Plateau Joggers + Ogden Cami= A Spring Sleep Set!

Hi all! Amy here. If you've been reading this blog for a while you might know of a dirty little habit I have. One of my favourite things to do when sewing is to throw out the instruction booklet. Not in the sense that I construct the garment differently, just that, I don't really pay attention to fit, fabric types or any of the other "suggestions" in all the pages before: Instructions. Is this a good idea? Probably not. Could I avoid a lot of annoying obstacles and problem solving if I just paid attention to the painstakingly organized fabric cutting layouts and finished garment measurements someone lovingly obsessed over? Sure. But I also would take the thrill out of sewing, because for me, these moments are my own Project Runway, where I am running down the clock, doing last minute fittings and desperately trying to get my look out to the judges. If I just followed the instructions did I even design something? Silly, I know. One of my favourite versions of this particular brand of pattern hacking is switching up the intended fabric type. I often am trying to recreate a favourite old piece of clothing or something I've been eyeing in RTW when I'm planning my makes, and if I see the right shape I feel like I can usually figure out how it will move if I change the fabric. Sometimes it fails. I have a few UFOs in my sewing room that will probably never see the light of day, but other times it works out great and that is the juice that fuels my risk taking! As was the case with this pair of Plateau joggers in an rayon challis ditzy floral from Core Fabrics.

There was a few meters of this gorgeous fabric available to me (it had some damage) and since you already know I love a cutting challenge I decided to try and squeeze out two garments from this odd scrap. I have never made the Ogden Cami but I've seen it everywhere and thought it would make the perfect mate to my loungey spring sleep pants. I wanted to lengthen it a bit so I could also wear it alone as a nightie (is that a real word or just what my mom called it??) I added 6" to the front and back pieces by measuring from the hem line in a few spots and connecting the dots right on my fabric while I had the pieces laid out for cutting. The pants were a bit more of a guess sizing wise, I had to figure out what size to make, taking into consideration the pattern was designed for a stretch fabric (negative ease) and this rayon has none (zilch). 

I decided to use this stretchy bamboo rayon on the waistband and cuffs and inserted a 1 1/2" elastic into the waistband to reinforce the stretch. The bamboo is nice and soft but doesn't have enough recovery to do all the heavy lifting. I sized up the pants from a 6-10 to make sure they would have enough ease through the thigh and behind and I think my guess was a good one. 

I wasn't sure if the pockets would work in this light weight fabric but they turned out great! I used a fusible lightweight interfacing to reinforce the edges and I like the way they hang. I probably won't be carrying a lot of heavy stuff around in these pants but it's always good to be able to keep a kleenex handy and I think they add to the look if these do become out-of-the-house pants at some point.

All in all, I think this was a total success! This rayon is so soft and cool, these will be great in the summer on hot nights but also cozy enough for wearing right to bed. I think I would repeat the pants in other fabrics too. This style of pant is something I just can't get enough of, elastic waist, yes please! I could see a linen pair for summer gardening, or even this new Modal in a pop colour for going out. They would look so cute pushed up the calf with heels (who am I?). Oooh! I'm getting excited to get dressed again! Going to make some shopping lists! I'll hide with my notebook from my kids who are currently whining at me for a snack. They'll never see me in here... 

Happy spring wardrobe planning!