Update – our videos are uploaded, and you can watch them here:
Last month we led you through a button-up shirt – this month, we’re picking up the slack! Specifically, Sew House Seven’s Free Range Slacks, recently upgraded for a more inclusive size range!
This is a very exciting project – hosted by myself with a little help from Traci of Pryde Hantverk (@prydehantverk), a friend of mine I’ve known for over 25 years! I will also run an IG Live with Peggy Mead, the owner and operator of Sew House Seven (@sewhouse7)! As for the sewing sessions, these will be broadcasting on Facebook and Twitch, with a couple IG Live session recaps thrown in!
If you join us – make sure to tag your project with #gimmiesomeslack!
And we will walk you – step by step – in making these fabulous pants!
The Free Range Slacks feature a comfortable high waist with wide elastic, large pockets, either a wide or tapered leg, and the kind of exacting details I’ve come to adore from this pattern company. Sew House Seven’s patterns are like a mini-tailoring tutorial in and of themselves and they are a pattern line I recommend to committed beginners who want to learn some lovely seam finishes.
Size range as follows:
Regular Fit
Waist: 23 1/2″ – 39 1/2″
Hip: 34″ – 50″
Curvy Fit
Waist: 39 1/4″ – 57 1/4″
Hip: 49″ – 65″
For this sew-along you will need:
1. A tuned up machine that can sew a balanced zig zag, and your machine manual
2. Your pattern, notions, and materials (see below)
3. All thread, cutting and marking implements, et cetera
We start the project the 11th of August, but on the 1st I’ll host an IG Live to answer any questions (and you can post them here, too). All my livestreams are at 5 PM Pacific; all my sewing sessions will be broadcast on my Facebook page and my twitch (subscribe!).
Here is our schedule:
SAT 1: IG LIVE project introduction
MON 3: IG LIVE with Peggy of Sew House 7
TUE 11: cutting & marking
WED 12: front & back pockets
THU 13: side seams & inseam
FRI 14: rise, waistband, & hem
SUN 16: IG LIVE recap!
That’s a lot to remember; so please subscribe to my live calendar link if you want to get hooked in!
See you for #gimmiesomeslack!
curvy fit, tapered leg
straight fit, wide leg
Materials Needed:
Pattern (I print mine at pdfplotting.com)
Bottomweight fabric as per pattern recommendations *
1 1/2″ elastic (your waist measurement + 1/2″) *
Thread: construction/all-purpose, and topstitching (optional)
Remember – your sewing machine needs its manual, you need to be able to sew a balanced zig zag, and you will need cutting and marking tools! In addition, you may find the following helpful:
Wax paper and wheel/tools for tracing and marking
A clapper (for flattening seams)
Bone folder (a vegan version, of course!)
Your super cool label – and yes, homemade is awesome!
Print, tape, and cut out your paper pattern. Pretreat your fabrics. Thread your machine.
And then we’ll see you on IG Live on the 1st – and on Bespoke Hogaboom (Facebook/Twitch) on the 11th!
We’re looking forward to #gimmiesomeslack!
Finally, if you are serious about sewing – and you like my instruction – you might consider joining my lovely Discord community, and inclusive and body liberationist sewing group! (Incidentally, this is the best place to get FREE GRATIS sewing business advice, if that’s something you’re interested… or you think you might be).
* here is a great list of shops owned and operated by BIPOC and Allies!, as created by Jacinta Green of @blkmakersmatter!
OK! See on on the 1st!
Hi, Kelly – thank you so much for the sew-along. I’m just getting back to sewing after many years away. I’m finishing the Free Range Pants today, but ran into a big issue with the waistband – way to small for the pants! And I confirmed that I cut the right size…I took the waistband seam allowances down to 3/8″ and eased it in, but it is not ideal (and, now I remember that “easing” is something I avoided when I used to sew, because it makes me crazy!). I’m thinking the puckers that remain won’t be too noticeable because of the elastic waist. Anyway, my thoughts are that I was scant on my pants seam allowances and, perhaps, the top of the pants stretched – kind of a loose-ish weave linen. Maybe should have stay-stitched? If you have any ideas about how I messed it up, I’d love to know – I like the pattern a lot and would love to make it again. Thanks again, and I’m really looking forward to t-shirts in September!
I finished my pants last night (wee hours of this morning) up to the point of the elastic. I made a straight size 6 without any changes because I wanted to see how they fit. I’m 5’1″ and it’s very obvious that I will need to adjust the rise with my next pair. With my muslin, if I roll down the elastic one turn when wearing them, the pants look like they fit me perfectly. So…..does that mean that I could just do an adjustment of the ENTIRE rise of about 1.5″? Or is it more complicated than that? Thank you!
Paula – good job! As for the discrepancy between pant and facing, I might have cut a new set of facing pieces (carefully measuring) since it’s so hard to pick out all those flat-felled seams! Either that OR, take out the ease at the center front and center back.
Starch is your friend, and also – don’t handle the pieces too much. I used a loose-weave linen and didn’t have any issues. It might just be experience/dexterity. In either case you can always DM or email me pics if you need help! Good job coming up with a solution – and thank you for joining!
Lisa – Great job! And yes – you can just remove 1 1/2″ of the rise, on the parallel lines the pattern indicates. For more fitted/complex pants you might need to adjust differently, but your solution will work perfectly for the Free Range Slacks!
Thank you for joining us!