Pattern Review - Hotpatterns Marrakesh Pants

Pattern Description: From Hotpatterns' Website - "Fabulously relaxed glamour in these stunning pants, designed for a drapey pants-weight fabric...try a fluid washed linen, heavy rayon blends, single or double knits or heavy crepe. Relaxed-fit straight leg pants sit around 1” below the natural waist and feature a drawstring waist with fly front zipper. Side seam pockets are topstitched down. Pants finish with a deep hem; optional buttoned tab allows the pants to also be worn rolled up. These are the perfect relaxed Pants and an essential addition to your HotPatterns wardrobe... relaxed at the waist but sleek over the tummy, hips and derriere. Make them in crepe and wear with a sequined tank for a modern night-time look; try them in a slouchy, fluid linen with a drapey knit top and soft jacket for everyday chic, or wear them in a stable cashmere knit with a matching Tshirt for superior lounging gear."

Sizing: 6-24. I made a 10

Fabric Used: Italian Stretch Linen in a deep olivey green, from Gorgeous Fabrics, natch.

For the waistband and pocket linings I used a cotton batik from Androsia in the Bahamas that I found hiding in my stash. It's at least 6 years old, probably 7 or 8. It has a lovely conch shell motif on it.

Needle/Notions Used: Stretch 11/75 needle, a couple of scraps of woven fusible interfacing, 5/8" elastic, one snap, a 7 inch zipper, Gutterman thread.

Did it look like the photo or drawing when you got through? Yes

How were the instructions? Meh. They aren't terrible, but I wasn't really thrilled with them. There are mistakes that should be fixed. Things like telling you to cut strips of interfacing for the fronts where the zipper will be placed. The instructions tell you to cut them 9 inches by 1 inch. In fact, the zipper closure for size 10 is 6 1/2 inches. So if you follow the instructions, you'll have interfacing extending into the body of the garment.

Also, the instructions tell you to cut a piece of elastic 1/3 the measurement of your waist. In my case, that was too long. I took 5 inches off the elastic. That worked much better.

Construction Notes: First, if you are taller than 5'6", you will want to add length to the legs. I'm 5'6" and to get the length I want for these pants, I used a 1 inch hem. If you're tall, be prepared to add on to the legs.

I cheated on the waistband. I'll admit it. I copied a pair of Loft pants that I have and just sewed both raw edges of the waistband to the raw edge of the pants. Then I finished the edges with a three-thread overlock. I tacked down the SA's at the side and back seams, and at the front. Hey, it works!

I also decided to have a little fun with the seam finishes, and I used bright red thread in my overlocker.

 Nail polish color: Fiercely Fiona by OPI

Likes/Dislikes: I like the style of these pants. I like the fact that they go together easily. I like the way they look on me.

Now for the dislikes. Okay, first let me say that these pants turned out really well. So, none of the issues I'm about to discuss are dealbreakers. All of the following are what I call "broken shoelaces" - little things that are minor irritants.

First, I'm not satisfied with the placement of the buttonholes for the drawstrings. They are (IMO) too close to the center front. Do yourself a favor and do a quick mockup of the waistline and determine where you want the openings. I think you will want to move them.

Second, the pockets are one size fits all. That's fine for sizes above 10. But if you are making a 10, 8 or 6, the topstitching for the pockets and the topstitching for the fly front will intersect and/or conflict with each other. I ended up topstitching a second time over the fly, ending at the curve of the fly-front. Then I turned the garment over and, working from the back side, I stitched the rest of the way around the pocket. You can see a picture here:

If you look about halfway down the pocket, you'll see where I stopped the stitching on the front and picked it up again from the back. This works because I was using matching thread. If you want to use contrast thread, you will need to work out your construction steps differently.

There were also a few other really minor things that I wish were different. For instance, there are next to no notches on this pattern. There are notches at the bottom of the pant legs, and there is a double notch at the back seam. That works fine for me. But I could see the usefulness of having notches or markings at the bottom of the pockets. Also, there is no marking, at least on the pattern that I have, for the button/buttonhole placement at the top of the zipper. Deal breaker? No. But the pattern is listed as being appropriate for advanced beginners, so I think it would be nice to have these things laid out explicitly.

Would you do it again? Would you recommend it? I may do it again. I would recommend it for confident sewers. It's not difficult, and it does produce a great result.

Conclusion: Here's a picture on Shelley