Ellen shorts

Late last year I had a request from A for some shorts that had a "paper bag" waist. I think she intended for me to buy a particular ready-to-wear pair, but that's no fun.

I found the Style Arc Ellen Woven shorts pattern, plus a few other Style Arc patterns (I'd thought the much hyped on instagram Hope Dress might have worked for my mum - nope) and then some great crinkle linen from Maaidesign and I was off...

The first pair I made was a straight size 6. They were instantly declared to be too big and too low in the crotch. Yet she did wear them comfortably on a couple of occasions.

It's been a while since I made them so I don't have any helpful notes re the pattern itself. The instructions are sparse but clear and there were plenty of notches and pattern markings such that it all came together without a fuss.

I made a second pair in a size 4 with about 3/4" (forgotten!) length removed from crotch depth. Those were in a gingham version of the same crinkled linen. I could have sworn I'd photographed them, but it turns out I'd just taken pictures of these same ones in a different spot.

They've also been worn but I think they might ride up a bit when walking, and so neither pair are in high rotation. That's something that has always annoyed me about shorts and I don't know if it's a leg length, or crotch depth issue. It's certainly something that puts me off shorts too. I'll have to try and solve it one day.

Vogue 9114 another two times

I'd been living in my V9114 black linen trousers made back in November, and knew I needed more before the summer was out.

I had a mountain bike fork that had been serviced* and needed picking up, and what do you know, I had to drive past both Fabric Deluxe and The Fabric Store to get it...

* astroboyracer if you're here for the fork servicing bit and not the sewing bit!

The top fabric in that stack is an amazing double sided gauze from The Fabric Store that I'm busily working on now, but the other two fabrics did get used for V9114. I'd bought both fabrics thinking of the pants, but not sure which I'd use. Both was the answer.

This fabric is a really lovely linen viscose from Fabric Deluxe. Here's the link if it's still there.

It has a lovely washed texture with a bit of nubby variety in the surface. It's drapier than a straight linen and is lovely and soft. Perfect loose summer pants weight fabric.

 

At first I wasn't sure about the colour, thinking it was a bit pink. But pair it with some old heels (1995 from memory!) and my nice courtyard brick tiles and I love it!

Same as my black ones, I've made the size M (one down from measurements) and hoicked an inch and a half up and out of the rise at front and back. This time I thought about adding the length back in at the lower leg but decided summer pants can be cropped.

I've read reviews of these pants that complain about just how loose fitting they are, but they're meant to be that way. The pattern cover model has got some definite slouchy pants vibes going on. I love them being so loose and wide.

It was in reading the reviews of the pattern that I saw that more people had made the skirt than the pants and suddenly I knew that's what my green fabric wanted to be, so I dived straight back in.

This fabric is an organic hemp which was on sale as there was a slight line running down the centre. I was sure I'd be using it for the pants so nothing would be cut on the fold and it wouldn't matter.

Of course I changed my mind. The skirt pattern pieces are very wide and only just fit on this fabric which is listed as 143cm wide. I can see the fabric fault line if I look for it, but only just. Thankfully I managed to fit the skirt pattern on the 2.5m that I'd bought - the pattern fabric guide suggests considerably more.

I wasn't sure I'd like the skirt with it's weird, tied-up handkerchief corners, but I LOVE it. It's odd enough to be interesting but really just a comfy, elastic waisted skirt. 

While the pants call for a single piece of wide elastic, the skirt suggests two channels of narrower elastic. That suited me as I'd run out of wide stuff anyway. I quite like the double narrow waistband as it feels softer to wear.

The only change to the pattern that I simply had to make, was to add pockets. I used the pocket pattern piece from the trousers and my own way of sewing them in (done for both pairs of trousers and documented here) so that I can press the side seam allowances open.

The instructions for attaching the ties was confusing, and I think, in error. Both the written instructions and the diagrams showed the tie stitched to the skirt, then folded over its raw edge and stitched again. Yet the direction in which you attached them, up vs down, differed from written instruction to illustration.

I'm not sure which way was correct. I attached them following the illustration, not the wording. That way the lower tie points upwards and the upper tie points downward once fully stitched on. The attachment point of the lower tie is nicely hidden by the folds of the skirt, but it's a bit annoying how visible the upper tie attachment point is.

Maybe, if I'd attached them pointing upwards, then, in tying them downwards they'd create another small pleat and cover themselves? I dunno.

Both versions of V9114 worn here with my Liesl & Co Camp shirt in metallic cotton which has had so much wear over these last two years. When evening wear and pyjamas became the same thing due to a pandemic, this was the perfect shirt to have in my wardrobe!