not a fan of facing. It always flips up a bit, even when well-understitched and pressed to hell. I've learned that, in future, I do not want to clip the seam allowance that attaches the top of the pants to the facing. 0.25" is a good seam allowance and is adequately non-bulky but also long enough so that you can understitch  at a point that will optimally maintain the turn of cloth from the inside. Enough with the clipping!

• Alterations I'll happily stick with:
• The lengthening of the back rise meant that I could remove an inch from the top of the back waist. My need was not for more length at the waist, but at the fullest part of the derriere.
• The slot zipper is a much better bet than an invisible one. Sure, it's not invisible but who cares? It's not bulky or unattractive and it will last for much longer, I suspect. (Don't forget to interface the seam allowances under the zipper. It will keep everything secure and you won't get dreaded bubble zip at the base. This is particularly important if you are using a stretchy fabric with an invisible zip.)
• The waist-height is pretty perfect.
• A propos of waist facings that like to shift, these pants - with all of their darts and seams - give plenty of places wherein one can invisibly tack, by hand, the facing to the pants. It now maintains its fall perfectly.

So that's what I can tell you about this process. I thought of titling this post "Work Very Hard. Then Pat Yourself On the Back" because that's kind of what I've done here. Don't misunderstand, perfection is not achieved. I don't think one can ensure ease and perfection making a pattern until one has remade it in many fabrics, many times, refining things as she goes. This however, is a promising start.