Some unselfish sewing #1 bottoms

I’ve been sewing up a storm lately (as in, the last three years), and almost all of it for me.  Bad Fairy.  I’m always buying fabric for my wife, sometimes letting her have a say, more often using my superior age and wisdom [ha!]

This has resulted in a pretty large subsection of stash devoted entirely to her.  And I never, ever steal from it your honour, honest, even if she lets it lie there singing to me and combing its hair provocatively… [V1410 in a viscose/linen mix from MyFabrics which was meant for trousers.]

Tie me to the mast!

Ahem.  Dried frog pills duly taken.  I sorted it all out last week, and found that there’s a sizeable boxful [ie more than a single storage crate], and at least half a dozen patterns specifically bought with wifey in mind.  Why haven’t I produced anything significant for her since the wedding dress then?  Because (a) I make things and she decides they’re too nice to wear, and (b) she’s put on weight since HRT and wants to ‘get back into shape’ before she has anything new.

Then she stands in front of the mirror and grizzles that she feels frumpy and only has gardening clothes to wear.  She’s been murmuring about wanting to regain her punkiness, and to this end we purchased a beautiful piece of black watch tartan wool for some trews…she can’t decide on a style.  Last week I said enough is enough, and said she was getting a new wardrobe, to fit her NOW, and the clothes are to be worn.  [Yes, in my teacher voice.]

Out came some cheapo tartan jersey, in red/white/black which I bought a few weeks ago from ‘The Jersey Lady’ at Birmingham Rag Market.  A snip at £2 a piece.  It’s very thin, and a rather bedraggled end-of-roll misshapen piece, but I was chuffed to find that there was just enough to cut out  a pair of leggings, using Vogue 1440, a Donna Karan design.

Look at that pattern matching!  Go me!

The wife’s a bit of a hobbit, so I was able to shorten the legs significantly, and I made a small adjustment to the back crotch length, simply elongating it by 2″ ‘underneath’ and shaping it back in.  Otherwise, straight size 16.  Being a very bad fairy, I never trace patterns, and rarely make proper alterations…I just pinned the paper to the jersey, made a chalk mark and hacked away.

They fit beautifully, and the missus cheered up no end, wearing them for two days on the trot.

Heartened, I hauled out fabric number 2 , a paint-splash panel print ponte I snagged on ebay from ‘The Textile Centre‘. 

Only £1.99 a panel, and I got 2.  I managed to channel OH’s punkiness by cutting the leggings with the pattern going down the front of the left leg, and the back of the right leg

     [or vice versa, shoot me!]

They look great, and again, fit like a glove.   A very fast sew, the wide elastic waistband is just  stitched to the jersey, flipped over and stitched again.

Punky enough do you think?