One of the satisfying things about sewing is being able to fill holes in your wardrobe. I’ve had this RTW top for ages without wearing it much because I didn’t have anything in my closet which really paired nicely. After searching in vain for some brown leggings or fitted pants I finally gave up and decided to make my own. I swatched this chocolate cotton double knit from Mood fabrics and loved the ridges and texture.
I used Vogue 8859, a Marci Tilton design. This was the first time I’ve used one of her patterns; most of them aren’t really my style. What I liked about this design was the pleated knee treatment and back yoke.
I was pleasantly surprised by the fit of these pants. The crotch is drafted much more toward the front, which I think helps alleviate those pesky whiskers on the backs of the legs. I cut a straight size 12, my typical Vogue size, but had to cut the waist height down by an inch. These pants are drafted to be VERY high waisted. I have a long torso, so I shudder to think what they would be like on a shorter waisted person. When I make these again I will shorted them below the back yoke before cutting out. For these I had to cut off a good portion of the yoke to not feel like Steve Urkel.
I picked this pattern so that I could play with the ridges in the fabric. From the back of the knee down I turned the ridges horizontal. I topstitched every seam and then graded the fabric to keep the seams from being too lumpy. The hems and waistband I stitched with a wide twin needle.
The waistband is elastic, which is perfectly fine for being worn under a tunic.
This was a simple and quick project, and now I can get some wear out of my top. I am definitely making this pattern up again. With a few tweaks it will become my fitted pants TNT (tried and true).