Tag Archives: pants

WAXED JEANS

26 January 2011 by Julianne

Would you call these pants jeans? The fabric is rather denimy, but I haven’t owned a pair of jeans since 2008 and it feels strange to start up again! I decided to make these pants in anticipation of the arrival of new boots. In one week my wardrobe grew about 10%. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to wear my new boots since the day I got them, but on the bright side it’s been 75º and sunny in LA!

This fabric is so cool! Of course it was from Fabric Planet, but we’re sold out now so don’t try to copy me. The back side of the fabric is a weave of black and gray threads that looks awesome and is soft. The front side of the fabric is jet black and has a waxy coating with a sheen. I’m reminded of painted pants I saw in Europe of couple years ago, complete with tags warning against sitting on white sofas. In fact these pants do turn my legs black (I had to buy a loofa!) and have just about ruined my bike seat.

A few days before starting on these pants I saw a guy in Venice (CA) wearing a mean-looking coat with a green clown on the back of it. When I saw him again on the strand later that week it was his jacket I recognized, and that made me realize that with all the effort and skill I put into my clothes I want strangers to remember them! In a roundabout way, that’s why I did all the stitching on the back pockets. I generally prefer to do my decorative stitching by hand and only use the basic stitches on my machine, but this design was a whim and I’m glad I went for it.

It seems rather ridiculous to me that these pockets took over an hour to make, but then again I was allowing myself to be distracted. I thought the asymmetrical shield shape would be interesting and (hopefully) flattering. The curved stitching line was also in the goal of some booty contouring. I’ll be the first to tell you that I’ve got a nice tush, and sometimes I get preoccupied with making it look even better. Success?

Between the color, the fit, and the shine, these pants have a hard edge, but I think the contrast fabric and the decorative stitching all over softens the look and makes them more my own style. I’ve had black pants in my wardrobe a few times but they’ve never managed to stick around for more than a few wearings. I think this time I will actually keep these not-so-basic black pants!

And how about these new boots? They’re local and vegan and comfortable–after I did a bit of tailoring in the leg!

Also posted on BurdaStyle and Craftster.

SEWING WITH ALLIA

23 July 2010 by Julianne

I usually don’t make clothes for my niece, figuring that my mom supplies everything she needs. But I recently found myself with some scraps too small to make anything for myself and too cute to trash.

Based on measurements I made Allia a sundress from my circus stripe fabric. It turned out to be a little tight and short, but it does look great on her, especially since she and I made some leggings together. Allia sewed the leg seams herself on my machine. She also picked out the elastic on the legs and waistband, and said the blue stripe fabric leftover from some tops makes her feel like Alice in Wonderland.

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I’d also saved some pink satin with glitter from a superhero costume that was just enough to whip up a skirt. Again, Allia sewed the sides and did about half of the hem before asking me to take over. She also designed the pocket, based on a sewing bandoleer I’m working on for Burning Man. She drew the whole thing out and picked out shiny lycra scraps for each part.

Allia also put her mad design skillz to work on her loyal friend Scout (she told me once that at nighttime it’s pronounced Scoot). Using a coiled S I had lying on my worktable and a short piece of elastic she made a lovely flapper headband. After Scout’s glamor shots Allia touched up some scratches on her eyes and nose with glossy black paint.

This was Allia’s first time on a machine and my first time sewing with a kid. It was fun to make her designs come to life, but there was an unexpected challenge in being supervised by an 8 year old. She wanted to keep me on task, and kept asking innocent but irksome questions like Are you sure that’s right? and I don’t think that’s the way to do it, as well as giving me pointers such as You should look at my drawing some more before you cut that fabric!

All in all, it was fun and great to see how excited the whole thing made Allia. I’m looking forward to making her a birthday wardrobe from some fuchsia sweater knit I’ve been eying at Fabric Planet!

ADVENTURE PANTS

19 July 2010 by Julianne

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT MY ETSY SHOP!

When I was backpacking through Europe, I got used to owning only one pair of pants and wearing them till they fell apart. Initially I selected dark, sensible colors, but by the time I was about to leave France I got a little more daring and opted for bright fuchsia. Now I’m up to three sets of trousers, but I still like the idea of everything I wear being as versatile as possible. I want to go on adventures and get messy along the way, but still look awesome when I get there.

Cue the new adventure pants!

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They were heavily modeled on my beloved fuchsia pants, only even better! I didn’t use a pattern, but I’ve made enough pants for myself that I can just cut fabric into the right shape without having to do any prep. The fabric, which I got in the Fashion District, is super stretchy, so I can climb things or lay on the couch comfortably. Even after wearing them for days on end, I don’t really need a belt, although my sheriff buffalo belt is too cool not to wear. The fabric was originally a dark grey but I put it through a couple dye baths to create a wonderfully deep purple that will hide dirt and wear well while still being colorful.

In the spirit of thriftiness, the front pockets are made out of a silky pair of Jason’s boxers that had a big tear. So yes, every time I put my hands in my pockets I am technically digging around in his undies.

I always like to do something special on the back pockets of pants I make, and it’s never the same thing twice. I usually come up with a design based on my initials, but I also like the idea of telling a story. So these pants have a star shooting across the back. It’s a nice design with plenty of pleasant symbolism. I also did a lot of handstitching details on the pants–Xs along the back yoke and front pockets, a backstitch down the outside leg seams, and a slip stitch on the cuffs. I happened to have the embroidery thread in my stash but it wasn’t quite the color I had in mind. Luckily, after a washing the extra dye in the fabric toned down the brightness of the thread.

made by Julianne

adventures in making

Tag Archives: pants

WAXED JEANS

SEWING WITH ALLIA

ADVENTURE PANTS