Tag Archives: pants

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GENIE PIRATE PANTS

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You all know I’m a big fan of skin-tight leggings, but sometimes you just don’t feel like showing it off that much. With that in mind, I made some lounge pants that are still sexy and very sensual. Maybe you call them harem pants, but they could also be worn by a genie or a very fabulous pirate.

blue genie pants blue genie pants blue genie pants

blue genie pants They are loose and breezy, so perfect for hot afternoons by the pool or swashbuckling on the playa. The thin elastic keeps the pants up without digging into soft bellies, and the wide waistband prevents any muffin top action from happening.  Because there is so much stretch in the fabric and construction, they will fit just about any body and still be incredibly comfortable!

They’re made out of this fantastic pearly metallic lycra from Fabric Planet (but that fabric is long gone, sorry). I used fold-over elastic for the waist and leg bands.

coral genie pants coral genie pants coral genie pants

I also made a pair for myself (and matching bikini!) and I always love wearing them.

Get your own pants now in my Etsy shop!

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WAXED JEANS

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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!

black pants black pants booty black pants

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.

nice ass black pants!

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!

new boots! 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.

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SEWING WITH ALLIA

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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.

allia striped dress allia striped dress allia striped dress

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.

Allia pink glitter skirt Allia pink glitter skirt

Allia pink glitter skirt pocket detail Allia pink glitter skirt waist

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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.

scout headband scout

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!

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