Well hiya everyone.

I’m baaaaack…squeaking in a post at the ninth hour. Again. I remember doing this when I was in grade school…leaving assignments ’til the last minute. Back then I spent days, if not weeks, worrying about the impending deadline. Now I embrace, or at least accept, these last minute challenges as creative pushes.

So, what up? Well, the Sewcialists have returned and the first theme out of the gate is…..August Tribute Month…YAAAAASH. I get another chance to spread the love for a sewing blogger that inspires me greatly. Not gonna lie….I’m on repeat from three years ago when I paid tribute to Nicole of Nicole at Home. That post mistakenly didn’t get picked up by The Sewcialists….hey, things happen…and honestly, I’m just happy for a replay.  My original tribute post, here, had me waxing poetic over Nicole’s Welt Pocket Tutorial. I’m still madly in love with her technique and I follow her tutorial every time I do a welt pocket.

Welt pockets aren’t the only reason I’m inspired by Nicole. I’m pretty sure she sews every kind of garment, including my current favourite….pants.  And speaking of, today I’m wearing the Nagoya Pants by Papercut Patterns. I’m so in love with these pants! I’ve sewn this pattern three times and I want more. These are the second iteration…the welt pockets, my own addition. I find the instructions easy to follow, right from the Angled front pockets to the Zipper installation {A – Z see what I did there bwwahahahaha}…but seriously, this pattern is good.

Close up of back welt pockets. Note that I placed the belt loops differently than the pattern instructions. You see…instead of placing my back waistband pattern piece on the fold, I seam it. This way I can sew the centre back seam line of the pants when construction is nearly completed. Gives me some wiggle room for fitting. I opted for two buttons instead of the suggested snaps. I added snaps to my first pair {not shown} and although they’re cute, they’re poor quality and come undone. All. The. Time. The fabric is from my stash…it’s a thrifted piece and I don’t know the content….but….hello polka dots. And not just regular dots, these are classy dots…woven into the fabric, not printed on.

The one cautionary note I have for you, is to be….oh, what’s the word I seek?…Mindful? Wary? Just be aware when it comes to the sizing. I’m always nervous about stating a pattern doesn’t fit according to the sizing chart. Did I measure wrong? Did I measure eleventy times wrong? Is my body type different from the fit model? I think with pants, there can be so many factors in play when it comes to fit. One gal might have the booty and one might have the pouchie. Short waisted, long waisted…these are all things to be considered when fitting pants. Anyways, my first pair {not shown} were flat out too big. Fortunately I was able to take in the back seam enough for them to be wearable, but the fit around the torso is on the baggy side. This pair….getting better….but still just a leeetle bit big on me.  They don’t lie quite as flat across my tummy as I would like them to. The belt isn’t actually necessary, but it is giving me some added comfort. For my third pair {not shown} I sized down even more and achieved a pretty near perfect fit. For reference, the pattern measurements put me in S/M at the waist and the XS fit me.

Now….keeping it real here. I brought two pairs of shoes for photographs. We chatted about cropped pants in my Alyse Wide Leg Pant post a few weeks ago. I’m in total agreement that cropped wide leg pants aren’t the easiest silhouette to pull off. Heels help. That being said, I’m totally okay with wearing them with flat shoes. And. These. They be my blue suede shoes…that’s gotta give me some style points, yes?

Okay, one more thing, then I’ll wrap it up…

Recently Nicole attended a Couture Techniques Workshop in Paris….yes. WOW. Really. You can see her posts retelling her experience here and here.  Couture shows, hat making, Paris….‘What better time to debut my new beret,’ thought me. As it turns out….maybe not the best time…it’s in the mid to high twenties celsius here, still summer in other words. On the positive side….looky me…getting a head start on my fall wardrobe. More to come….

Wearing:

Nagoya Pants : : Papercut Patterns

Plantain T-Shirt : : Deer and Doe