Hello everyone!

I hope this post finds you all happy and well. The sunshine has finally begun to creep into my corner of the world, and it's changing my life. This California girl just can't thrive without sunshine for months on end. 

Though it's been cold, I've started preparing for Me Made May and one of the things I realized I was missing in my handmade wardrobe were pants. 

I subscribe to Seamwork Magazine and headed there to see if they had any simple pants patterns. I was thrilled to find the Moji pants and decided to use some of this beautiful rayon/linen fabric (available here). 

My waist measurement is 28" and my hips are 37", so I cut out a size 6. Apparently (I read after I had made these) many seamstresses have experienced issues with the fit of the Moji pants, with many claiming the pants are too tight, but I only found that to be the issue at the calf. Anyway, you may want to make a muslin or take careful measurements if you're thinking about making these.

I did make a few alterations to the pants (which I discussed in my Instagram (@palindromedrygoods) stories, and if you're not following me on Insta yet, you should be! Because I talk about things like this over there too...).

I increased the width of the legs at the very bottom by about 1"....only after I had split the inseam wide open while sitting cross-legged. Oops! I also added elastic to the drawstring because I think it's far more comfortable than using a non-stretchy drawstring. 

I finished one of the inseams with this darling floral bias tape my sister sent me from Japan. It's from the 100 Yen shop, you guys! That's like $1! They sell floral bias tape in their dollar store. How amazing is that?

Anyway, I didn't have enough tape to finish both leg seams, but I finished the other leg seam and the crotch seam with a zig-zag stitch.

Next time I make these, I will make another alteration: increasing the rise. These pants are not exactly low-rise, but I would prefer they sit just a bit higher on the hips for comfort purposes.  I was going to talk about how to make that adjustment in this post, but I think I'd like to cover it in a separate post so I can show you guys before and after pics. Comment below if you'd like to be notified when the rise-increase post is done!

Next time, I'll also use a wider elastic. All I had on-hand this time was 1/2" and I didn't feel like going out to buy more, but next time I'd like to use at least 1". Wider elastic is comfier, and doesn't 'dig in' to the hips as much.

I also made the T-shirt I'm wearing using this pattern from Melly sews and this incredible, thick, soft, organic cotton knit available here.

Overall, I'm super pleased with how they turned out, and I think I'd like to make another pair out of chambray. Just a few simple alterations made them more comfortable, and when I make them next time, I think I'll have the pattern perfected.

Are you participating in Me Made May? If so, what did you pledge? I pledged to wear handmade at least 3 days a week, and my mom is going to participate with me with the same pledge! I'm really looking forward to it. Preparing for the month has already dramatically changed the types of garments I've been making and has made me look at my handmade wardrobe in a much more utilitarian way. 

Thanks for reading everyone! See you soon. 

-Hannah

**Pssssssst. Pssst. Don't forget you can use code 'PALINDROME' over at The Tin Thimble's Etsy shop for 10% off your purchase of all fabrics, buttons, patterns, trims, and sewing supplies! Just my little way of saying thank you to everyone who reads and supports this blog. xoxo.**

Sewn on my Janome HD 3000.