It has been a busy week! I was still sewing up a storm but updating my blog was put to the side for a little bit. But fear not, I am back, and I am back with two pairs of my newly tested and worn into public
Winslow Culottes.
Winslow Culottes is an upcoming pattern by Helen from
Helen's Closet. The pattern is planned to be released at the end of June, but Helen agreed to let us write about the culottes in the meantime. I am so happy about that, because when I make something new and exciting I really want to photograph it and share it with the rest of the world. The wait to show the new thing off is really excruciating! So I guess I am being selfish here and easing my mind by showing my new culottes off so that you ion turn can agonizingly wait until the pattern is released. You are welcome.
The pattern is very simple yet comes together into a very elegant garment. It has 4 variations in length, from short shorts (view A), above the knee culottes (view B), below the knee culottes (view C) to full length palazzo pants (view D). The culottes have roomy inseam side pockets which is always a huge benefit! And they have a zip closure in the back which goes all the way through the waistband, eliminating the need for a button. This is a huge plus in my books! I am not a fan of buttons on waistbands unless it is necessary. I much prefer a clean finish of a zipper.
Also check out this awesome pattern illustration that Helen came up with! I simply love various body types and female shapes featured. I can not get enough of it.
I was also a little wary of culottes as first, but my curiosity was winning me over for the past year and this summer I knew I would give culottes a try. Testing the pattern seemed like great way to do it. If I bought the pattern there was a chance I would talk myself out of it, but with testing I had to do it. There was no way out. So I signed up to test view B, the above the knee length of culottes. I thought that length would be very flattering on me, and anyone else for that matter
I chose my size based on my waist measurements. There is plenty of ease in the hips so there is no need to grade between sizes. This was a very pleasant and unusual experience. My hips are 2 sizes bigger than my waist so grading or FSA are a must. With Winslow pattern it is not necessary at all! The deep pleats at the front and back create more than enough room for the hefty behind. The seat curve it also very generous and deep so I didn't do any modifications to it. So my first pair I sewed up as is, with no changes to the pattern at all. And I think it turned out great!
For the fabric for this pair I chose a soft luxurious viscose twill in beige from
Blackbird Fabrics. The beige one is sold out, but Caroline carries a few other viscose and tencel
twills in her shop which are just as great. I got them in almost every color (ooops!). When I first bought the fabric I had no plans for it but Winslow culottes seemed like a good enough idea. Yet in the end I couldn't be more happier with the results! The fabric almost has a very slight sheen to it and drapes so beautifully... It is the perfect pairing to my Winslows! This combination turned into a very solid basic piece in my closet.
After the success of the View B, I had to try View D. I simply had to. I never wore wide legged pants until this spring. The
beige Hampshire Hack was in fact my first pair of wide legged pants. I wasn't sure if I was ready for another one, but without giving myself a chance to overthink, I dove in and cut view D out.
For this view, the only modification I made was to lengthen the pattern by 5". The pattern is drafted for an average height of 5"5' and I am 5"10'. So adding 5" seemed like a good place to start. It worked out great! I even had enough length to hem the pants to wear with a slight heel!
This pair is made out of slightly crinkly rayon I got from Fabricland. I figured that if I am going to push myself to make a pair of crazy palazzo pants, might as well make them in crazy print! I love how they turned out!! It is perfectly crazy yet sophisticated. Shaun told me that I look like a rich mom when we met up after work to go home. Ha! I don't know if "rich mom" is a look I strive for, but I'll take it as a compliment nonetheless.
Of course I couldn't resist the swooshiness of the full length Palazzo pants! They are so much fun to walk, twirl and twist around in! One thing I do want to reiterate is to hold them up when walking up the stairs. I learned the hard way with a long skirt I made last fall. I didn't hold it up running up the stair, tripped on the skirt and fell straight onto my knee. That ended up in me requiring a few rounds of physio for a couple months. I am pretty much a definition of clumsiness. Sometimes I wonder how the hell I used to teach dance...
Oh, and here is the picture of that zipper that goes through the waistband I mentioned at the beginning of the post. Isn't it lovely?
Overall, I think this was a successful testing experience. I am very happy with both pairs of my culottes and I can truly stand behind Winslow pattern and recommend it to others. It is great, versatile and required no fitting modifications! Well other than length, but that doesn't count.
What about you? Would you make a pair? Which View?
Love,
Anya
