Guest Post: Smooth Sailing Trousers Review

Finally, a finished project to break the monotony of all the Me-Made-May photos! Today's post is a guest post at Sew Sweetness as part of her Dress Up Party. I reviewed a pattern I made a while back but never blogged about, the Wearing History Smooth Sailing Trousers. The full review is a little long, but I'll share a shortened version with photos and construction notes here.

Can I just take a moment to comment on how difficult it is to get good photos of black clothing? I wish you could see the front pleats in these photos, because they're nice details. There are also darts at the back, a side zipper, and optional cuffs, belt loop and belt. I made the version without cuffs, but with the belt loops. I skipped the belt, though, because I have a couple black belts already!

Photo source

I made a muslin and cut a size 12 at the waist, grading out to a 14 at the hips. Now, when the instructions say that the pants have very little ease at the waist, they mean it! My muslin fit, but I like a little more ease for moving, sitting, and, of course, eating. The crotch was also a little too low, so for the real pants, I cut a 14 at the waist, but kept the darts and tucks from the size 12, and cut out the crotch curve from the size 12. I cut out the version without the cuffs, and I also shortened the pattern pieces by 2".

The fabric I used for these has an interesting story behind it - I bought it (for $3/metre!) from a fashion designer who was clearing out her stock that she used for making samples, same as the fabric for this dress. I'm not exactly what to call it - it's bamboo rayon with nice drape, but it's also quite thick. Before washing, it was very crisp and linen-like, but after washing and drying, the texture changed completely! It got much softer, but also much shiftier and lost its crispness. It also shrunk like crazy - I had about 6 metres and cut a 2 metre piece for the pants, and it shrunk over half a metre. In the end, this fabric really wasn't a good choice for these pants.

These pants came together pretty quickly and easily. The hardest part was working with the fabric, which was shifty and really stretchy on the bias.

For the zipper, I would have done a lapped one, but the seam allowances are only 1/2" and I forgot to add extra, so instead I just did a centred zipper, and hand-picked it. The interfacing that I used to stabilize it was probably too heavy, since the fabric was bulky already, and the extra bulk made it ripply. Once they're on, though, it's not that noticeable.

Rather than using the turned belt loop pieces included, I took the belt loop piece from the Sewaholic Hollyburn Skirt. I find this method (folding in the edges of one long piece then cutting it) faster and easier, though it does make wider loops.

Because you sew the loops onto the waistband before attaching it, I couldn't quite get my belt loops to line up properly with my pleats (I think because the fabric stretched, and I had to take in the side seams before attaching the waistband).

I added a beautiful vintage button from my grandma's stash, above the zipper. (The waistband does actually line up in real life, I promise.)

I originally hemmed these to wear with heels, since I think that looks nicer, but I've since ripped out the hem and will re-hem them to wear with flats - I just don't wear heels enough!

The final verdict? I kind of have a love-hate relationship with these pants. I LOVE the style and the pattern, but as I mentioned earlier, this fabric really wasn't right, and they've stretched out quite a bit, which really bothers me. I took these photos when I was home for Christmas (hence the wool socks worn in my heels - I was cold!), and they've stretched out even more since. I'm in the process of re-hemming them, and might also take in the side seams and move the button, but I just really dislike alterations so I haven't made much progress.

I just finished another pair (yesterday!) with a couple alterations and better fabric. I just need to find someone to take some photos for me, then I'll have that pair up on the blog!

II would definitely recommend this pattern if you're looking for vintage-style wide-leg trousers, or if you're just looking to dip your toes into making pants, but find more fitted styles a little daunting, like I did before making these. Next on my to-sew list are the Ginger jeans!

Thanks for reading! And be sure to head on over to Sew Sweetness for my full review!

Pants: Me-made (Wearing History Smooth Sailing Trousers)
Blouse: Me-made (Sewaholic Pendrell)
Belt: bought from a craft market
Shoes: Thrifted (Arnold Churgin)

Me-Made-May 2015: Days 16-22

This was quite the week! I am officially employed and living on my own in Canmore. Woohoo! I'm really looking forward to my summer here. Here's the week's outfits:

Saturday, May 16

Top: Me-made, pre-blog (self-drafted)
Jeans: RTW (Guess)
Shoes: Second-hand (Sperry)
Bag: Craft market

Second day on the road! Since my road test was Friday morning, we didn't leave until after lunch, so we took two days to get to Canmore. We arrived this day, unpacked a little, went for dinner, and scouted some 'help wanted' signs. It was chilly and rainy when we arrived, so I was actually pretty cold in this, even with a sweater and my summer jacket! It was quite the change from where we stayed the night before. This photo was taken around 9 in the morning, and I had already taken off my sweater.

Sunday, May 17

Blouse: Me-made (Sewaholic Pendrell)
Cardigan: Thrifted (Nicole Bridger)
Jeans: RTW (Guess)
Belt: Thrifted
Shoes: Second-hand (Sperry)

Nothing much to say about this outfit - it's pretty much one of my go-to outfits! I spent the day exploring Canmore a bit and handing in my resume at a few places, as well as stocking up on food. It warmed up a little, although it was still a chilly when the wind came up!

Monday, May 18

Top: Me-made (Jennifer Lauren Bronte Top)
Cardigan: Me-made (Muse Jenna Cardi)
Jeans: RTW (Guess)
Belt: Thrifted
Shoes: Second-hand (Sperry)

Oops, an outfit with two unblogged me-mades (and oops again, I forgot to put on shoes for this photo)! I'm not so sure I'll even blog about the top, since it's just a simple shirt from leftover fabric, but the cardigan definitely deserves a post!

In the afternoon, I changed into hiking gear and went for a hike with my mom. It was perfect weather for it - warm enough to not need a sweater once you were moving, but with a nice breeze.

Tuesday, May 19

Dress: Me-made (Colette Moneta)
Half-slip (not shown): Me-made (self-drafted)
Cardigan: Thrifted (Nicole Bridger)
Shoes: Second-hand (Sperry)

Today was such a beautiful day - it warmed up enough to take off my sweater and my tights later. I had a couple interviews for jobs, which both went very well! I needed to look put-together but still casual (and comfortable!), since Canmore in general is very casual - a lot of people just wear athletic gear all the time since everyone is so sporty. I wore black heels for the interviews, and took off my sweater, but then switched to Sperries for walking around town. I was offered a job at both places, and accepted the first offer. It's at a place that's a combination of a cafe and a specialty food store - it looks like it will be a great place to work for the summer!

The half-slip that I wore has been really useful! It's perfect for wearing unlined dresses with tights because it stops them from sticking. I made it with 4" of ease, which is more than both tutorials I found (including Gertie's and Christine Haynes') suggested, and I still find that it doesn't quite have enough. I guess I take really big steps, because I can't quite walk normally when I'm wearing it! I suppose the tutorials are good for slips meant to be worn with pencil skirts. I never really wear pencil skirts, so I could definitely use some more ease in mine. 

Wednesday, May 20

Shirt: Me-made (Sewaholic Alma)
Jeans: RTW (Guess)
Shoes (not shown): Consignment (Hego's)

I love this top, but it's not one I wear all that often! It's difficult to layer over and scrunches up when I wear a purse. It's also a bit too heavy of a material to tuck in. 

Apologies for the selfie, and all the ones to follow. My mom left Tuesday evening, so now I don't have anyone to take photos for me! This might be a problem when I need photos of projects I finish over the summer. I need to find a photographer!

Thursday, May 21

Top: Me-made (Sewaholic Pendrell, modified for a knit)
Skirt: Me-made (Sewaholic Hollyburn)
Belt: Thrifted
Shoes (not shown): Second-hand (Sperry)

There's no full-lenth mirror where I'm staying, so this was my solution! I'm standing on a chair in this photo.

It seems to have warmed up for good in Canmore - I originally wore jeans but had to change, and even then I was pretty warm. This was my last day off before starting work, so I went into town for a bit and spent some time in the afternoon setting up my sewing machine and getting going on a project.

Friday, May 22

Dress: Me-made (Sewaholic Davie)
Cardigan: Me-made (Muse Jenna Cardi)
Shoes: Second-hand (Sperry)

This was my first day at my new job! The only dress code at this place is to "dress nicely", but other than that, you can wear whatever you're comfortable in. Of course, I ended up choosing black anyways! This is one of my latest finished makes, Sewaholic's new Davie dress. I made it quite basic on purpose, and I love it! Hopefully it'll be up on the blog soon.

I'm wearing my wool Jenna cardigan again, which will also be blogged about soon! I took it off almost right away though - it's cool here in the morning, but after 9 or 10, it's warm enough not to need a sweater.









I'm loving my new job and living in Canmore. Now I need to find a group to go hiking with, so I can enjoy living in the mountains! Only just over a week of Me-Made-May to go - what happened?!

Me-Made-May 2015: Days 11-15

This has been a busy week for me! I've spent a lot of time packing up (including packing my sewing machine and my fabric stash) to leave home again. I'll be spending the rest of the summer in Canmore, Alberta! It's near Banff, but a little closer to Calgary. I left Vancouver midday today (Friday), and I'll be busy getting settled in tomorrow, so I'm posting a little bit early this week. So much for my original plan to post on Saturdays - I don't think I've done that once yet!

Monday, May 11

Top: Me-made (Sewaholic Pendrell, modified for a knit)
Cardigan: Thrifted (Nicole Bridger)
Jeans: RTW (Guess)
Belt: Thrifted
Shoes: Second-hand (Sperry)

I wear this top quite a bit more than I used to - although it's not particularly well made and getting a little worn out, it's quite cute and very easy to wear. 

Tuesday, May 12

Cardigan: Me-made (Marion Cardigan by Andi Satterlund)
Camisole: Mom-made (self-drafted)
Skirt: Vintage
Shoes: Second-hand (Sperry)

In the spring, I spent an afternoon in Montreal exploring some vintage stores, and found this great skirt! I figure it's from the early 60's based on the style and the construction. There's a metal zipper, knife pleats, and a deep (4") hem, although the hem is done by a blindstitch machine rather than by hand. I'm not sure exactly when these machines were used commercially, but I know that metal zippers were gradually replaced by nylon ones in the 60's. Anyways, it fits me well and the colours go really nicely with this cardigan!

Wednesday, May 13

Blouse: Me-made, pre-blog (Sewaholic Pendrell)
Cardigan: Consignment (Jackpot)
Jeans: RTW (Guess)
Shoes: Consignment (Hego's)

This is one of those tops that I remember how much I like every time I wear, but still don't wear very often! It is vintage rayon that wrinkles like crazy, so that's part of the reason why not. It also has ruffles at the shoulders (View B), which I like, but aren't the most practical. I've considered trying to take them out, but the fabric is pretty delicate so I don't know if it would survive. In any case, I still love the top, and really should wear it more often! 

Thursday, May 14

Shorts: Me-made (Simplicity 7148)
Top: Thrifted (Dynamite)
Cami: RTW
Shoes: Second-hand (Sperry)

These shorts are like the top I wore on Wednesday - every time I wear them, I love them, but they're not something I reach for when I'm getting dressed. Part of it is that it's not quite weather for linen shorts yet, but even in the summer, I should wear these way more. I'm always a little hesitant to wear linen because of the wrinkling, but oddly enough, I think I like the way these look better when they're a little wrinkled! I realized that as soon as I ironed them right before taking pictures, of course...

Friday, May 15

Dress: Me-made (Colette Moneta)
Cardigan: Consignment (Jackpot)
Shoes: Second-hand (Sperry)

So far this May, I've actually made an effort to not wear my Moneta dresses too much, just for variety! Today I needed to be cool and comfortable though, because I spent most of the day in the car. I started off the day with my driver's test (which I passed, hooray!), and then spent the rest of the day driving halfway to Canmore! I really should have taken a picture before sitting in a car all day, but didn't... so here's a picture of me standing in front of our motel door.












That's it for this week! Next week will be another busy one as I get settled in to the place I'm staying in Canmore. The weather there is also pretty different than Vancouver so my outfits will probably change quite a a bit! It's often below freezing overnight, and not as warm as Vancouver (and definitely not as warm as Montreal!) during the day. Canmore is a beautiful little town in the Rocky Mountains, but that means cool mountain weather! It can get quite hot in the summer, but it's obviously not there yet!

Me-Made-May 2015: Days 4-10

Oops, I'm behind on my Me-Made-May posts again! I meant to post yesterday, but forgot that it was Mother's Day so I was busy all day. Here's last week's outfits:

Monday, May 4

Shirt: Me-made (Bronte Top by Jennifer Lauren)

Cardigan: Me-made (Marion Cardigan by Andi Satterlund)

Jeans: RTW (Guess)

Belt: bought from a market

Shoes: Second-hand from the McGill clothing exchange (Sperry)

I wear both of these pieces so much - I'm so proud of the cardigan, and I love the print of the top! I hadn't actually realized how well they go together until wearing this outfit. The cardigan is the same colour as the darker dots on the top!

These shoes were the other pair that I bought of the McGill clothing exchange, along with my other pair of Sperries that I wore in my first MMM post.

Tuesday, May 5

Cardigan: Me-made (Muse Patterns Jenna Cardi)

Cami (not shown): RTW

Jeans: RTW (Guess)

Shoes: Consignment (Hego's)

This was supposed to be a rainy day, so I felt like I needed a cozy cardigan! I haven't yet blogged about this one, but it's my second version of the Jenna Cardi by Muse Patterns (first version here). This one is made in a wool double knit that I bought in Montreal, and fits much better than the first!

As you might have noticed, I got a haircut this day! My hair was getting a little too long to deal with, especially for summer. It was very fluffy for a few days after salon products, but now that it's calmed down a bit, I'm much happier with it.

Wednesday, May 6

Blouse: Me-made (Sewaholic Pendrell)
Cardigan: Thrifted (Jacob)
Jeans: RTW (Guess)
Shoes: Second-hand (Sperry)

My first *almost* outfit repeat... I wanted to try vary my outfits a little more, but I was in a hurry this morning and this was the only thing that didn't need ironing. This cardigan is one of my favourites! I usually look for brands that are higher quality and more expensive at thrift stores, but this Jacob cardigan is actually really nice wool! I think it must be a bit older judging by the label and the Woolmark logo. I think it probably shrunk in the wash at some point in its life, but it's my favourite length now and fits really well. 

I think I need to find a new pose for all these daily photos... I'm only realizing now how repetitive my photos are!

Thursday, May 7

Top: Me-made (unblogged, self-drafted)
Cardigan: Consignment (Jackpot)
Jeans: RTW (Guess)
Shoes: Second-hand (Sperry)

I keep telling myself that I will get rid of this top... and then don't. I even hide it from myself, and then find it months later and start wearing it again. I don't know why - it's really nothing that special. I guess I like the colour, and it's comfortable, but I did a horrible job making it and it's getting so worn out and stained.

Can you tell I like these jeans? I bought them in the fall when I wasn't allowed to wear skirts to any of my labs, and my other pair of jeans were falling apart. They fit surprisingly well for RTW - usually it's hard to find jeans small enough to fit me. The waistband is a little big, but they're the closest that I've found in a while. 

I've been wearing these jeans quite a bit more than usual lately, but mostly because it's been just a little too cold to wear skirts without tights, and I didn't bring any shoes back with me that look good with tights (silly, I know!).

On my to-sew list are the Ginger Jeans, but I just need to find some stretch denim! 

Friday, May 8

Dress: Me-made (Sewaholic Cambie)
Cardigan: Consignment (Jackpot)
Shoes: Second-hand (Sperry)

Finally, warm enough weather in Vancouver for dresses! It's so nice to be able to wear some of my favourite pieces again. I love this dress! 

Saturday, May 9

(shown - my evening outfit)

Dress: Me-made (Colette Moneta)
Purse: Mom-made (not sure of the pattern)
Shoes: Thrifted, possibly vintage (La Vallée Allegro)

(not shown - my day outfit)
Dress: Me-made (Colette Moneta)
Cardigan: Thrifted (Nicole Bridger)
Shoes: Second-hand (Sperry)

I was so busy that I forgot to take a picture of what I wore during the day! It was pretty much the same as what I wore on May 3, but with a cardigan while I was inside. I spent the day volunteering at Our Social Fabric's sale with my mom. It was my first time going to one of their sales, since all the previous ones happened while I was in Montreal. What a great organization! They're a non-profit group that re-sells fabric that would otherwise be thrown out. Almost everything is sold as pre-cut pieces, but they have some bolts that they sell (or give away), and they can also cut you pieces. Almost everything is $2 a metre! They only have sales every couple of weeks, and when they have them, they're completely volunteer-run. It was so much fun to meet the group.

In the evening, we went to Ballet BC's performance of Rite, two short contemporary ballets inspired by The Rite of Spring. I changed into a different Moneta dress, some jewelry, and some heels for the occasion. I love these shoes - I found them at a thrift store when I was home for Christmas. They're all leather and made in France, and had never been worn when I bought them. I'm not sure how old they are, but the brand doesn't seem to exist anymore. I found a pair by the same brand labeled as "vintage" on Ebay, but the logo looked older than the one on this pair. In any case, I love them!

Sunday, May 10

Dress: Me-made (Sewaholic Cambie)

Cardigan: Consignment (Jackpot)

Shoes: Second-hand (Sperry)

This was Mother's Day, which we spent at the Vancouver Art Gallery and in Stanley Park for a barbeque dinner. Unfortunately the photos with the water in the background didn't turn out, but we had a beautiful view of the water from where we ate.

Despite how much I wear my many Moneta dresses, this remains one of my favourite dresses. I just love the print!

That's it for this week! I'm enjoying seeing everyone's photos on the flickr group and the Pinterest board (now, I just have to figure out how to pin my own the the board!)

Me-Made-May 2015: My Pledge and Days 1-3

Last year, I really loved participating in Me-Made-May for my first time! I took the pledge to wear one me-made (or mom-made) item per day, which was challenging at the time, but I had fun with it and discovered some new ways to wear old pieces. Here are some of my favourite outfits!

Since then, I've really expanded my me-made wardrobe, especially since I've been sewing with knits more, and I'd like to challenge myself a little more. So...

I, Shannon of Adventures of a Young Seamstress, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '15. I endeavour to wear at least one me-made item each day for the duration of May 2015, preferably as the main part of my outfit. In addition, I will try to wear every seasonally appropriate item I've made at least once during the month. If I don't wear it, I either have to modify it or give it away.

That was my original pledge, but it's now been slightly modified to say that I'll wear every me-made item that I brought back from Montreal with me, since I'm back in Vancouver now and left lots behind. I tried to pack efficiently, so unfortunately some things that I've made got left behind because they weren't versatile enough (or because they took up too much space in my suitcase!). Even if they would be great to wear during May, I had to pack for the entire summer!

I also wanted to include something about not repeating any outfits too many times, but then I realized that a dress counts as an outfit! Since I plan on repeating my dresses, that wouldn't really work. I'll just try to switch it up and find new ways to wear things as much as possible - even though I haven't really put that into words in my pledge!

I'll also try to be a little better this year about posting regularly - I'm a little behind on this post because I was traveling on Saturday, but from now on, I'll post every Saturday with the week's outfits. Since May started on a Friday, I'll include the weekend's pictures in this one, so that I have more than one outfit to show.

Friday, May 1

Blouse: Me-made (Sewaholic Pendrell)

Jeans: RTW (Guess)

Belt: bought at a market

Shoes: Second-hand from the McGill clothing exchange (Sperry)

This blouse, which I made from a thrifted muumuu, has gotten so much wear over the year! It's so flattering and easy to wear. The modification to the sleeves that I made (using the Alma Blouse sleeves instead of the Pendrell's) makes it much more wearable. As much as I love the sleeve variations included with the Pendrell, they're difficult to layer over. I've learned that for me to wear something a lot, I need to be able to layer over it!

I'll also point out that this photo was taken inside my new apartment in Montreal! I made it through exams, finished my first year, and moved out of residence and into my own place with a roommate. Unfortunately, I left for Vancouver only a couple days after moving in, so I didn't get to enjoy it much. I couldn't be happier with it though - it's in a century-old triplex in a great area of Montreal. I'm really looking forward to living there in the fall!

Saturday, May 2

Dress: Me-made (Colette Moneta)

Shoes: Second-hand from the McGill clothing exchange (Sperry)

Excuse the over-exposed picture! I guess outdoor photos on sunny days taken with phones aren't a great idea. It was so nice out this day - unfortunately it was the day that I left Montreal! Knit dresses are so perfect for traveling though. I needed to be comfortable on the plane home!

I just remembered when I went to link to my post about this dress, that I never did post about it! This was my third Moneta dress, which I made last summer. I really should blog about it soon!

These shoes are my new favourites - I bought them off the McGill clothing exchange, which is a Facebook group that people use to sell their old clothes. I joined the group when I was looking for a second-hand down coat, but don't usually look through it. These just popped up on my news feed one day and I went for it! It's difficult to find summer shoes that fit the orthotics that I wear, but these did so I bought both pairs that the girl was selling.

Sunday, May 3

Dress: Me-made (Colette Moneta)

Shoes: Second-hand from the McGill clothing exchange (Sperry)

These shoes are my new favourites, which you can probably tell! I bought them off the McGill clothing exchange, which is a Facebook group that people use to sell their old clothes. I joined the group when I was looking for a second-hand down coat, but don't usually look through it. These just popped up on my news feed one day and I went for it! It's difficult to find summer shoes that fit the orthotics that I wear, but these did so I bought both pairs that the girl was selling.

This dress is also quite possibly one of my favourites. It's definitely my favourite Moneta so far - I love the collar, the sleeves and the colour, and the jersey is the perfect weight for the skirt.

I'm back in my backyard in Vancouver for this photo, and it probably wasn't quite warm enough to be wearing this without a sweater or tights! I was used to the Montreal weather, which was beautiful before I left. 

That's it for now! I'll post again on the weekend - it won't actually be on Saturday though because I'm volunteering with my mom at Our Social Fabric's sale. If you're in the Vancouver area, come by and say hi, and pick up some fabric! My mom has been volunteering with them for a while now, and I'm excited to go and see what it's like. It sounds like a really great organization - they resell fabric that would otherwise be thrown away, and for great prices!

If you're participating in Me-Made-May this year, how's your challenge going?