{"id":626,"date":"2016-07-07T18:02:50","date_gmt":"2016-07-07T18:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/?p=626"},"modified":"2016-07-07T20:18:26","modified_gmt":"2016-07-07T20:18:26","slug":"the-pattern-probe-1-simplicity-2061-tapered-sweatpants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/2016\/07\/07\/the-pattern-probe-1-simplicity-2061-tapered-sweatpants\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pattern Probe #1 &#8211; Simplicity 2061 Tapered Sweatpants"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061Pack.png\" rel=\"lightbox-0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-635\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061Pack.png\" alt=\"pbSimplicity_activewearS2061Pack\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061Pack.png 650w, http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061Pack-300x138.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/a><strong><a href=\"\/blog\/simplicity-2061-pack-front\/\">Close-up of Pack Front<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong> |\u00a0 <strong><a href=\"\/blog\/simplicity-2061-pack-back\/\">Close-up of Pack Back<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Okay so here is the first post for The Pattern Probe series. This was a project of necessity; my favorite pair of comfy yoga pants that I&#8217;ve had since college have finally fallen apart and I needed a new pair of pants to lounge around the house. I discovered this &#8220;Learn to Sew&#8221; pack with 2 types of lounge pants in the Simplicity section and picked it up. Let&#8217;s see if the pattern and instructions live up to the Simplicity &#8220;Learn to Sew&#8221; label&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><!--more--><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">To sum it up, the pattern and its instructions were very simple to understand and I had a breezy time sewing the sweatpants together.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">For materials, I chose an interlock double knit fabric in a light gray for the pants and picked the drawstring pant design in the packet&#8217;s top left for the final product.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Overall, the project took me a few days to cut and sew, since I had a short time block in my day to work on these pants. As for measurements, I mixed the sizes from an 18 at the waist and a 16 at the hips. When you start to sew, you&#8217;ll find that one size number may not accommodate both your bust, waist, and hip measurements. For me that was the case and I had to increase\/decrease the pattern pieces according to my own measurements for a good fit (which is the whole point of sewing your own stuff in the first place \ud83d\ude42 ).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Here are 2 videos I found on You Tube that helped me to adjust the pattern measurements effectively:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gJCnvifLSjQ&amp;app=desktop\" target=\"_blank\">How To Increase The Waist In A Commercial Pattern<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-z62cxguUOw\" target=\"_blank\">How To Increase The Hip In A Commercial Pattern<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Anyway, here are a few photos showing the results of my project:<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-626 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-front.jpg' rel=\"lightbox[gallery-0]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-front-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-638\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-638'>\n\t\t\t\tFinal Product\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-frontWaist.jpg' rel=\"lightbox[gallery-0]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-frontWaist-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-639\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-639'>\n\t\t\t\tFront\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-side.jpg' rel=\"lightbox[gallery-0]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-side-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-640\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-640'>\n\t\t\t\tSide\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-back.jpg' rel=\"lightbox[gallery-0]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-back-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-637\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-637'>\n\t\t\t\tBack\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-waistband.jpg' rel=\"lightbox[gallery-0]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-waistband-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-641\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-641'>\n\t\t\t\tWaistband\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Like I said, the construction was pretty breezy. The instructions were simple to understand and I was able to make some sweatpants that I could lounge around the house with pride. The fit is good around my waist, but from the hip down it&#8217;s fairly big, which isn&#8217;t a big deal for sweatpants because they&#8217;re supposed to be comfortable. However, if I would like a closer fit, I might have to decrease the pattern measurements from the hip down.<\/p>\n<p>When it came to creating the holes in the waist to insert the drawstring, the instructions say to baste a 1&#8243; square of interfacing\/scrap fabric to the spot where the buttonholes would be sewn in. I used some of my leftover knit fabric to do this, but my waistband kept sinking into the machine and not make the buttonhole. To solve this, I pinned a large piece of scrap knit fabric over both spots, made the respective buttonholes, and cut out the 1&#8243; squares from the scrap fabric without a problem. With knits, you need major support to handle small close stitching like a buttonhole to prevent the machine from crashing.<\/p>\n<p>My only issue with this pattern project was the twill tape. I <strong>HATE<\/strong> this twill tape:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_639\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-639\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-frontWaist.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-639\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-frontWaist.jpg\" alt=\"Front\" width=\"600\" height=\"873\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-frontWaist.jpg 600w, http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-frontWaist-206x300.jpg 206w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-639\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Front<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_641\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-641\" style=\"width: 873px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-waistband.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-641\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-waistband.jpg\" alt=\"Waistband\" width=\"873\" height=\"736\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-waistband.jpg 873w, http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/pbSimplicity_activewearS2061-waistband-300x253.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 873px) 100vw, 873px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-641\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Waistband<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It feels flimsy to the touch, frays at the cut ends, looks cheap and the measurements for the drawstring end up being very unnecessarily long. I guess the pattern is for beginners and that is why twill tape was chosen, but I would have tried a cord instead just so that it would look like sweatpants from the store and not <strong>TOO<\/strong> homemade.<\/p>\n<p>So in the end, I really like this pattern&#8217;s design and instructions. I would definitely recommend it to a novice who wants to start sewing and needs to learn pant construction ( not the easiest thing to make in general). Everyone needs comfy pants, so this will be a staple for the sewing room and the closet.<\/p>\n<p>In the future I will revisit this pattern pack to make the jogger pant design on the pack&#8217;s top right. This is where I will experiment with slimming the hip and leg widths and forgo a drawstring to see if that ends up looking good too. Also, I may try to add side pockets to the design since this sweatpants pattern design doesn&#8217;t include pockets unlike the cargo pant pattern design.<\/p>\n<p><strong>STAY TUNED. <\/strong>\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Close-up of Pack Front\u00a0 |\u00a0 Close-up of Pack Back Okay so here is the first post for The Pattern Probe series. This was a project of necessity; my favorite pair of comfy yoga pants that I&#8217;ve had since college have finally fallen apart and I needed a new pair of pants to lounge around the &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/2016\/07\/07\/the-pattern-probe-1-simplicity-2061-tapered-sweatpants\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The Pattern Probe #1 &#8211; Simplicity 2061 Tapered Sweatpants<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-patternprobe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=626"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":654,"href":"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626\/revisions\/654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ashleyparkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}