Made By A Fabricista: Pleated High Waisted Pants And How To Style Them

Hi sewing friends!

Today I’m excited to share some awesome trousers that I discovered last year when I was a tester on this pattern. These pants are seriously amazing and magical because they are pretty beginner friendly but you get a real ready to wear and higher end look due to a few clever features. I also think they are flattering on a variety of body shapes and sizes so all in all, this pattern is a winner for me. I’m also going to share three top patterns of different styles that work well with this trouser style. Have I peaked your interest? Let’s go!

These magical trousers are the Padget Pants from Petite Stitchery & Co (PSCo). This pattern is size inclusive and goes up to a 5X or 62 inch hip. It also includes a great projector file with mirrored full pattern pieces (yay for good projector files!). Here are a few action shots of these awesome pants:

The instructions specify a knit fabric, but many of the testers on the team made them in stretch or even non-stretch woven. If you want to make these in a non-stretch woven, here is the trick – measure the length of the facing piece, which goes around the inside of the pants. If that length is the same size or greater than your hip width, you should be fine to make these in a woven. If it’s smaller than your hips, your fabric will need a little stretch to get them on. I made this pair from a textured ponte knit with stretch. Ponte is very structured and easy to work with…and behaves really well with a sewing machine. Fabric Mart always has a great selection of pontes and other double knits, and they are PERFECT for this pattern.

Here are the features that I love about these pants and that I think elevate their look:

ü  Front pleats -  I love the look and the instructions are straight forward to achieve it. In fact, the instructions overall on this pattern are fantastic.

ü  Flat front waist – you thread elastic through the internal facing, move the waist gathers to the back, and then tack down the elastic on the front sides. This creates the non-gathered flat front which is really flattering.

ü  Internal facing – There is no waistband, just that facing on the inside, so you get a clean look.

ü  High waist – very on trend right now, and also comfortable!

ü  A faux fly – these are pull on pants with no front closure, but there is an easy to sew faux fly which creates the illusion of front fly pants.

ü  Also – pockets!

Here’s a close-up of these fun details:

So…I’m for sure not a stylist – I’m a 50 something working mom of teenagers who is probably out of touch with ready wear trends and who barely has time to get dressed most days! But I did spend some time working through my wardrobe to find my best me mades to wear with this style of pants…so here are three pattern options that work for me.

First, a close fitting knit top works great. I used a rayon jersey knit to make the Rivet Patterns Ponga top, which comes with multiple necklines, shirt and dress lengths, and sleeve options. This pattern is my new go to for tops of this style – the drafting is just perfect for me. I love the colors on this one!

Next, I love wearing this style of pants with a cropped tee. Not super duper cropped but a longer crop length so it hits right at the high waist. I had a yard of this gorgeous floral cotton lycra in my stash and I used it to make the Closet Core Patterns Core tee, a free pattern that is another go to in my pattern collection. The off-white base in the floral was a great match for the ponte fabric I used for the pants.

And finally, I chose the Pattern Emporium Bestie tee for my last look – the cropped banded version. The Bestie Pattern has about a billion options and it’s another favorite for me. I used a light weight floral rib knit which definitely has some Spring vibes.

Do you love this trouser style as much as I do? How did I do with the styling?

And hang in there…Spring is just around the corner! 😊

Andrea  |  @happy.things.here