Hey there, and welcome to the Style Maker Fabric Spring 2018 Blog Tour!  I’m really excited to share two projects with you today — the Lander Pant from True Bias and the Jack Coat from Ready to Sew.

If you’ve been following me for a minute, you know my pants problems are well documented.  This is a pretty frustrating thing for me.  I can buy pants that fit me pretty well (you know, minus the whole length issue), so what is the issue with making my own?!  My primary fitting issue is the crotch area — aren’t you excited to know that?  I’ve come to the conclusion that I have a J shaped or flat pubis, and I often need a low seat adjustment.  While I haven’t nailed pants yet, my latest pants definitely come the closest!  The Landers have been on my to-sew list for ages, and I’ve finally made them happen.  I am totally in love!

The fabric for this post was provided by Style Maker Fabrics.  Thanks for supporting the shops that keep the lights on at Maddie Made This!

The Lander Pant

Fabric and Sizing for the Lander Pant

Michelle has found, like, a million amazing fabrics to put in her shop for spring.  I was really inspired by Meg @SewLiberated’s Landers, especially this orange pair.  Rust colors fit really well into my wardrobe, and Michelle delivered with this gorgeous stretch sateen/twill.  That photo is pretty close to the true color of the fabric, and there is a fair amount of stretch to it.  Now, the Lander Pant pattern calls for fabrics with no stretch.  I knew I wanted to modify the pattern, though, and figured some stretch might actually come in handy.  Overall, I think the pants hold up pretty well in stretch, and the fabric has nice recovery.  Stretch will obviously affect the sizing, so keep that in mind.

I made my Landers in a size 8.  My measurements were actually for a six, but I wanted to have a lot of room to play with for the aforementioned crotch adjustments.  What looks like reason for a flat pubis adjustment can sometimes mean you actually need to size up in the hips, so I exercised caution.  In the end, I took enough space out of the waist to be a 6, I bet.  When I remake them later this year for Project #SewMyStyle2018, I’ll move down to a 4 in the waist if I use a non-stretch fabric.

Like I said earlier, I made a flat crotch and low seat adjustment, using the Closet Case guide to pants fitting.  That just lives in an open tab on my laptop when I’m making pants!  Although Heather says to make adjustments in small increments, I don’t at this point.  I probably took close to half an inch out of the front and back.  The seat is still a little too loose for my liking, but I don’t know that I can get it any better without redrafting the pattern.  It’s meant to have a looser fit anyways!

You can also see that I added a flare to the pants!  I started tapering the leg in below the pockets (and the equivalent spot on the inseam), and then back out just below the knee.  There’s no fabric added to the leg — just what’s in the pattern piece.  Kelli drafted the pants to have a 1″ seam on the sides so that you have tons of room to fit, which was seriously useful when I decided to flare them!

Sewing the Lander Pants

Since the Lander Pants don’t necessarily have a zip fly (but you can now buy an expansion pack for it), they seem a little less scary than a zipper.  I think the pockets all being patch and not inset helps, too.  They come together pretty quickly, although you can expect to spend a little time fitting them.

I used a regular size 12 needle to put these together — no denim or big needles needed!  They probably took me a weekend day to do.  The most time consuming part was fitting them, and you’d probably spend less time on it if you’re not flaring them!

Honestly, these might be the most professional-looking pants I’ve made so far, both in terms of fit and sewing skill.  For some reason, the belt loops look sooooo good to me.  My Lander Pants came out exactly as I envisioned them, and I can’t wait to wear them to death this spring!

Don’t forget to check out my Jack coat, also made for the Style Maker Fabrics Spring 2018 Blog Tour, and to read all the other amazing posts from the bloggers Michelle has lined up for us!  I can’t wait to see what they’ve all made (and probably spend a million dollars on fabric).  Sarah from Sewing with Sarah posts tomorrow, be sure to head over to her blog and see what she’s made!