One of my students saw a pair of pink cord pants by R13 that were over $300. She found a old 80’s vogue pattern and made the pants! They look awesome and now she’s making them out plaid flannel with some minor adjustments. Mainly dropping the waist a bit. Because in the 80’s most pant fit on the real waist. 😂 I think she’ll have many of these pants in her wardrobe. 😊
The cover slide said Stretchy Pants are the Best Pants... these are not stretchy pants, they are stretchy-waisted pants. Still, if you can't get stretchy pants, a stretchy waist is next best. I love the wide legs. Thank heavens for wide legs! There sure was lots of allowance for the elastic casing at the waist. I am not sure I would want three layers of fabric there. Perhaps cut some off, serge the edge and fold once? And I like to buy the roll-proof waistband sewing elastic to avoid the elastic folding in half because that bugs me too. Thank you for sharing!
@doriscassan6996 I totally agree -- I cannot wear ANY clothing that isn't stretchy. I have Sensory Processing Disorder (part of my autism) and even stretchy clothing can be a problem if there are tight areas like the waist, armholes, etc. Being just under 5'3" and curvy means wide legs are OUT. (I look like a tree stump.) Soooo....the search continues.
I have the same issue with losing my scissors. I have bought a lot and have at least one pair in each room that I use scissors. I think the best way to keep up with them in my hobby room is to attach a cell phone ring holder on a pair and hang it on my S hooks. I have found a way to sharpen my scissors. My husband gave me this idea. Get some fine sand paper and wrap it around a long piece of wood. It’s so easy! TIP: Flatten the seams for less bulk. It’s a tip from Sew Anastasia. She has great tutorials. To know what is trending research retail stores. I type in “What is trending in Fall 2025”.
@@KatieMakesStuff my husband nailed the sand paper to his block of wood. I think it would be easier to staple it. I did suggest it but he is a man so he did the hard way. Lol.
FYI before printing the pattern you can select the size you want and only print that size. This makes things much easier and you don't have to outline before you cut it.
I've looked but without Adobe I don't think I have that feature. Oh well, I'll just spend the remainder of my life trying not to cut the wrong lines 🙃🙃🙃
1-looooovvvvveeeee the deep dive, fun to watch and even if the viewer is having different issues, you explain your process and problem solving so well I think anyBODY can use this 2-the pattern matching on the back of the Kira shorts is beautiful, they’re iteration 3/4 at that point but the care you put in is so clear 🎉 3-yes please overalls! Those darts look funky to figure out Finally-yay headband from last tutorial!! 💖
Truly, thank you for this video! I looked at the comments on this pattern when Mood made it available, and so many people had issues with the fit, I was afraid to even try it. Seeing how it goes together and how it looks on an actual person, I think I might give it a go.
@sally-anneshotter9174 oh man!! I thought you were talking about the ravens, but my husband unknowingly lent me his sneakers for my other pattern weights 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I absolutely love all the trews! The final wool fit so well and look so classy but the looser ones are also fab and the blue and white are gorgeous, love all the shorts and yes please to overalls video, just more Katie works for me xx
I found Oskar as a tiny kitten in the mud and his tail was already short and crooked at the end. And he smelled like garbage, so now he gets to be Oskar the trash cat. Love him ❤️
You're hoot! I have awful "bit my cheek" problems. I have made hilarious, huge pants that are almost exactly like these shorts. They've lasted for years, through multiple weight gains and losses.
As more of an aspiring than an actual sewist, I'm going back to contemplating skirts and simple blouses. I'll try on stuff 'til something fits at the thrift store for shorts, it will be quicker! 🤣
Now that I have a pattern that fits me well, I can whip up a pair of shorts in much less time than going to the thrift store and trying stuff on AND hoping it's in a pattern/fabric I like. But it took a while to get that pattern just right.
You are so fun! I’m going to try the pattern. I was making a pair of shorts earlier this week out of curtain fabric to work on fit and the very first seam I sewed incorrectly! I loved seeing that I’m not the only one who makes mistakes from the get-go…my seam ripper is my best friend.
This looks so awesome! I have been doing this minor adjustments to my Pomona pants pattern and Laurence top patterns to make all sorts of things. Your wool pants look amazing. This makes me want to make some more pants. Thanks for showing us this free pattern.
Goodness, this was fantastic. I loved the base pattern fabric but never thought the Tweedle Dee shorts would ever turn into something wearable to work. Bravo 👏. Love to see the overall make. Granted, I’m little too old for overalls, but hearing your thought process on attacking patterns would be wonderful.
Your tabby cat has a short tail! Just like my daughter's kitty, only our kitty's tail is just a tiny bit shorter. Also, I've been looking for fabric for my own Kira! Your instructions were great. (that being said, my very first garment, I drafted it myself from written instructions, some hope, and a prayer😂)
Oh man, I hope you find something cool! I love the tapestry I used but I think anything with a larger pattern would be super pretty. Maybe a pretty bedsheet that would be nice and soft? So many options!
I'll take 1 and 3/4 inches off the top of the pattern (unless I'm going to do the paper bag top), since that's what the piper pattern says is the amount above the casting for the elastic.
I typically do as well, but I still 'technically' should've been a size 14. I think the extra large size is because Mood uses 1/2" seam allowances...and I always forget about it
I think the reason the crotch depth seems so long is that they are supposed to be paper-bag shorts. The waistband is supposed to ruffle above the elastic more than an inch. But I like that you took basic PJ-style shorts (I couldn't say "boxer-style" with my middle schoolers, cuz you know, "underwear"...) and tweaked them until you found the fit and style you wanted. I also envy your thrifted fabric finds. I am usually not that lucky.
Yeah, unless I really want paperbag pants, this waistband is just a bit crazy. Cutting it down and making small changes to the front seam really seemed to help.
Great video. Thank you. Mood fabrics is annoying though. I couldn't even find the piper pattern on their site so tried another one. Now they have my email address and I don't have the pattern because the link they sent me doesn't work.
Definitely want to try this pattern now! I’m just getting into sewing and obviously I want to get the perfect fit but what do you do with all the tries that don’t work?? Are those just garbage now? I can’t bring myself to waste all those materials 🫣
Unfortunately in my experience there's going to be some amount of waste with sewing, but it's nothing compared to the waste of ready to wear clothes! One tip I have is that I buy super cheap discount fabric to use for my practice garments (ideally as similar of a fabric to your nice fabric so the fit/ stretch is similar) so you aren't wasting your good fabric, and sometimes I can reuse those pieces for two or more projects. Once you get a better sense of how things fit your body or reusing patterns after you make adjustments you won't need to make a practice, and that helps too.
I either adjust them until I like them, or take them apart to use for another project. Like I may use pant legs for pillows or rice bags because they're already sewn up on two sides. I'm a little less worried about waste because I use so many Thrifted secondhand fabrics. Maybe start with an old bedsheet so you don't use "good" fabric while you're learning.
Did you check the print scale on the pattern? Theres normally a little square that you measure and it tells you what its supposed to measure. I only say because i have (on more occasions than i care to admit) not printed to 100% scale and ended up with a massive pattern that made no sense to the sizing guide.
I did! I think the issue is that Mood uses 1/2" seam allowance which is a little more than other patterns and I forget to give myself that extra space when sewing.
That makes a lot of sense. Have totally done that too, we get very comfortable with certain seam allowances or techniques and tend to default. Loved seeing all your versions and tweaks!
Isnt' it best to choose the correct size by the finished measurements? Since it's an elastic waist, choose the hip size and add ease. go to the finished chart and look for the correct finished hip measurement. Then it's a matter of shortening everything else via a muslin. The wool pants are really nice!
Typically yes, but for this video I wanted to really show the process of refining a pattern and starting large seemed a good way to go. Mood patterns always surprise me with how large they are so I imagine others feel the same way sometimes.
I did go by the measurements, but now I'm wondering if those given were just their standard "these are for all our pants & skirts patterns" rather than for this specific pair of oversized shorts. Whatever the case may be, they definitely seem to run bigger than the measurements say.
