Sailor Pants

     Well, this has been a long time coming. I mentioned in this post last semester that I had found some US Navy pants at the thrift store. They had to be altered, since they were made for a man to wear. My first attempt was to sew a dart in the back, over the lacing. This made the waist the proper size, but the dart had to extend too far and changed the sizing through the hips. It also was far too bulky from all the layers of fabric. I wore them a few times, and discovered they were also too short. Well, these are depressing changes when you have to handsew. I took out the hem, and they sat in my mending pile for ages. During Christmas break I finally finished hemming them. I wore them to travel back to school, and not since because of the issue with the dart. Finally, the week before school ended I decided to get to work fixing the waist.

     The first thing I did was tear out the dart. Next I measured them, once fully laced, and once fully extended. I decided to take off four inches, and let the lacing do the rest of the work. Then I ran into an issue. My original plan was to make two smaller darts, one on each side of the lacing; but I forgot that there was a pocket. After considering my options, I decided to make a box pleat of sorts on each side. I made them two inches each. I sewed them across the very tops, and down each side.

     I am very pleased with the results! I have worn them several times now, and the comfort level has gone way up. They are long enough, and they don't bunch or pull anywhere. I highly recommend this method of bringing in a waist. There is a slight pucker, but it doesn't look like an accident. I am very happy to have these done and wearable now.

Lots of love!