Parker Ponte Pants (and Shorts!)

To quote Rodney in Only Fools and Horses - 'hello, can you hear me over those trousers?'

Slipping onto the blog this Sunday with some very LOUD leg wear. 

This post is using some fabric gifted by Minerva (forgive a gal, I've not worked much this year so taking free fabric when it's thrown at me). (Have 10% off on me though with code MSS243EC)

I am an absolute super fan of ponte as it is one of the greatest secret pajama fabrics know to man.

This rather jazzy ponte is called Rainbow Harvest and comes in 4 different colourways. I went for the loudest print in ‘Chilli’. We’re still in summer so I figured a last minute tropical print could be called for.

I did notice that the ‘Grape’ colourway is also gorgeous and could be a really good transitional colour going into autumn/fall.

The ponte is a mix of viscose, polyester and elastane which gives it that structure and stretchiness. This one stretches across the width and down the length giving it a really comfortable fit on garments. I was impressed with the opacity of the fabric as even when stretched tight it doesn’t loose its colour. 

 If we’re going ponte, we’re going Parker Ponte Pant.

My favourite pattern from Style Arc, these are pull on elasticated trousers with a smarter edge to them.

 I've made AT LEAST six pairs of Parker Ponte Pants in the past but for some reason they never make the blog! They are all so different aswell, colours, pocket details, belts.... blogger fail there.

 The pattern has back pockets, however be warned the front slant pockets are ‘faux’ and serve no purpose. That is easily rectified by drafting a quick pocket bag. One the majority of versions I have made of this pattern, 90% have got front pockets. Inseam, or patch pocket style.

For this project I went for patch pocket style as it gives the least bulk. I simply hemmed the raw edge of the pocket slant (for the trousers) and added a little bias band to the pocket slant (for the shorts).

I started by making the trouser version of the Parker Ponte Pants – these are a size 16 (my hips is 47”). Whilst you could argue they are a bit tight, they are very comfortable. If you’re after a more relaxed look trouser just size up.

The original pattern is also full length and can be turned up for a cuff however I cropped these to be ankle grazers. I just felt it suited the season a little better. 

These trousers sew up in a flash, and as I had a little fabric left over, I also used the pattern to make shorts! I popped a contrast waistband on (also in ponte) and used slightly wider elastic than the pattern calls for too. It is just a long strip of fabric for the waistband so you can just decide how you like yours.

 

 

Going one stop further I really used the scraps up to make binding for the Modern Sewing Co Racer Tank! (Now there's a little hidden gem of a pattern)

 

Voila, a mini late summer co-ord set. 

 Thanks for stopping by - feel free to comment and come and say hello on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Bloglovin too xxx

Bags Upon Bags - Part 2 - Hillside Tote

 Bienvenue to Part 2

Another accessory sewing post today so if that's not your 'bag' no offence taken if you scroll on past. But I hope not :)

Pattern

This time I went for another Noodlehead pattern called the Hillside Tote. I liked the simplicity of the design and the size for a cross-body bag. There are 2 outer pockets on this, front and back, and a sectioned inner pocket aswell. There's also an opportunity for a snap fastener or clasp on this one for added jazz.

This one comes in 'regular' and 'mini' so the opposite spectrum of last week's mega bags. 

As previously reviewed, Noodlehead has the best instructions so very easy to follow. There are no pattern pieces to this one either! It's a series of rectangles for which measurements are given in the instruction pack. 

 Fabric

Once again I made multiples of this pattern. The floral version is a waterproof canvas from Custom Fabrics UK.

This bag was borne out of comedy - I had TRIED to make my pal a hat for gardening - well let's just say hat making is not my forte and there is a small teddy bear at her house wearing said hat. (It was teeny!)

In an attempt to redeem myself I made her a bag instead with the leftovers. I just managed this by squeezing the strap into every tiny leftover piece! The lining is leftover tiger satin from Rainbow Fabrics (cheeky tip off - code RUAN25 gets you a discount site wide).

The green version is some canvas originally from Ikea and 'The Deep Stash' from about 15 years ago. 

The cork layer is 'cork canvas' from Dalston Mills. You can't really see in the pics but there's lovely flecks of gold in there. 

Interfacing

The green version was heavy Decovil - MISTAKE. I broke 9 needles trying to stitch through the layers of this near the zip. I managed it in the end but it was way too thick for 4 layers of canvas, 2 thick Decovil pieces, 2 strap holders and zip. 

The pink version is Decovil Light (same as the hat) and worked a charm. 

(10% code for Minerva as previous - MSS243EC )

Hardware

Once again all the metal hardware is from TrimmingShop -the rainbow set is just fantastic! The snap fastener was also installed with my Big Green Machine which makes it an absolute breeze.

On my green version I went for a gold combo. The pocket is actually a gold magnetic snap fastner installed on the interior. This beautiful little gold frog was the perfect match to this monstera leaf design - it's a pin badge from Vinted! I placed it just below the clasp to make it look part of the fastener.

The Rest

I'll spare you any kind of lengthy explanation however over the months I also made the FREE - yes FREE - Closet Core Belt Bag together with some little zip pouches to organize my stuff. These are great as you just chuck it to and from whatever bag you are using without having to repack essentials.

 

I think I'm done with bags for a while now!

 Thanks for stopping by - feel free to comment and come and say hello on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Bloglovin too xxx

Bags upon Bags - Part 1 - Oxbow Tote

 Hello all :)

Not so much of the garment sewing for you this week however over the last few months I have been making loads of different bags! I'm going to split this post into 2 weeks as it got a bit long!

Pattern

It started off with the Noodlehead Oxbow Tote which I spotted on Instagram and just absolutely adored. This comes in 'Overnight Bag' size and 'Regular' size.

Go big or go home, I started off with the Overnight Bag (left). I then decided my sister might also like one so went with the Regular (right) just to see the difference. 

Both are pretty big and you can get so much stuff in there! The side pocket is functional, there are 2 internal pockets and the handles are both 'tote' style and detachable cross-body/shoulder strap so you can mix and match where needed.

The pattern is unbelievable easy to follow. It LOOKS complex but it really isn't when broken down into it's separate parts. The Noodlehead instructions are lengthy, clear and coherent - perfect. 

Fabric

My Mother In Law really loves this Aztec print upholstery fabric. I had previously made her a Closet Core Pouf and had some left so a birthday bag was in order. 

The contrast fabric is some faux leather (vegan leather? PU?) which was in the stash waiting for it's day to come.  

The lining is dead-stock Ted Baker satin from Fabworks - perfect for using up scraps from coat making. Little tip off for you - the Ted Baker stuff is listed as 'special occasion satin' as they can't but the brand name 😉

Hardware

I got my metal supplies from TrimmingShop - they have a fantastic range of all kinds of hardware so it was easy to find everything together. 

Cute metal bee clasps were added for interest (from Etsy years ago which had languished in the stash) but aren't functional, they just look nice. 

Interfacing

I deviated from the instructions here as it says you need 3 types of interfacing/bag foam. For some reason the world seems to have forgotten about Decovil which is my preferred choice of bag-firming substance. You just iron it on/glue it on to the back of fabric and it gives the fabric a thick leathery feel. One and done. 

It comes in 2 different thicknesses. I used the heavy version for these bags although the lighter version would work just as well. 

I have found it available on Minerva here  - ooo by the way, you can get 10% off anything you order on Minerva with my new code MSS243EC (you can use it as many times as you like, I get a few pennies each time you do but nothing I can plan a retirement on!).

Webbing

The cotton canvas webbing is from eBay, however I'm not going to recommend the seller as I was done out of 3m hence why one of the bags has plain black strapping.

When you buy the cotton webbing just make sure it is thick (2-3mm), some of it is that softer apron strap kind, more like twill tape, and definitely not sturdy enough for bag handles.

The Repeats

Not one to miss out I decided I needed a bag for myself. It has been the perfect size for carting about to appointments - book, magazine, documents for waiting rooms, it all fits in. 

Things then became a bit crazy when I made a FOURTH version of this bag as a gift. This fabric is some great waterproof canvas from Custom Fabrics UK (formerly known as Flamingo Fabrics) in William Morris Strawberry Thief print. 

Slightly more sophisticated than the last ones and it went down a treat!

 Congratulations if you made it down here to the deep depths of this post - just us and the sea creatures at this point. 

Thanks for joining me again it is appreciated. Hopefully you'll stay tuned for Part 2 - it involves a frog (unsurprisingly!)

 Thanks for stopping by - feel free to comment and come and say hello on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Bloglovin too xxx