Hey guys! Come august my mind switches from summer sewing to fall sewing. I love being prepared and working on things a littler earlier than I probably need to! First on my fall sewing list was the Persephone Pants by Anna Allen and the Tabor Sweater by Sew House 7. I’m super excited to share this Indiesew and Measure Fabric Collab with you!

I LOVE the Toaster Sweater, so the the Tabor Sweater seemed like an obvious choice. I love the chunky neckband of the #4 option in this pattern, the side vent, and the long sleeves for cold weather. This pattern was really fun to sew, and like most knit projects, pretty fast to make.

I used a really fun sweater knit fabric from Measure Fabric. It’s pretty thick fabric, and it’s going to be perfect for fall. I don’t love layering, but instead just wearing one super warm piece on top, so this will be great. This fabric is now sold out, but this sweater knit is very similar with it’s fun print.

Next up, my beloved persephone pants! I have been wanting to make this pattern ever since I randomly found Anna Allen’s account, and saw that this pattern was in the works. I was pregnant at the time and knew it would be a many months until I would be ready to try sewing pants. Time passes on, and I finally feel like my pre-pregnancy self is back, and ready for jeans making. I used a denim with a little stretch from Indiesew’s shop, unfortunately now sold out.

(I paired them with a more cropped length sweater below to show more of the fit, the sweater is old from a ready to wear store few years ago).

So these pants. I had very high expectations, and a great love for the way they looked on others. I had VERY high hopes. My waist sits a size 4, and my hips a size 0. Everyone suggested sizing down, or going with a straight size from your hip measurement. I ended up sewing a size 0, and the pants were too big. There was a lot of extra fabric in the crotch and inseam. Yes, that’s better than too small, but I was super bummed. I reached out to Anna Allen and she gave me some great tips. She suggested taking in the crotch curve 1/2″ or so. I ended up taking the curve in about 3/4″ of an inch or so, and the fit is pretty good. I didn’t change anything along the backside. I also played around with the inseam a little to get a closer fit. It was tricky for me to get the right fit without being able to play with the side seams at all. It seems like it worked out really well for others so I was surprised I had a hard time with this pattern.

I like my pants to fit tight, and I feel like these pants fit better when I have a shirt tucked in. My belly is a little rounded (just had a baby 5 months ago), so I think that might be why the fly pulls a part a little. I don’t think the problem comes from the size being too small. I would prefer them to be a little more snug around my hips than they are.

I hemmed these to be about 3/4″ longer than they show here, but one wash and they shrunk a little more length wise. (I promise I pre-washed!). It’s okay though, I still love them.

So, what’s my opinion of this pattern? I really love it. Do I have what it takes to try again? Right now, I don’t think so. Haha. I feel good about how these fit, but I know they could fit even better, and I’m not sure I have the patience to keep tweaking them to figure it out. One thing you should know about me is that I pretty much never make a muslin. I didn’t make a muslin with these, but I definitely should have. Take my advice, and make a muslin first with this pattern!

I’m really proud with how these turned out, sans muslin. They are super cute in denim, and I’m loving the wide leg trend happening right now. These will get plenty of wear!!

I’m finally getting into a good schedule with my kids, and feeling more myself. A few weeks after my baby was born I told my mom I wanted to quit all of my sewing commitments. I was so tired, and just wanted to make my own things at my own pace. Thank goodness for moms I tell yah! She told me I would get my energy back, my kids would go to school, and I would most definitely want to get back to it. Well, five months later and she was right. I want to sew all the things, and feel like I can start to manage more projects. THANKS MOM! I have a lot of fun things planned for the coming weeks, so keep your eye on this space!

You can shop my black suede mules here! I love this light tan color too. They are the perfect height to wear with jeans, and soooo comfortable.

Fabric and patterns provided by Indiesew and Measure Fabric, all opinions are my own.