Author: Franky

I have done it! Here are the pants I wanted to wear and didn’t want to buy. I’m happy with how the heart cutouts hang. I have not added the buttons to them since they have not come in yet so i sewed a hook and eye below where the buttons will be.

Experience: AAAAAH this took so much time! I really loved doing this project but felt like I rushed a bit towards the end. I’m still very pleased with it moving forward.

Successes: It fits! The pockets work! The waistband can hold my belt, and I can crouch in these pants.

Mistakes: Hemming was a nightmare, and tailoring the canvas copy made me want to die because of how thicccccck the fabric was. Also finishing the seam was gross BUT my legs seams are finished

Future direction: I loved making these pants, and would love to make pants again.

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Have done bias tape around half of the cut-outs. Figured out a way to minimize wrinkles by cutting heart into quarters for sewing.

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I made the pattern pieces from the sloper, transferred the design to canvas, and added additional pieces for the waistband based on a favorite pair of levis. I have cut out all the pattern pieces out of their respective fabric with seam allowance, and have ironed interfacing to all necessary pieces, including the waistband and bands to hold belt in. The next step is to cut the hearts out, and bias tape the pant leg ones and not the butt-hearts because I will do those with the back length crotch seam.

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This was a bit difficult due to the waistband and my choice to remove the back dart. I am using a straight waistband based on a favorite pair of jeans, and forgot to add 4 cm of underwrap but will do so on the sloper. I removed the single back dart by removing 3/4 cm on the side seam and CB from the top of the waistband and made sure that the inseam and side seam for the back went down the length of the dart. I also added 4 cm crutch ease, which differed from the proposed 1 cm crutch ease on the 1/4 sloper.

I also used the numbered pattern paper instead of the brown paper. I can redraw with the pattern paper if necessary.

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I wanted to create an inspiration board for my garment and pin down ideas that have been floating around in my head. The first tiles below were what got my mind churning about hot pink and yellow together in a pant, courtesy of Violet Chachki.

initial inspiration

initial inspiration

The next tiles are what inspired the idea of heart cut-outs. I also like the aesthetic of that heart shape, and that was added to potential ideas for the full garment.

cut out without chest ripping open

cut out detail

Finally I found images of chaps rather than assless pants which I could use as design ideas for the actual shaping of the pants themselves. In this case, I want a slightly looser fit throughout the leg, like in the image on the left, but still want the garment to be snug around the bum. This would include the fabric that stretches down from the waistband between my cheeks to connect at my upper thigh.

idea for fit of the overall trouser

idea for thong part of back

With all of these images and ideas swirling, the garment coalesced. Instead of chaps, I would make assless pants. They would be a light shade of pink or brighter with goldenrod hearts all over. I am still torn between having the hearts be cut-out or having them be a different shade of the main fabric for the pant altogether. The pants would sit relatively high on my waist, have a bulky goldenrod industrial zipper in the front with a yellow button. Close fitting but not tight fit throughout the leg. Would be tight in hips, with butt area surrounded by goldenrod bias tape regardless of heart decision. Would have a strap from high waist to upper thigh to keep pants in place. Hem would hit ankle.

idea for color, design

idea for back