Selfish Sewing Week couldn't have come at a better time. I’ve definitely needed some “me” sewing time recently and this week was just right for that. So when Allie from Indiesew asked if I would like to participate in her Selfish Sewing Week blog tour, I knew I just what pattern I wanted to make.
There are two things that have been on my "selfish sewing list" for quite some time and I've just never gotten around to them - a winter coat and the Hudson Pants. I finally started working on a coat a couple of weeks ago and after multiple muslins and a pattern that didn't seem quite right, I got burnt out. I was trying to force something to work that just wasn't going to happen for me. I was getting frustrated with the fact that my body type didn’t work with certain patterns that I wanted to make. On top of that, I was trying to knit in all my spare time (including lunches at my day job) to produce pre-made items for pop-up shops for the holiday season. For some reason, I bought a huge amount of peppers, thinking that I’d have time to make hot sauce. And I kept telling myself that it all needed to happen right now.
And suddenly, the things that I love - sewing, knitting, cooking - all just felt like work. I wasn't doing them because I wanted to, I was doing it because I felt like I needed to. I felt like I should be making more, doing more, and being better. So after a few days "off" and a couple of West Wing marathons, I set aside my expectations and finally got back on the horse, just in time for Selfish Sewing Week.
I have wanted to make the Hudson Pants for AGES. I have a pair of woven joggers from Anthropologie that I got a couple of years ago and ever since, I've been scheming my own version-I’ve just never dedicated the time to make it happen. Back in July, I found the perfect tencel at Josephine's Drygoods on a fabric shopping trip to Portland and it's just been sitting in my stash, waiting to become a pair of the Hudson's.
As so many others who have made the Hudson Pants have said, these are seriously like pajamas. Which is really the best part about woven pants in general, I guess. I can wear them with heels and feel chic and put together, or throw on some flats for some errands. I love how versatile these are!
I made a few adjustments, some based on the True Bias blog post for woven Hudson’s, and some based on the type of pant I was looking for. I wanted a jogger pant, not a track pant, so I cut out view A and pull them up a bit around my calf for extra volume.
- Just like the Kelli recommends, I opted against the drawstring and lengthened the pockets.
- I didn’t add width in the calf like she does, but I wish I had. Next time, I’ll probably add a half inch to the front and back to make them a little more “joggery”
- I found that sizing up two full sizes everywhere created too much volume and extra fabric at my hips and the center front of the pant. Instead, I cut out the whole pattern at two sizes bigger than my normal size and then graded down to my normal size at the waist - only for the center front and the side seams of the front and back. For the center back seam, I kept it two sizes larger than normal so that I don’t split the seam when I bend over.
- I kept the elastic at my ankle/calf, however I only used a one inch elastic. I cut the casing for the elastic at four inches to adjust for the difference in width, but I’d probably do three and three-fourths of an inch next time, as I ended up trimming some as I finished the seam.
Tencel is absolutely my favorite choice for these pants, as it has a bit more weight than a rayon and seems like it will wear into fall a little easier. However, it can sometimes be difficult to find. I’ve included a list of some of my favorite fabrics that I’ve found for the Hudson Pants - I’ll be ordering some of these to make another pair or two to get me through the season!
Blackbird Fabrics: Tencel Twill and Linen Viscose
Fabric.com: they've got a ton of rayon challis! This one and this one are two great basics for Fall sewing
Etsy: you can always count on Etsy for some unique fabric finds. I think I might give this denim tencel a try.
Atelier Brunette: I don't know enough about cambrics, but I'll probably need to do some research so that I can get the bird fabric and abstract fabric from Atelier Brunette. Major love for these prints.
Don't forget to check out Indiesew and Imagine Gnats for some other amazing Selfish Sewing projects this week! They've been featuring some really inspiring sewing bloggers. I've loved following along and am so honored that I got to be a part of this year's Selfish Sewing Week!
