Meet the Sepia Pants, our May Pattern for Crew!

We love all our pattern children, but our new Sepia Pants for Crew (our monthly pattern + sewing membership) is definitely a current favourite with the Closet Core team! Sepia is a super-stylish elastic waist pant (no, this is not an oxymoron) with maybe the most interesting pocket we've ever designed. Join Crew starting at $10 USD a month to get it!

The Design

Our patternmaker Celine really knocked it out of the park with this design! What makes Sepia so special is the shape of the leg. Rather than simply being tapered, they actually have a gently rounded barrel shape. To create this unconventional "pegged" silhouette, darts are sewn at the knee and along the hem to help create the shape. They also feature a slightly cropped length that hits just above the ankle, and they look - quite honestly - fabulous on absolutely everyone.

Can we talk about the front pockets?! Originally we considered making them completely unattached so they would float against the waist. That didn't work out well in reality, but the construction of the design we settled on makes it appear as if the pocket is floating along the edges. Perhaps more importantly, they are doubled. This gives you not only tons of room for all your stuff, but creates a beautiful layered effect that gives these pants major dimension and character. We've also added two back pockets as well, for a grand total of six - a major win for #teampockets! You'll finish them off with neat topstitching and bar tacks for a sturdy and long-lasting finish.

We know elastic waists can be controversial, but we think even the staunchest "hard pant" lover will be one over by this one. Can an elastic waist be pretty? We think this one is! With a slightly fluted paper bag edge, topstitched finish and optional drawstring, it feels elevated while still being profoundly comfortable to wear. It's also a very pretty detail peaking out from under your cropped or tucked-in shirts!

Sepia is available as a PDF pattern in both our 0-20 and 14-32 size ranges - you get both with your monthly download!

Suggested Fabrics

To highlight the silhouette of the pant, we suggest crisp wovens with some degree of structure, such as light to heavy-weight linen, lightweight denim, twill and canvas (under 10 oz), and midweight cottons such as ikat, chambray, and broadcloth. You're welcome to try this with drapey midweight fabrics like tencel twill as well, but note that the leg shape may not be quite as pronounced.

If you're eyeing any of the samples we made, just like each month with Crew, Core Fabrics has created fabric kits to recreate them yourself! We've also curated a collection of additional fabrics and supplies that work with this pattern to make it easy to find what you'll need.

How to Get Sepia

Like all Crew patterns, Sepia is only available when you sign up for Crew! Subscribe at the monthly level with Essential or Plus to get it (you can cancel at any time), or sign up for our annual Unlimited plan and get Sepia along with the other 4 Crew patterns we've released this year so far, plus 11 more months of patterns!

(Please note that if you are signing up after May 2023, you'll only be able to access Sepia at the Unlimited level).

This Month in Crew

With a Crew membership, you get access to so much more than just a pattern. Each month, we curate a theme page with an inspiration board and curated resources to help you assemble your pattern. You also get access to our private forum, whether you're looking for fitting or sewing help, or just want to chat about sewing with like-minded folks.

Our Plus and Unlimited members also get access to an in-depth video sewing lesson with me. This month I'm teaching a pattern hacking lesson on how to remove the shaping darts from Sepia, and showing you how to make a "traditional" tapered leg sans darts, along with a wide leg so you can get even more mileage out of this pattern.

You'll also be able to join (or watch at a later time) our monthly live event. This month Amy and Heather are talking fashion! Trends we're loving (trends we're hating) and all the shapes we see coming down the pipeline. Should be a fun time!

We're so excited to see what you do with #ClosetCoreSepia! Join today to get sewing!