I made these zip detail black pants recently, and if you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that I’ve often said that I rarely, if ever, wear black. So what do I decide to make? Yup, something black 🙂 . My pants were made using the Style Arc Sage Pant pattern. I’ve actually sewn them twice before (see here and here), and I find it works really well for me.
So why black and why now? Well, I have one or two fabrics to sew up and a couple of fabric purchases planned where a bit of black features in the print, and, well, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s a useful neutral. I most likely wouldn’t wear solid black near my face because it doesn’t really suit my skin tone, but on my lower half, it’s fine.
The fabric, wow… is the most amazing, sturdy ponte knit that I bought from Croftmill. It’s quite heavy, and the stretch and recovery are fabulous. Sadly, it’s no longer available, so I’m guessing it was perhaps deadstock.
Having made this pattern before, it made for a nice, straightforward sewing project. But my goodness, I’d forgotten how hard it is to see to sew black. I needed so much extra light! I didn’t bother doing a seam finish on any of the seams because this fabric didn’t fray one bit. I used a size 80 ball-point needle and a regular machine foot with a fairly short stitch length. This was enough to give my seams the ability to stretch as needed.
The first time I sewed up this pattern, I added decorative zips down the angled seams on the hips. I know some people like to make functional pockets in those seams, but to be honest, I don’t always feel the need for pockets in trousers because I don’t use them. Pockets in coats? Heck yes. But I’m not fussed if they aren’t in trousers or skirts.
Anyway, back to those zips…They are purely decorative, and this time around, I feel like I did a better job of inserting them. For my other version, I just used a bigger seam allowance and sewed the zips in the seams, but then I had to put a bit of fabric across the ends of the zips to finish them off. This time around, I sewed a proper exposed zip insertion following this tutorial by The Assembly Line, and I love the result.
I should mention that ever since I made my Hudson joggers with seams down the back legs, it’s something that I love to do on a close-fitted style trouser, so I made these in the same design, and I love the improved fit that I get as a result. The back seams on these are pressed to one side and topstitched with one row of stitching.
To finish off this make, I used a nice firm, 2″ wide elastic sourced from eBay in my waistband, and I made a simple hem by just turning up once and stitching with one row.
I’m very happy with this project and with the fabric being so stretchy in all directions, they’re very comfy too. I’m looking forward to sewing up the prints for the tops I have planned and styling some more outfits.
Thanks for reading. See you soon!
