Did You Say Yellow Pants {Simplicity 2245}

Do you ever have a notion that a pattern will be something that it isn’t?  Well, I honestly thought the pants from 2245 where designed to be cute little summer crop pants.  They are not!  Lisette has designed full length slacks.  This was a surprise to me when I laid the piece on the fabric and said to myself, “Hmmm….that seems a bit long for crop pants.”  I measured the inseam and sure enough too long.  Not a problem though because I said to myself, “Ah well, I’ll just cut six inches off the bottom and proceed as directed.”  Problem fixed.  Until.  I finished piecing the trousers, fitting them adequately, and came to hem the legs.  Standing in the mirror they looked a bit long still so I said to myself, “Well, if I want a cuff I will only need to cut another inch or so off and that should just come right above my ankle.”  So I measured and, SNIP! “Ahhh, I cut the wrong mark.”  Panic/disappointment started to set in, but I settled myself down by saying, “Well, they will just be long shorts.”   I finished them off trying to convince myself that they were still okay as capris.  Unfortunately, they looked hideous on me.  The combo of the color and length did not flatter any part of my body, including my ears. 

Stewing over the mistake overnight, and hoping that if I washed them all would be better in the morning, I woke up with a fresh perspective.  The magic washing machine did not work and I hated the way they looked even more.  (By the way, this story has nothing to do with the pattern.)  So, what does anyone do when making their own clothes?  Throw them out?  No, take the extra yard of material that you bought with no purpose, and start over.  Yep.

 This time I used the lower calf lengthen/shorten line as my guide and disregard the cuff.  I reused the yoke from my first attempt; mainly because I didn’t have enough fabric.  The length ended up being much, much, much better, and the story ends happily ever after.  I have the bright yellow pants that I wanted.  And when I say bright, I mean burning bright yellow like the sun.  

Please note the use of top stitching.  I think this adds some hidden interest in a somewhat bland garment design. I also carried this embellishment to another piece in this pattern packet, a shirt.