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Yes, this is our last day of making our Paula pants. I hope that you’ve enjoyed our Sew-A-Long. I know that I have. I really, really hope that this sew-a-long has helped you where you’ve needed it. Now, let’s get down to business.
Day 8 – Waistband
The first thing you need to do is trim any threads that are sticking out at the top. If you serged, there will be a lot of them. You don’t have to worry about securing them back through your seams because they will be secure in your waistband.
You also need to make sure that your waistband piece is the same length as the length around the top of your pants, plus seam allowance. If it is smaller than this measurement, you will need to cut a longer piece. If it is longer than this measurement, you will need to trim it down some. I didn’t have any problems. My piece was the correct length once I got to this stage. I hope yours is, too, but don’t worry if it isn’t. Just make the corrections that I have just explained. The pattern states that the waistband has a seam allowance included, but doesn’t say what that is. I just assumed that the seam allowance was 3/8 of an inch. This worked just fine.
The pattern directions are pretty detailed for putting the waistband on. You might get a little confused, so that is why I am here with tons of pictures. Don’t forget to look at the sewing guide on Farbenmix’s website. It can be a great help, too, even if you don’t speak German.
Ok, here we go. Make sure you are following along with your pattern. My directions work with your pattern directions, not instead of them. This is just a supplemental guide.
You need to stitch the short ends of the waistband together, leaving an opening in the bottom 1/3rd for elastic insertion. Here is what that should look like:
Now, it is time to pin the waistband into place. Pin the right side of the waistband to the inside of the pants. That would be the wrong side of the pants. I attached the center seam of the waistband to the center of the back of the pants. Now, let’s take a look at that:
Now, sew the waistband in place using a 3/8″ seam allowance.
For the next step, you need to take your pants to the ironing board. The waistband needs to come up and over to meet the front of the pants. So, first, you need to iron the waistband to an upright position. Then, start ironing about a 3/8″ crease all the way across.
Next, you need to fold the waistband over so that the seam we just created meets the front of the pants. You want to make sure that the line of stitching created by sewing the waistband to the pants is covered. Now, you will need to fix this in place by ironing and pinning. Instead of pinning, I used Wash Away Wonder Tape. This worked perfectly for holding the waistband in place.
March back to your sewing machine…pants in hand. Now, comes all of the stitching.
Now, follow the directions on your pattern for top-stitching. You should go: bottom, top, then middle. I found it helpful to iron after every row of stitching. This kept the casing looking crisp and my lines straight. I also wanted to note that I stitched the middle row about 5/8 of an inch from the top. Make sure that when you are doing the middle line that you leave a space so that you can insert your elastic. You do not want to close up that hole. I have to point out a mistake in my sewing. I left a space in the top stitching. I had to go back and fix this later. Make sure you continue this line all the way around.
It is elastic time. Find an elastic that fits in your casing spots. I used 3/8″ elastic…make sure this will fit in the casings that you have made. Measure your child’s waist. Cut the elastic to this length. Measure about an inch on each side of the elastic. I just used my chalk pencil. This is where you will sew the elastic together. Make sure you do this to another piece of elastic, too. You want two pieces.
Now, use a safety pin or a bodkin and run your elastic through the casings. When you have run the first piece all the way through, overlap the pieces where you drew the lines. I used Wash Away Wonder Tape to stick them together, but you can use a pin. Sew them together under your sewing machine. I use a zig zag stitch and run it over the spot a couple of times. Then, pull the pants so that the elastic is completely in the pants. Repeat this for the second piece of elastic. It will take some tugging and adjusting to settle the elastic into place. Make sure the pants are uniform all around the waistband.
The elastic needs to be stitched into place and the casing closed. This can be done with one line of stitched vertically down the seam of the waistband. I also chose to finish the line of stitching on the center casing line.
Guess what? You are done! Way to go! Now, you have a great, fashionable pair of pants. I love the way mine turned out. The Bell Bottoms fabric was perfect for this pattern. I love the Paula Pattern. I see it getting much more use in the future. What are you waiting for?!?!?!?! Try them on your little one. Make sure you check back here on Sunday. I’ll show you my complete outfit. You didn’t think I could get away without making a matching shirt did you!
I know we still have one more day in May, but I wanted to go ahead and recap the month. Tomorrow, I am reserving for our last day of the Paula Pattern. Don’t miss it! You’ll want to stop by and see the finished product and finish your own.
I started this month set on participating in Sew Mama Sew’s Women’s Clothing Month. Well, I realize I have a problem. I can’t sew for myself. I always pick other projects over my own. I don’t know why that is, but I do. I have the patterns. I have the fabric. I have the intentions. I just never get them done. So, I am pledging now that I have to make at least two things for myself in June. As soon as the current projects(projects already cut and waiting on my table…2 of them) are done, I have to sew myself something. Check back in June to see that.
We’ve had a great month here. We are really close to breaking the month record for views. I’m excited about this! Thank all of you that regularly stop by and thank all of you that have stopped by that might be new. This blog would be nothing without you. I’ll let you know if we break our record.
I had a really good small vacation this month, and my husband being home really gave me some time to craft. I have several projects that are waiting in the cues for me to show you. You will see these in the coming weeks as well as some others.
I’ve also managed to have a Post a Day in May. I’m participating in this with the Allsorts blog. This was a hard task, especially since I had a vacation week in there. I had to do three posts a day and schedule them for awhile so that I could meet this challenge.
This month by far my favorite thing has been sharing my Paula Pattern sewing experience with you. I’ve had a great time sewing, taking pictures, and reporting back here. It was great to use Jennifer’s gorgeous Bell Bottoms fabric, too. This has also led to the making of some great friends.
I hope to have another sew-a-long next month. I’ll let you know what that will be a couple of weeks before we start. I’m going to have some challenges next month. I have to go to SC for awhile. We are putting our house on the market, and I’m taking the kids to the grandparents to keep them out of the way. Wish us luck in moving! You’ll see updates on that from time to time.
There is also going to be a big giveaway in June. You don’t want to miss that, so check in often.
Thanks, again, for all of the support!
We just returned from my son’s end of school picnic. It was a lot of fun. It was held at the local YMCA. They have a huge playground and picnic area. The kids had a amazing time. Their little legs didn’t stop the entire time. It was a real treat to see all of the little ones running about. My son is in preschool, and he attends a private Christian school. They are amazing! We will truly and deeply miss them when me move. His teacher is wonderful woman who had taught our son so much.
Father, I thank you for:
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My son’s Christian School
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His wonderful teacher
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All of the teachers and workers at his school
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All of the Mommies and Daddies of the kids at his school
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All of the little children that attend his school
My husband and I haven’t owned a game console in quite sometime. Nothing really appealed to us, and the prices just seemed outrageous. If we played games, we stuck to good ole computer games. Well, we revisited the topic a little while ago and decided to look into game consoles. After much debate and searching, we decided to buy a Wii.
I have to say, “We made the right decision”. It has been so much fun. It has really brought us together as a family. I know that is hard to believe, but it has.
It is very interactive. This console isn’t like the boring old others. It makes you a part of the action. We’ve had so much fun boxing and bowling!
Our favorite games at the moment are: Guitar Hero and Lego Star Wars. Guitar Hero is challenging and so much fun. It has a ton of great songs. It is a challenge to master all of those buttons. Lego Star Wars is great because you get to play on the same side. My husband and I team up to complete all of the levels. Our children love watching us play. They’ve had a great time watching us compete.
If you have been on the fence about a console, I highly recommend buying this one. Once you do decide to buy it, keep in mind it can be a challenge to find. It took us a couple of weeks to track it down in town. We just happened to be in Toys ‘r Us one day and they had a couple of them. It is worth the effort of the search, though. You’ll have so much fun!
Word Out Wednesday Participants
| 1. Cindy Swanson |
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Day 7 – Seams
Today, our pants start to look like pants. We are going to sew the inseams and the crotch seams. This is a pretty simple step. The directions on your pattern are great here. There isn’t much that I can add except to show the pictures of these steps. The main thing that you should remember is that you need to go slow. This is very important if you are using a serger. You only get one shot at getting it right. Make sure that you line the pieces up carefully. Pin!!!! Do not try to fudge it and not pin, especially in the crotch seam.
Now, let’s get started. Fold each leg piece in half, matching the inseams. Make sure that the right sides of the fabric are facing. Now, simply sew the inseams. Remember, we are using a 3/8″ seam allowance. Here’s some shots of this process:
Now, this is what your finished product should look like…
Now, let’s make these two legs into pants. Leave them as the picture above shows. Place the right side out leg inside of the inside out leg. That should look like this:
Carefully, match up the crotch on each legs. Pin this in place. This is very important. You will use your hands to keep the rest of the leg out of the way and you need your hands to carefully guide the fabric through the machine. Pinning will keep your hands free.
Once the crotch is sewn, turn the pants right side out. It is time to top-stitch the crotch in place. This can be very tricky, as the picture will show. Just go very slowly, on your regular sewing machine. Make sure that you keep the line as straight as you can. You also need to keep both legs out of the way.
Here is what this step looks like:
Now, your pants look like pants. Our next Paula day is our last. We’ll add the waistband. I’m really excited about finally showing the finished product. My daughter loves her new pants. I’ll leave you with images of what your pants should look like at this point.
