SUN SERAPE

Featured: Best Behavior

Stay “kewl” this summer with this gossamer sun serape. It is a cinch to whip up in an afternoon. Take your styling cues from Danish design house, Best Behavior and layer it over your tiny tees and baggy pants.

You will need:

• approx. 2 yds. [1.8m] of transparent fashion fabric, 45” [114 cm] wide such as chiffon
• 1 pkg. of bias binding, 1” [25 mm] wide (matching colour)
• coordinating thread

DIMENSIONS: approximately 34” X 44”  [86 cm X 112 cm]

PATTERN

This is a patternless design (a simple block draft). You can plot it directly onto your fabric but you will need to straighten the cut ends of your fabric before you are going to cut. The corners should be 90°.  Once that is done, trim away the selvedges.

CUTTING

Cut a rectangle 72” X 45” [183 cm X 114 cm].

ASSEMBLY

1. Find the center of the cloth by folding it in half, both lengthwise and widthwise. Mark the location with a pin. Radiating from the center, lightly chalk an arc 5″ [12.5 cm] away from one fold to the other. Carefully cut on chalked line through all layers to create the neck opening.  Reserve cut away portion.
2. Fold the width of the bias tape in half and align the raw edges of the tape along the FACE side of the neck opening. Stitch around the neck opening using a ¼” [6mm] seam allowance. Grade the seam allowance. Turn bias binding to inside of opening and press seam flat. Topstitch around neck opening.
3. Open the fabric flat, FACE side down and machine a narrow double rolled hem along all sides.
4. To make the pocket, re-fold the cut away portion from the neck into quarters, with right sides together. Reduce the radius of the arc by 1″ [25mm].
5. Open the fabric flat and fold in half , with RST. Stitch around the curved edge, using a ½” [12mm] seam allowance, leaving a small opening to turn-out. Trim the seam allowance close to the stitching. Turn pocket right side out and slipstitch opening closed. Press pocket flat.
6. Align pocket to left side of centerfront and edge-stitch pocket to front of garment.
7. Fold garment in half and align corners. Measure up from matching corners on each side approximately 14”[35.5cm] . Tack front and back together at this point (●).

 

EASY FIT YOGA PANTS

No pattern is required for this easy fit yoga pant as there is no waste. Chalk out cutting lines directly onto the fabric. Working off of a rectangle, I cut a triangular gusset and inverted it, re-attaching to the leg. How wide the leg fabric is depends on how full you want the final pants to be (narrower for a tapered style, wider for a relax fit). Be careful not to cut the rise too large as it will stretch and droop some resulting in a larger drop than you might think.

Use full width of 45″ fabric and select a fabric that can be cut in either direction. (eg. up or down its length). I prefer a lightweight fabric as it gathers easily with an elastic waist.

Straighten cut ends to a right angle [90 degree].

Fold the fabric, with right sides together (RST), in half lengthwise so that selvedges align. Chalk out 2 lengths for each pant leg.

The minimum outseam length is the measurement from your waistline, over the buttock and down the leg to your heel. Take this measurement while touching your toes. Add 2″ for a waist casing, 1″ for hem allowance and 1″ for seam allowance [total = 4″]. Square across fabric width. (see cutting diagram)

At bottom of rectangle, measure half the distance from foldline to selvedge to create the leg cuff . This measurement may be tapered if you desire a smaller opening at the ankle.

For the rise, measure down 13″ from the waist along the selvedge edge. Join this point with the leg cuff point with a straight line.

The remaining piece of fabric from the leg cut with be inverted and become the leg gusset. [2 pieces for each leg].

Open each leg and sew a gusset piece to each inseam RST using a ½” seam allowance. Press seam open.

Fold each leg portion RST and align gusset seams. Sew using ½” seam allowance. Press seam open.

Turn one leg inside out. Insert right-side-out leg into inside-out leg with RST. Sew up crotch seam using ½” seam allowance. Turn legs right side out.

Turn under ½ ” seam allowance along waist edge. Press. Turn under 1-1/2″ once more to create casing. Sew along fold edges. Casing may be for elastic or a drawcord. Leave an opening to insert drawcord or elastic.

Turn up hem allowance ½” and press. Turn ½” again and sew double-turned hem.

Front and back of pants are the same, so if I use an elastic waist I sew a small button to inside CF. This “belly button” indicates the front of my pants.