I have been so afraid of sewing knits – I tried in the past and it did not go well. I finally mustered up the courage to try again with the Luna Tank by Helen’s Closet and it turned out so well! I had some scraps leftover and decided to push my luck by trying underwear.
I had seen the Acacia undies recommended by a few people on Instagram and it’s available for free if you sign up for Megan Neilsen’s newsletter. I figured it would be a low-risk experiment, so I broke out all of my scraps! I ended up using jersey from my tank, knit elastic from my stash, spare thread, and even scraps from tracing paper. This project turned out to be a great way to use up some of my waste 🙂
I originally made these in a size 20, based on my waist measurement. I wore them overnight and realized that they were just slightly too big. The 20 was very comfortable, but I like a snugger fit in my undies to hold up my insulin pump. I retraced the pattern for a size 18 which matched my hip measurement – much better.
I’m still getting used to sewing knits, but I am very happy with the success I had on my sewing machine and on my serger. I didn’t use a knit needle or matching thread (see above for the goal to use up scraps!) and I think it would have gone better if I had made those changes. In the pictures below you can see where my stitching didn’t catch the elastic in the front left leg.
I can’t wait to make more knit clothes – and to get some undies out of their scraps 🙂
I haven’t been feeling a lot of motivation to work on my spinning project, so we’re taking a break to look at the Yanta Overalls by Helen’s Closet.
My friend Kate keeps talking about how much she loves her overalls – so I was inspired to make my own! I spent months looking for the overall pattern. Luckily (or maybe annoyingly), overalls are very on-trend right now so there are so many to choose from! At first, I searched for something resembling the Gap’s overalls. I loved how traditional they are and was planning to make them out of denim. At first, the Jenny by Closet Core Patterns, then the Merchant and Mills Harlene Overalls were at the top of my list. But the more I looked, the more I was drawn to the looser, less traditional Yanta Overalls.
I’m not sure why I love this pattern so much – it might be the roundness at the hip, the curve from the bib to the waist… It feels wearable and funky and just… delightful!
I decided to make a muslin out of an old sheet. (Sidenote: these were some of my favorite sheets when I had a full-size bed. I love giving them new life as wearable muslins – they are also now a Woolfork Dress by Jacqueline Cieslak). I kept putting the muslin on before bed because I just loved it so much! Turns out I needed to make this a wearable garment!
The next weekend, I cut out the rest of the pieces, took the muslin apart, and started construction. It’s a very straightforward pattern with detailed instructions. The sheets were a little difficult to work with, but I made them work.
Alternations:
I graded from a 16 at the waist, to an 18 at the hips, back to 16 for the legs.
The 16 waist was too tight to get over my hips, so I tried letting out the seams, but I didn’t like the looser look. Instead, I decided to add a button to the waist on both sides.
The tushy is still a little tight, so I have three to three things to try next time: 1. change the crotch curve to a size 18; 2. grade to a size 20 in the hips; 3. increase the back rise and/or low seat adjustment.
Adding a waist button to the Yantas
I didn’t take process photos of this, but I wish I had! Oh well. Here’s how I added a button to each side of the waist – in very basic steps.
Add extra interfacing where you will be installing the buttonhole – at the front side waist.
Change the construction order – you’ll be installing the front and back facing before you sew the inseam or sides. Basically, you’ll construct the full front and back pieces before you put the garment together.
Install a small button fly (it’s more of a button tab!) on the back waist – make a small 1.5″ ish square that is interfaced and edgestitched between the back and back facing.
When you sew the side seams, sew as close to the button fly as you can.
As part of the finishing touches, edgestitch the sides to just below where the side seam starts, then sew a bar tack between the edgestitching. This will reinforce the opening.
Sew a buttonhole on the front waist and install a button on the button fly/tab thing.
Notice the edgestitching and bar tack to hold everything in place
I’m not sure if these instructions make any sense or if they will be helpful to anyone else, but this is what I did ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This year, I decided I wanted to learn how to make pants. I started with the Arenite Pants by Sew Liberated – which are great – but I wanted something a little more trouser-like for work. That’s when I found the Chandler Trousers by Untitled Thoughts! They are the perfect combination of structured pleats in the front and elastic in the back. They look professional – but have all the comfort of “secret pajamas.”
Since I wasn’t sure how these pants would fit, I decided to make a muslin. I ended up making THREE. I kept having issues with the back, the crotch was doing weird things, and my booty is too big for how this pattern is drafted. None of these things are problems with the pattern or my body; just ways that my unique measurements differ from universal pattern blocks. This was the first time I did fit adjustments to a pattern (outside of grading between sizes) and let me tell you – there is nothing more empowering than learning about your body and how to make clothes fit!
Back of muslin 1 – still needs a low seat adjustment
Back of muslin 2 – with low seat adjustment
My waist is 39″ and my hips are 46″ so I made the size J1. Here are the adjustments I ended up making:
Flat pubis
Low seat
Add 1″ to the back rise
I made the first pair out of Ruby Star’s Chore Coat in Earth. The chore coat is a little heavy for this pattern, so I ended up using muslin for the pocket linings, front facing, and back facing to cut down on bulk. I love these pants, but the legs are a little baggier than I would like. Eventually, I plan to slim the legs out, but not today 🙂
Side view
Back view
A beautiful crotch seam
I love these pleats
Muslin pocket lining
Front and back facing in muslin
I really wanted a pair of these in a twill suiting for that traditional office look – but I also didn’t want a fabric I had to dry clean. I have a beautiful dark green wool in my fabric stash that I had been planning to use, but I don’t have enough tops to match with it. I’m trying to be more intentional about adding to my wardrobe, so I’m trying to make things I know I will wear regularly. I hunted the internet until I found a linen that had a similar look to suiting and ended up with a Robert Kaufman yarn dyed Essex in black. Because it is white linen woven with black linen, it has a great textured look.
I ended up taking about half an inch from the inseam starting and ending at my knees. Since I have thin thighs, it helped reduce some of the extra room I had in that area. I still see some bagginess in the thighs, so I may take some width away starting below the pockets to the knees in the outer seam, as well.
I love these pants because they are so versatile – I could wear these to the office, to a job interview, or to the beach. They’re also a quick sew – now that I’ve made them so many times, I can crank them out in a day. I think I might make another pair in a white/cream linen… That muslin looks AMAZING. Too bad you can see my undies :/
Hi, my name is Kt and by day I am a librarian based out of Maryland. By night (and weekends), I am a fiber enthusiast who is hungry to learn more.
I’ve been sewing since before I can remember, knitting since the 90s, and spinning since the early 2000s. Since 2017, I’ve challenged myself to wear at least one handmade item of clothing every day and now I’ve had a hand in about 70% of my wardrobe!
I share my day-to-day crafting on Instagram (find me @kzawodny), but am outgrowing the captions. So, here I am, blogging about my projects. Prepare to read too many details about my process and body ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Kt in her dining room, wearing Closet Core Pattern‘s Ginger Jeans and Kalle Shirt.
