Monday, May 27, 2013

Sewing Friends: Michelle from Falafel and the Bee

Hi everyone! I am so honored to be here today. My name is Michelle and you can find me over at Falafel and the Bee.
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I have been married to the same man for 17 years and counting and Mama to two lovely and lively girls (ages 13 and 7) who we nicknamed Falafel and the Bee.
Speaking of lively....
Today I am sharing a project that is incredibly fun and whimsical. Firstly, who here remembers MC HAMMER and his fabulous pants?? Years before he became popular, I actually owned a pair of similar pants. I believe they also go by the name "Harem Pants". Let me tell you, they are the epitome of COMFORT.
 
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I came up with a downloadable PDF pattern for a child size 6 (really there is some flexibility as far as fit with this pattern. They are huge.) for you, and I am going to share a tutorial on how to insert the pockets and assemble the pants. Download here.
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Print out, match the letters, tape together, and cut out the pattern. It should look something like this. I usually extend the pattern an extra inch at the top so I have a little bit more to fold over for the waistband.
I used an unbelievably soft dancewear knit/spandex fabric (like buttah I tell you) for this pair{approx. 2 yards. You will have extra to make head scarves and maybe even a small skirt} and some linen for the pockets. You can use any fabric you would like. I have made these in cotton and knit. My daughter likes the knit ones better, but it really is your choice.
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I usually stack the pant pieces on top of each other, right sides out (in pairs), so I can line up the pockets and they all come out even and well-matched. {note: photo is on it's side. this is the outer sides of the pants. The top of the pants is to the right}
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Sew across one side of the pocket {see dotted line in photo}. Do this on all 4 panels, separately.
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Flip it open. Place one panel on top of the other {matching the pockets up} right sides together, in pairs.
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Sew along the perimeter of the pockets. Now sew up the rest of the side of the pants {on either side of pocket}.
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When you open them, it should look like this. Once open, place right sides together. Sew up the short sides. Do not sew curves, yet.
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Now when you open it up to line up the legs, you should have this. Sew along curve of crotch.
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Sew up a casing for the elastic (I double fold), and make sure to leave an opening.
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Put safety pin on end, and thread the elastic through. I usually take an existing pair of her pants to measure how much elastic to use. Sew the hole closed and you are done! Since I made these using knit that won't fray, I didn't finish the cuffs. If you are using cotton, you may want to do this extra step!
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Insert sassy child. Take lots of photos.
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Did I mention she does gymnastics?
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These allow her to move around like she does, freely.
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If you would like to see more photos of these pants in action {and there are more}, hop on by Falafel and the Bee.
Thanks so much for including me amongst such talented ladies, liZ and Elizabeth! We had a blast!

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1 comment :

  1. Thanks a lot for the tutorial. The pocket tutorial will definately come in handy for a summer dress. Looks like your daughter loves her pants.

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