Hello! Happy Sunday all. How is your fancy pants sewing coming along? Today I’m sharing my second finish for #sewfancypants, a pair of True Bias Emerson Crop Pants. As mentioned in my plans and inspiration post, I didn’t give the Emerson pattern much consideration until Kelli released a high-waisted option last fall. Then, I knew they had to happen. I’ve now sewn all the True Bias pant patterns and feel like I’ve achieved some sort of True Bias Trifecta.
Fabric Choice
I knew back in October that I wanted to make these pants, but choosing the perfect fabric took more time than expected. Initially, I had planned to make a solid colored pair in tencel twill or silk noil. I scoured the internet for fabric that would make my heart sing, but kept coming up empty. Finally, in December, I was browsing ‘tencel’ on StyleMaker Fabrics and came upon this Black and White Grid Plaid Tencel. It was the one and I ordered it immediately. Once it arrived, I loved it even more. Between the gridded lines are tiny stripes that add texture and interest to the fabric when seen up close. I cut out these pants at our January sewing night on Thursday and several of the ladies ‘oohed and ahhed’ over it. It has a decent drape, but enough weight to feel comfortable as a pair of pants. The texture makes it a bit less slippery than a solid tencel so working with it was a dream.
Construction
As mentioned above, I cut this project on Thursday evening. In order to get photographs and have this blog post up today, I had to do all the sewing on Friday evening. I’m actually not a terribly fast seamstress, so finishing a pair of pants in a day seemed daunting. The Emerson Crop Pants are perfect for this kind of sewing. The pleats, pockets, and flat front waistband provide just enough details to keep things interesting, while making the pants an easy sew. I didn’t time myself exactly but, I think the actual sewing took about four hours start to finish. These pants could likely be sewn in less time if made in a solid or print with no need for pattern matching. I took extra care and did my best to line up the grid on side seams, crotch, and inseams. The pockets and front waistband were cut on the bias to eliminate bit of the pattern-matching headache. It’s not perfectly lined up everywhere but; someone would have to get pretty close to notice that, so I’m satisfied with the result.
Fit and Alterations
My body measurements put me at an 8 waist, and right between a 10 and 12 at the hips. After looking at the finished garment measurements, I opted to sew a straight size 10. I chose not to grade down at the waist because I figured simply using a shorter length of elastic at the waist would be an easier solution than starting with an 8 and grading out. The only other modification made was adding 5 inches to the length. I usually add 3-4 inches in length to my other True Bias pants but, added a little more here because I wanted the hem just above my ankle, making the pants wearable year-round. Overall, I’m really pleased with the fit of these pants. I may go back in and remove a bit of length from the elastic, but that’s the only thing I would change.
End Result
After photographing these pants, we had a little family date night and went out to eat. I paired them with booties, my latest Nikko Top, and a cropped black Wiksten Haori. The result was an outfit fancy enough for a night out, but comfortable enough that I could eat all I wanted at dinner without my pants feeling too tight (thank you elastic waistband). After wearing these, I realized that I need more pants like this in my life. Next time I make this pattern, I think I’ll taper the leg and use a linen for an easy pair of summer pants. I plan to wear this pair year round, pairing it with some of my solid colored tees in the warmer months.
Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to follow along with the ladies of Sew Fancy Pants (Katie, Jen, Loni, and me) because we’ve got more fun and inspiration coming your way all month. Head to my Instagram and enter the StyleMaker Fabrics Giveaway, but don’t delay because it ends Tuesday.
Want to see more of what I’ve made using fabrics from StyleMaker? Check out my Gemma Dress, Joy Jacket, or Spring Style Tour posts.
Fan of True Bias Patterns? Check out my Lodo Dress, Lander Pants, Hudson Pants, or Roscoe Blouse.
Can you talk more about the weight of this particular fabric and give thoughts on heavier vs lighter weights for this pattern? I think this might be to one of the rtw inspiration images I shared recently and I think I may need to make these in corduroy. <3 (If you didn't already know, I'm so glad we all did this event! It's been so much fun! Thank you for asking me to join.)