First Endeavor

 

I have been working on refining the fit I need for shorts/pants.  Shorts seem like a better place to start since they use less fabric, right?   I'd love to have more shorts for summer.  However, I need the fit to be just right so that they are comfortable for a lot of walking and bike riding. 

 

 I bought the Endeavor pattern from Cake last summer.  I like the style and the idea that the pants are drafted to accommodate different hip/waist ratios.

I made the size 40 with the size 28 waist. The fit of my first muslin was closer than most other shorts I've tried, other than the red Chataigne shorts that worked out well (the top is from that post, too).  I did have to smooth out the high hip curve significantly, add 1.5" to the back inseam at the crotch, and added 5." flare to the center front piece at the seam at the center of the leg.  I also hemmed them right up to the bottom of the pocket.

This is a wearable muslin of those changes with some navy blue cotton from my stash.  It's not super heavy but heavier than quilting cotton.  It really worked well for these shorts.

 

 They are mostly perfect.  However, you can see below that with some movement, they eventually have the same problem that I've encountered with my other attempts at shorts -- they shift to the back and give me awkward creases at the front.

  

I have a new idea about the cause.  Maybe the front rise is too long?  On my next pair I want to shorten the front rise by 1" at the waist and extend the back crotch another 2".  Also, I still need to smooth out the hip curve even more on my pattern piece. 

 Flat shots:

 I used some scraps of a pretty print for the pocket and waistband.  I top-stitched the pocket openings, front seams, and back yoke.  Yes, I should have ironed these for the pictures... but they were straight from the laundry, and I just put them right on to go run around in the sunshine.

I'm very happy with this first pair of Endeavors, and with a few adjustments I expect this to be a TNT.  I'd like to try the sailor view soon.  Thanks for visiting!

Chambray Ruffle Set

 Happy summer!  Wow, so, global warming, huh?  I was swimming in Lake Union for hours on May 2nd.  Anybody else worried?  Anyway... Lovely weather for outdoor concerts at the winery.  Here I am in a little self-made set waiting for the doors to open to see Bob Dylan at Chateau Ste. Michelle.  It's a great venue.  You can bring in blankets, low chairs, and any food you want.  We packed a lovely picnic.  They sell the wine at normal price, plus the wine club discount... too easy!

  

This is the Coachella Shorts in the smallest size, high waist, short inseam, with an extra-wide waistband.  I trimmed them with a ruffle made of 2" bias strips folded in half and gathered.  The crop top is modified from my block without the front waist darts, and... some "make it work" moments.  I used chambray from Joann's.  I bought a lot of chambray to use for wearable muslins and experiments.  

 

I swear that back keyhole sits flat. 

 

No, it sits flat, really. 

 Ok, it might sometimes sit flat if tied correctly when I'm not throwing my shoulders around self-consciously in pictures.

 

 Flat shots: 

 Above, you can see where I had to piece the back of the shorts because of a cutting error.  I wanted to shorten the front rise, and cut it from the center back by mistake.  Oops, new design lines! 

Similarly, the top, below, is a saga of botched ideas that finally worked out pretty well.  It was initially envisioned as more plain, cut from the top of my shift pattern, but with the back darts and ruffles at the shoulders.  The ruffles looked ridiculous hanging off those wide-cut shoulders, so I removed them and intended to just cut the shoulders in a bit...  But I cut out the neck hole more instead!  Bah!!  So I gathered the front to bring it in, and pinched out darts as a "design line" at the high bust to deal with the creases that caused.  At the back I made a centered dart to pull it in, plus keyhole... finished it all with self bias tape, and I love it!  Ah, lucky save.