This year has been less than ideal for everyone to say the least, but I didn’t want that to be what I remembered about 2020. I wanted to push myself to learn some new things. I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone. I wanted 2020 to be a year of learning and trying new things. So when I saw that Love Notions was going to be testing a new pant/skirt pattern for woven fabric with a button fly closure, I knew I had to sign up.

Let me start off by saying this. I don’t sew very much with woven fabric. I love sewing with knit fabric! It’s my absolute favorite. I love how it can easily be manipulated and stretched. I love the drape and how comfy it is to wear in the hot summers. I love to make dresses, skirts, loose t-shirts, tunics and shorts. Basically I love to make everything with it. Because of this, I often shy away from patterns that call for Woven fabrics. Which takes away a lot of my sewing options.

Testing a pattern is a really good way to learn new things. I would definitely recommend a newer sewist sign up when they see a  Pattern Company post a tester call. You get to be part of a private tester group where everyone shares their fit photos and adjustments they made. It’s also a good place to ask for suggestions on how you can get a better fit too. I particularly love testing patterns for Love Notions. The private pattern group and the tester group is full of knowledgeable sewists who are so willing to offer help and encouragement right away. I am part of several other pattern groups, but Love Notions is the one I go to when I really need some help on fitting. Not only did I know very little about pants fitting but I also really hate doing buttonholes. They give me anxiety, so I pretty much avoid them at all costs. I have made a few shirts with button closures, but I can count them on one hand. The Glissando Pattern called for woven fabric and button holes so I knew I could learn so much from making this pattern.

I was assigned the skirt to test. I had some lovely blue mid-weight 100% cotton woven fabric. It feels and looks like a cross between linen and denim. I don’t know what it’s called but I love it and purchase it in all the colors anytime I find it. I love blue so it was a no-brainer for me to use it to make the Glissando skirt. I had also just recently made a Labella Donna Tunic that was begging to be worn with a blue skirt.

If you are new to pants sewing and button closures, I would suggest you start with the Glissando skirt first. It doesn’t involve much fitting, just some tweaks to the back rise and the darts maybe.  Really the hardest part was getting the buttons and the holes right. Just go slowly and make sure to follow all the directions, sometimes re-reading them several times just to make sure you have it right.  Also, check and double check everything before sewing it in place. That’s what I did and it really helped me retain the information better and feel more confident in what I was doing.

Once I had completed my skirt I felt I was ready to try the pants too. I had been following along with all the other testers in the group on their makes. It helped me be aware of adjustments I might need to make when sewing my first pair. Because I sew a lot of things with knit I don’t usually sew a muslin first. With pants sewing, it’s a good idea to have some cheap fabric similar to what you will be making your final pair in just so you can make a muslin. I think I made 4 muslins for this particular pattern. It was nice not to ruin my precious fabric with different alterations.

One of the other sewists in the testing group, WinMichele has  some really helpful information on pants fitting posted in her instagram highlights. I highly recommend checking that out. After watching it I was able to make some adjustments that really helped me achieve a better fit for my Glissando Pants. I made two pairs of pants in two days and didn’t feel mentally exhausted. I still have much more to learn as far as pants sewing goes, but I’m not nearly as fearful as I was to begin with.

I’m really happy with the fit of these pants. I made two pairs. One in a Striped Chambray which I absolutely love for our mild desert winters and this light colored pair with the same type of fabric I used for making my blue skirt. I have worn both of these several times and love the fit. I always say “pants are leg prison” but these are so comfy they don’t count. I hope this inspires someone to sew something new and step outside of your sewing comfort zone too.

Happy sewing my friends!

Koe