Good News

So I got my letter in the mail a few days ago saying that I passed my college's Apparel Design Review! At the end of last year (my freshman year), we had to submit a ton of stuff, including garments we'd made, sewing samples, essays, and a photoshop presentation board for our professors to review. Passing this means that I can go on to higher-level classes and that I'm now an official Apparel Design major.

I'm so excited because next semester I'll be taking draping, and I'll finally learn how to make my own patterns. I have wanted to know how to create patterns for so long now, and while I can draft simple, straightforward things on my own (like this top), I can hardly wait to expand my skills. It will be awesome to no longer be limited by my inability to create patterns.

So since I know I've passed, I need to order my professional dressmaker's mannequin. It's a big investment (a little over $400!) but I need it for my college classes, and I know I'll continue to use it later in life. I can hardly wait to receive a life-sized mannequin from the UPS guy, haha.

That's about it: I've been really busy lately doing summer-y activities like going tubing at the lake and staying up really late watching movies. Here's to a great week :)

Pajama Pants: DONE!

Sometimes, a garment that should be the easiest thing to make ends up being crazy difficult for no real reason. That was kinda my experience with these pajama pants. 

I think the main reason for the unexpected difficulty was because of all the alterations I ended up making to the pattern. I used Butterick 3698, a unisex pajama pattern, because it looked like exactly what I wanted (and I liked that it had a fly). Cutting the pants out was pretty annoying, since I kind of hate matching plaids, but over all I'd say that part turned out pretty well.

I think he likes them! Also, isn't he a good model?

That's when things got interesting. In the pattern, each pant leg is just one piece with an inseam; there are no outer side seams on these guys. However, as I had planned on adding pockets, this was a problem. So I just cut a side seam in anyway, and sewed in the in-seam pockets with a very small seam allowance. 

But then I sewed the inseam as well, and looked at the legs. They were huge. Like, I had even cut out a size smaller than he normally wears, and the legs were still so baggy they looked like clown pants. I know pjs need to be baggy, but really? This was insanity. So I went back and took and extra inch off each leg, which helped quite a bit. They're still quite loose, but at least they look like normal pajama pants now.

I also didn't like how the pattern gave the fly instructions. There was a lot of excess fabric, which I trimmed back. The pattern also didn't call for any sort of closure, but the fly was gaping so dramatically that he couldn't have worn them anywhere if I didn't add something. Two buttons did the trick nicely, though.

Finally, I did the waist band a little differently; after sewing the elastic in, I did three rows of topstitching over it for a more professional look. This is really easy to do, and will make any elastic waistband look a ton better; just stretch the waistband out till the elastic is taut and sew over it. After you're done, it will probably have stretched out a bit, but that's okay. Just hold an iron over the waistband and steam the heck out of it; you can actually watch the waistband shrink back to the right size! Cooooooool.

I'm really happy with how they turned out, but more importantly, so is Andy! I don't think I'd use this pattern again, because of the few odd little things I mentioned. However, I did enjoy how quickly these pants came together. Now I'm gonna make something else for myself; I'm currently starting on a clutch that's gonna be super lacy and girly. I hope you guys had an awesome weekend! :)