Anita Ponti Pants...in stretch cotton (an experiment)

After the success of my most recent pair of Anita Ponti Pants I feel super keen to make ALL the Anita pants I can. After the pants alteration class at Tessuti our teacher Megan pointed out this super stretchy cotton elastaine to me and suggested that they could make a good pair of Anita's. Because I always do what the teacher tells me this fabric came home with me...

The fabric is just 140cm wide and it was a VERY tight squeeze to say the very least.  This is the closest I've come to not having my pattern pieces fit onto the fabric and I certainly had to jiggle things about quite a bit. One of the legs was sitting well into the selvage, but I thinking that's not going to stop the world spinning.  Ah well, the joys of being at the bigger end of the size scale is you need more fabric to make things fit...I blame my bum on this occasion.

I had NO trouble sewing up these pants. The fabric was a dream to sew - so stable and it pressed really nicely. Looking at the finished product though I have to say that the fabric doesn't suit the pattern...I feel the Anita's definitely needs the "softness" of a Ponti to fall nicely and sit smoothly on my body. You can see here how lumpy and bumpy things are from mid-thigh downwards probably due to the fabric being so stiff. The pants do fit well on my thighs and butt though so (mini) winning.

The only silly thing I did was make the elastic waistband WAY too big...so if I were to keep these pants I'd have to unpick the waistband top stitching and make the elastic a bit smaller (I sewed the elastic in by making a channel again, not attaching it directly via overlocker to the waistband as suggested). The elastic waistband is my main stumbling point on these pants (or on anything really...even undies). I DETEST tight things on my tummy and I'm paranoid about making my Anita's too tight....so instead I make them too big. Smart, huh? I've come home from work early before because my undies/pants have been too tight so tight elastic is NO joke.

Speaking of elastic, this is what I have used for my last two Anita pants. Prior to this I was using the ribbed, non-roll elastic and oh boy, talk about uncomfortable - it feels like a steel belt clamped onto my waist.  This elastic (pictured below) is not as stiff as the ribbed elastic, but it still feels really stiff and uncomfortable to me - ribbed for my displeasure that's for sure! I'm wondering if there is another type of waistband elastic on offer that I could be using - your advice would be VERY VERY much appreciated!

So all in all I'm not sure if this is a win...or a fail. I don't think I'll keep the pants, so some chunky waisted lady is going to be VERY happy when she goes shopping at Vinnies next week. I would LOVE to find this fabric again and make a Mabel skirt out of it...that I think would be the perfect fabric/pattern match.

The Anita Ponti Pants...of broken hearts (and needles)

These are the pants that broke not only my heart and my sewjo, but TWO overlocker needles and one sewing machine needle.  Let's just say this was NOT a fun sewing weekend for yours truly!

I've heard Tessuit's Anita Ponti Pants being described as "secret tracksuit pants" by various sewing bloggers (you know who you are)! Naturally I wanted in on this. A nice, elastic-waisted slimline pant that are as comfy as tracksuit bottoms. That I can wear out to work. Or dinner. Or on the couch. YES YES YES!

These pants were only ever going to be a practice pair (stunt pants/toile/muslin - call it what you will) so I was prepared for them not to fit (they mostly don't fit though they look fine in the photos). What I was NOT prepared for was a battle with both my sewing machine AND my overlocker.

Things started off badly (with some crazy sort of bobbin tension issue that I have NFI how to fix) and reached epic tantrum stage (from me and the overlocker) when I tried to attach the elastic to the waistband using the overlocker. One needle simply broke in half and then another bent to nearly 90 degrees! When I tried to install a third needle that darn overlocker WOULD not stitch. I took me about TWO hours and 2,000 f-bombs (and some other choice words) to figure out the needle (that has no obvious front or back) was in backwards. It's sewing now, but the tension is bonkers (again, I have NFI how to fix this).

When it came to hemming the pants and stitching down the waistband using my twin needle my regular machine will all of a sudden only stitch one line of stitching...no matter how many times I re-threaded the machine, glared at it, turn it off/on, spoke to it nicely and swore at it. Nadda.  So it's zigzag stitch for these babies, which to be honest I'm fine with as it's easier than twin-needling (and you can do it from the wrong side so yay to that).

Apart from ALL the heartbreak and dramas some of the sewing on these went quite well (mainly the straight stitching, top stitching and seam finishing)...though I'm still confused at how to sew the crotch seams together (put one leg inside the other and...WHAT)?

Like I said these pants looks OK in the photos but they don't really fit. The back rise is WAY too low for me (think the worst kind of plumbers crack too low) and I made the elastic waistband too tight. The crotch is too low and the legs are a tad firm.  These are one uncomfortable pair of pants.  There's a fine line between too tight and too loose that I'm yet to master.

So yes, I am going to make these pants again (as I have four lots of ponti stashed away for them).

Future changes: 

• I will have a G+T beside me to calm the nerves before I embark on pair #2.
• On this pair I sewed all the seams at 5/8" as recommenced and the legs are...firm. Next time I will sew the inside leg seams at 1/2" (that's SMALLER than 5/8", right)?  This ponti isn't particularly stretchy so I guess I adjust the seams based on the fabric...or something like that.
• The crotch isn't sitting quite where it should...too low in a bad "I'm wearing an adult diaper" kind of way. Perhaps I can fix this by sewing the crotch seam a bit smaller (or actually wearing aforementioned adult diaper)...or something?
• I'm going to heighten the rise at the CB and taper it off towards the side seams. I'm also going to lower the front rise at the CF as they are bit too high on my waist. Of course I have NFI how to do this so it's all just a pipe dream.
• I might lengthen them hem and make my next pair an inch longer too, though I do like this length I might get cold ankles in winter...brrr.
• I need to figure out what length I need to cut the elastic at to make these comfortable rather than torturous.
• I'm changing my overlocker! Yes, really!  I've realised that this old machine is really only good for seam finishing. It's lacking the fourth spool/second needle that you really need to construct secure knit garments. My yellow + mustard Mandy Boat Tee is already falling apart at the seams and if I am going to continue to sew knits (which I want too) then Mr Singer, sadly, isn't going to cut it.

In the meantime I've totally lost ALL my sewjo after this traumatic experience...I'll be back...eventually! 

Tessuti Suzy "stunt pants"

For some strange reason I have been overcome by the need to wear pants as the weather cools down. My general winter uniform is boots, tights and dresses (or tunics) but for some reason this year I’m just not feeling it. Putting ALL those layers on in the morning is a chore-and-a-half that makes me just want to get back into bed.

I’ve also really enjoyed wearing “harem style” pants over summer (without the poo-catcher drop-crotch so popular in the 80s mind you) so I thought I’d give the Tessuti Suzy Pants a whirl. I bought myself some snazzy cotton-silk batik in Langkawi last month and these pants would suit that fabric really well.

I’m dubbing these my “stunt pants” and I’ve made them in some truly fugly fabric picked up from…you guessed it, The Fabric Cave. For some reason this fabric reminds me of the Smurfs.

I can’t quite figure out of these pants are a fail…or a win.

On the one hand I made pants (with pleats, pockets AND a yoke). There's also some pretty wonky top-stitching happening, but I top-stitched so YAY MEL!

Go Mel! Pleats AND a yoke.

I made pockets! I am loving myself sick right now.

On the other hand they are a bit too tight around my hips and thighs *if* I sit down (I don't fancy standing up all day so not sitting is not an option). The yoke cuts across my pot belly (aka food baby) in the most uncomfortable and unflattering way. The belly needs room to pop after a big meal and I imagine the seams would bust if I wore these out to a food-blogging event! 

I'd like to make these pants again and here's what I'm thinking could be a solution for me (and the belly, thighs, hips)...

1. Reduce the seam allowance from 1/2" to...less (whatever the next notch is down on my sewing machine plate). That would give me 1/2 more on each leg (would it?...I really suck at maths).
2. Ditch the pleats...or perhaps one from each side to give myself a bit more room and extend the width of the front yoke to accommodate this.
3. Somehow extend the front/back leg pieces up to the waistband thus eliminating the yoke altogether.
4. Make them in a knit so the yoke has room to stretch across my tum; and the hip/thigh area has some stretch too.
5. Go buy myself a pair of pants (kidding...maybe).

As for the pattern, I (mostly) enjoyed sewing it up.   I scratched my head a little reading through the instructions before I started sewing but once I embarked on Project Pants it was mostly OK just plodding along following the instructions step by step.  Inserting the pockets was time consuming but it all went really well.  I've never made pockets before so I have no idea if this method is different or same as other methods but I have workable pockets. Pleats were easy as was fitting the yoke. I gave up by the time it came to putting in the waist elastic...I was tired.

By the time I got to "step 9" however I was exhausted. I could not for the life of me figure out what this all meant and I needed about 100 more photos to help my poor old brain. Obviously I knew I had to sew the crotch together as these were not those "sort of pants" but putting one leg in side the other...what!? After a rant on Instagram and a walk to clear my head (to the fabric shop to buy MORE fabric) I finally got the pants together. I have no idea what I did (or if I can do it again), or how it worked but it worked.

Is it me, but is sewing REALLY darn tiring! I was popped by the end of this.

And what would you do to make this pants pot-belly friendly? Can I sew them in a knit jersey and have the pants of my dreams?