The Pants Trial

Gahhhhhhhhhhhhh! ok, i feel slightly better.

so i need new work pants. i seem to say this every season but for some reason it just keeps on being true. this year, i've stuck to a pretty regular exercise routine and though i haven't lost much weight i have toned up a bit and my pants are just loose enough to be unflattering and annoying. i grabbed my go-to pattern, Simplicity 2700. i made another pair of denim trousers. i took in the thighs significantly and the waist and the hem slightly and they turned out fine. i had one further small alteration to make because i had wrinkles in the front crotch (doesn't that sound delightful) but finally i think i've sliced and diced the pattern to just the right size. BTW, thank goodness i traced the pattern instead of just cutting it. i should really get out the original just to see how different it looks now.

i made the denim pants first because i wanted to go through all of the steps to ensure that i wouldn't screw up my second pair. what i desperately need is some winter-weight black dressy slacks. i'm using some wool/tencel that i got from fabric.com. i'm not sure exactly what it is but it has a twill weave. it's doesn't have stretch but the fabric does have a bit of give. because the wool is slightly scratchy i wanted to line them. even though i've never lined pants before i stared at a store-bought pair and assumed i could figure it out. i've taken the whole week to sew just a few steps at a time in the hopes that i won't get too fatigued and screw things up because i'm too tired. i sewed french seams on the pockets, finished all the seams, and added faux welt pockets to the back. last night i finally stitched on the waistband and facing. if nothing else i will someday show the inside of the pants because i have never made such a lovely and professional looking waistband before. it is a thing of beauty. i tried on the pants at 10:30 last night to marvel at my awesomeness. they look fantastic and fit like a glove.

except that i can't sit down. the outer pants fit perfectly. the lining strains when i crouch and feels like i'm going to rip out the seams. evidently the lining should have more ease? it has absolutely no give. should i have used stretch lining even though the wool/tencel is technically not a stretch blend? i dunno. and i can't see a way to fix it without completely dismantling my perfect waistband and quite possibly the majority of the seams. which i may actually end up doing because dammit the pants are perfect except for the stupid-ass lining.

if you've made it this far i appreciate your commiseration. here's a pretty camping picture to distract you from my pain.