Vogue 2532

Not sure how I feel about the concept of “dress shorts” but I may have made a pair anyway. I know that I recently said I don’t like to wear shorts, especially in public, but I’m allowed to change my mind. The thing is, I found this pattern for pants and I liked it and wanted to try it. But I didn’t want to buy enough fabric to make a pair of pants that may or may not turn out or fit. I found this grey & black stretch cotton plaid on the sale table and thought it would make a nice pair. I could try all my fitting stuff on the cheap. As you can see, I still need to work on the fitting. But I do love this fabric and am kind of kicking myself for not buying enough for slacks. It would make a nice pair of work pants. Once I get the fit thing right I may go grab more before it is all gone.

I carefully measured myself and compared it to the pattern and the envelope. Because this is a stretch woven I allowed myself to go a little smaller than I would normally be comfortable with in a tight woven. So I cut a size 22. Even that had a smaller waist than I have but I went with it anyway. I have been cutting size 20 in dresses and tops lately, I guess I need to trust myself and go with the 18/20 sizes. But I’m always afraid to have stuff too small.

As you can see the back fits pretty much dead on. I didn’t alter the back piece at all and sewed it on the seam lines. But the front is all kinds of weird. I took in the front darts almost an inch from the way they were drafted. I should’ve added a second dart so the one isn’t so deep. The crotch is just the right depth, no sag, not tight. Maybe it is just because I have such a round belly that I’m doomed to have baggy pants between my center front and hips. Any seamstresses out there with ideas or suggestions I’d love to hear them.

This front on shot really shows the problems I have with them. I think next time I will have to try using the size 22 for the back pieces and the 20 or even 18 for the front and then leave out the front darts.

Things I do like about this pattern are the side pockets and hem vents. I used the Palmer/Pletch method of putting on the waistband. I cut the waist band along the selvage and after turning to the wrong side and pressing I stitched in the ditch from the right side with a fine thread. With the waist cut on the selvage it doesn’t have the stretch the rest of the shorts have so it stabilizes them. I didn’t put belt loops on them because I never wear a belt. I also have a problem with the top of the fly where it meets the waist band. I don’t know why it wrinkles like that. I have a few RTW pants that do that so I may also be a product of my body shape.