Remember when I was trying to hunt down the perfect polka dot fabric for these Peter & The Wolf pants? And then I couldn’t find it and I was sad but I made them anyway? Well! Look what I found!
My dream stretch polka dots pants fabric – a polyester wool suiting with flocked polka dots (right?! right?!)!
I got a fistful of swatches from Mood about a month ago, this swatch being one of them. I immediately zeroed in on those flocked polka dots and called the store to get a couple yards sent to me. I should also mention this was like day #2 post-surgery, and I was laying on the couch totally hopped up on painkillers and I’m fairly certain that the dude on the other end of the line thought I was a crazypants. Whatever! Joke’s on him, now I HAVE the crazypants!
Then I got my fabric and I rolled around in it for a couple of weeks because that is what you do when you are in love.
Again, I used the Peter & The Wolf pants from Papercut Patterns, with just a couple modifications from the last time I made them. I already had the pattern pieces modified to reflect the changes I made – sizing, crotch length, crotch curve, all that good stuff – but I went ahead and made a quickie muslin just to be SURE before cutting into this precious stuff. I added another 1/2″ of length to the legs and swapped out the waistband for a curved waistband – specifically, I used the waistband from my Clovers. I definitely prefer the way this fits over the straight band – and it’s a good height, too. It just barely covers my bellybutton, which I like.
I lined my pockets with a little scrap of Bemberg rayon lining and it’s kind of amazing. I feel so posh whenever I stick my hands in my pockets now, ha!
Also, I’m very happy to report that the grainlines are totally straight on these pants (since I didn’t have to do emergency pants-weightloss surgery while sewing them), and as a result the hem scallops are straight as well. Yay!
The only part about all this that I was NOT digging was when it came time to actually press my seams. Lord, that polyester refused to do anything that involved heat. I solved most of the issue by doing a lot of top stitching – front and back leg center seams, the yokes, the pockets, the waistband. Basically everything I could get my needle into.
I think it worked out quite well in the end, though! And yay, all my seams match up!
Next time I make these, I will stabilize the zipper opening. It’s just a little too wavy – which, I mean, I could fix, but I also got those seams matched up fucking PERFECT and I’ll be dammed if I’m ripping that shit out again. Nope.
To get the bottom scallops to have a nice sharp edge (remember, the polyester wanted nothing to do with that iron), I had to improvise and figure things out as I went along. I did include the facing, which I under stitched and then top stitched (I find under stitching is VERY helpful when you are sewing something that is difficult to press, as it forces facings to roll to the inside). To press the edges, I used my sleeve board and a silk organza press cloth and steamed the shit out of each section. After it got nice and hot, I used my clapper to hold down the fabric until it was completely cool. This is probably the closest I’ll get to a good press on this fabric, and hey – no shine! Woohoo!
God, I love these pants.
I also really love these labels. They speak the truth, at least as far as these pants are concerned.
Sorry ’bout the creeper hand.
I added arrowhead tacks to the bottom pocket opening, because why not? I used embroidery floss and followed this tutorial on the Coletterie (I also see that I commented about a western shirt I was going to make. Obviously that never happened, but it SHOULD. Ooh!)
Really thinking about making a wool version for the cold weather – maybe lengthen the legs to full-length, omit the pocket detailing and scallops? What do you think?
(psst! If you were wondering – my wrap top is handmade, and my shoes are from Clark’s ;))
LLADYBIRD 
Lol, I totally used that same label on a Hollyburn skirt that I recently made. My machine and the fabric that I used were having all sorts of conniptions, so it seemed apropos.
I think a wool version without the scallops and the pockets would be perfect for the cold weather! They would be super cute and I (selfishly 🙂 would love to see them!
I’ve always been a bit nervous about putting prints on pants for whatever reason (maybe because so many of those prints looked like they would blend into our old 1970’s couch? I dunno.) but I could totally handle a cute polka dot print for pants. I love how well these turned out, the seaming is visible but not too busy with the polka dots–great job! 🙂 And yes, you should totally make a western shirt, one for you and one for the boyfriend. 😉
Vinegar often helps with hard to press fabric. Simply dampen your press cloth with white vinegar and press as usual. This also works well to remove creases (like when you lengthen something). Worth giving it a try — the price is right.
This is great advice, thank you!
These pants look amazing! The fit is spot on and the construction is great. Nice work!
Haha, it’s funny going to an old blog post and finding you commented on it. It’s like going back in time and seeing what you were planning on making, or what was stumping you at the time. And sometimes I’ve read a post and been super-surprised to see it was me that wrote it – like I don’t recognise my former self, or something.
Whoa that is one cool pair of pants! Now I’m totally regretting that I was 30 minutes away from Mood LA yesterday and not able to see their lovely fabric. This one would have gone home with me! Great make!
OMG I love this fabric!!! Polka dots 4ever! These pants are beautifully made, you are going to get TONS of wear out of these babys! 🙂
Wowieee, these are super cool! And so beautifully made too, so neat, you clever thing!
omg I was coveting that fabric when you posted it before, and now I’m in uber-envious love of those pants…too bad my one and only Mood experience is in the past or I would be racing for those polka dots!
Holy fricking gorgeous! Perfect fabric for perfect pants! I love the seam detailing on these! Yes to a winter-weight wool pair!! I’m drooling all over my keyboard all ready!
Whoa, yet again you’ve taken a pattern that I was kinda meh about and made it into something must-have! (for some reason I thought these were more like leggings, but I guess they’re pants, which is good.) Not great for my wallet, but awesome! A winter-weight wool would be amazing!
I wonder… would a stable double-knit or maybe a thicker ponte work for a casual weekend thing, or best to stick with a stretch woven?
I think so! You just need a little bit of stretch, so maybe go down a size if your knit has a lot of it 🙂
Oh good call, thanks! I’ll have to give them a go.
PS re: the snarkygram… I think that a. they look great on you and emphasize a teenytiny waist and b. even if that weren’t true (? insofar as opinions can be true) it’s okay to favor interesting over flattering anyway. I do think you look awesome, but I hate the imposition of “flattering/looking pretty/etc.” as a fucking obligation on women. Aaaand cranky feminist out.
Right?! If by unflattering they mean it emphasizes my hips and short height… Well, I’m sorry but that’s what my body looks like! Can’t change that!! Oh well, people are gonna have their opinions 😛
oh my, these pants are really not flattering.
I’m… sorry you feel that way?
just being honest. they’re super nicely done and look very professional (as you are), it’s just something, maybe the pattern or the fabric that’s… “off”.
OMG. Soooo stinkin’ cute!
Oooh, these are hella cool! xx
These pants are so cute!! And I love the idea of you rolling around in new fabric.
These pants are so cute! And I love the idea of you rolling around in fabric for a few weeks.
These are so cute (even cuter than your last version, which was ALSO cute)! Love!
I think they’re gorgeous and look super good on you! A wool version sounds great indeed! I’m definitely going to put some of the Papercut Patterns on my bday wishlist!
Oh, I do love a nice pair of Happy Pants! And, you are right, no need to even attempt to press polyester. Just gourd head and stitch that stuff down. Saves a world of hurt (when you accidentally burn yourself) and heartache (when you melt the fabric).
Lovely as always!
I’ve noticed that you like your pants to hit your hips and not your waist. Do you wear you skirts at hip or waist, and do you put your waist in your dresses at your natural waist? I was just thinking about your cropped cardi, if you were to wear that with an outfit like this it’d be a shorter than your top, so how do you style your cropped cardis with pants?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the location of waists and how they relate to clothing. I could of course go search your blog for photos to answer these but the search function on my phone is a bit Crap.
I prefer to wear my skirts and the waistline of my dresses at my natural waist, which is the smallest part. Although I do wear my pants slightly lower, not much – most hit at about my belly button (natural waist on me is like 1″ or so higher). As far as cropped cardis, I just wear them and let my shirt fill the gap between cardi and pants haha. Since my pants are pretty high, there isn’t much of a gap 🙂
That top is super ADORABLE!
I accidentally hit the ENTER key before I was done typing! LOLZ I tried finding another photo of the top; is it one of your projects? If not, WE NEED TO FIND OUT WHERE TO GET IT! HEE HEE
Hey, I found it! Will be adding it to my super long wish list…awesomeness!
Oh, awesome, glad it worked out 🙂
Would be wonderful to meet you in person some day! I’m gonna get my ole machine out soon and start my sewing journey….
If we’re ever in the same city at the same time, consider it a date 🙂
If you ever get to Cincinnati or Indianapolis, I go to Cincy on occasion for dr appts and am around the same distance from Indy, but Indy is NW of where I live…..
Louisville, KY could also be an option.