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November 8, 2019
Continuing with last week, here's the second part of Holiday Sewing. There are other parts to Holiday Sewing besides the top, although this is a great place to start.
Of course you can't have a top with out a bottom, and because of the colder climate, it's great to have a pair of pants and mostly what I love to see are either leggings or very straight leg pant and of course both in stretch. I have some great ideas up on my Pinterest Board for patterns to use for this. If you feel that your leg is not becoming or you simply do not want to wear leggings, a good
alternative is a stretch skinny or straight leg pattern. These also don't require as much stretch as the legging. Don't even think about doing a legging that isn't at least 60% or more stretch, and 60% is testing it. But a 40% to 60% (and even up to 75%) stretch is good for a straight leg. So you don't have to have as much stretch in a straight leg stretch pattern, as you do in a legging.
A Word About Leggings
Leggings were originally for activewear and required a lot of stretch in the fabric to do all the active exercises and movements that leggings were designed for. But they have moved more prominently into mainstream dressing (and not without some controversy, because leggings are not pants and therefore can not be worn like pants, which means they should always be worn with at least upper-thigh-length tops if not longer). But they do have their place (more on that later
in this email).
At the same time, I don't really like ponte pants for some of these looks unless you are going to do a shorter top. Here's how this works.
These two pants are the same, but there's one thing that different - yeah, I know besides the grandma look! But what causes that is that the upper-thigh to mid-thigh area is fabric full. It makes my hips look even bigger than they already are. Whereas the pant on the right, my hips look substantially smaller. This is all perception and in particular the perception we have currently of what's fashionable and what's not.
What that fashionable look is, is that space between the legs in the upper-to-mid thigh region on the inside or inseam of the pant. In most of your ponte pants, that area is modified, so that the pant is straighter through that thigh part - not completely covered up, but modified to be less fitted to the body and that's the way you want it when you wear a shorter top. This type of modification is more classically considered a pant style.
The leggings, and yoga pants styles are closer to the thigh and are a better look with a longer top. These leggings and yoga pant styles are more fitted and therefore need a longer top to keep them from looking like a form-fitting garment. Now, if you're in exercise class, or ballet practice, this is a fine look - the leggings with a close top. But when we're at the grocery store or out running errands - no, this isn't a good look - even if there are people
who like to over-expose their bodies, it's still not a good look, and doesn't make the look okay! If there are people, even those who live on the treadmill, wearing leggings without covering the subject, it's simply not well done and doesn't reflect the person that you want to reflect. Thinking that you are "in" or "looking cool" is folly because you aren't and that's not what I want for you or what I'm sure you want for
yourself.
OK - my lecture on leggings over - let's get to the fun. As much as blingy tops, blingy bottoms can be as much fun, and especially for you hip-less apple-figure types and rectangle-figure types. Putting something pizazzy on your bottom can be a really cool zing. One of my favorite things to do is velour and stretch velvet. Yes, I know this has been the garb of the house-trailer set for years, but it's coming back, and these beautiful fabrics lend themselves
for beautiful elegant looks for the holidays. There's a few techniques that can make this easier, and once you have those down, whipping up a pair of pants take about as much time as it does to sip a glass of wine - but don't try to do both at the same time!
Then there's the gorgeous scarf, particularly when you do that in a yummy, cheerful holiday color, and since you're making it, you have control over the shape of it more than if you purchased it.
There's lots more details in the Holiday Sewing, Part 2 now up in the Resource Center. Even better you can get both of these for less - click here to do that. This also has great resources on fabrics as well as ideas of what to do with them, and how to even coordinate one or two items with things you
already have to make your holiday look, individual, personal, reflective of who you really are with a great sense of style, professionalism, when you are working, retired or working from home.
Holidays are a time to get out and see all those friends you may have only seen in the video chat or talked to online. Be nice to yourself and make yourself a little goodie to shine in these holidays.
NOTE: If you've already purchased part 1 and want to get the discount on Parts 1 and 2, LMK, and I'll refund Part 1 so you can get both 1 and 2 at the discount! All you have to do is reply to this email and we'll get that fixed for you!
On the Blog
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PS - I do a lot of posting on Facebook as both Claire Kennedy and SewingArtistry - if you want to friend me to check out the goodies over there for free!
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