Red Cotton Twill Cropped Pants and Gingham Blouse

I've had this red cotton thick twill for two years in my stash. I bought in Porto, without a project in mind, because good cotton twill is difficult to find, and this had a nice red colour. 

I doubted about how to make the pants, and finally I had the idea of cutting them short, and that was the starting point.

Then, one day I was watching the last And Just Like That season and I saw Charlotte combining some red pants with a red and white gingham blouse. Very inspiring!

I found the cotton gingham in my Lleida and I started to pick up patterns. 

For the trousers, I went again to the wide version of my favourite pants pattern. I can make them slimmer, wider, in every length, including this pirate version. They are perfect in every sense, and I will continue using them again and again. 

As for the blouse, I found a good pattern in a Burda Style magazine (September 2024), with a yoke in the back and side breast seams. It has a big shirt collar and it is practically straight in the sides. 

The sleeves could have a better hang, I rushed the machine stitching and seam enclosing process, but all in all, the blouse is awesome, and I will wear it a lot. 

Animal Print Twill Ginger Pants

After making my 50's dress  with this gorgeous fabric, I had 1 m left. Then, I remembered the idea I had had long in my mind, of making a pair of camouflage pants. Finding the right fabric has been impossible til now, so I thought this fabric would be perfect to make a pair of tight-fitting Ginger Jeans.

As any other pattern of jeans, legs must be adjusted to get the right amount of ease, depending on the look we have in mind, the thickness of the fabric and most of all, the elasticity of it. Since this fabric is quite thin and it has a very good give and recovery, I thought I could make them in a tight version. 

In the 1st fitting I realized they were too tight, unwearable. One of these projects that goes to the waste unfinished, a shame. But then I gave it some thought and I decided to make serged seams instead of self-encasing them. Most commercial jeans have serged, and then topstiched seams. This meant I could give 1 cm off every seam. 

That proves to be the perfect solution. It is amazing that only 1 cm is such a game changer! They feel like a glove, they are comfortable to wear and the perfect tightness in both hips and legs. 

I have worn them to a metal festival all day, and they stayed in perfect shape after sitting, dancing and the lots. 

Last time I made a pair of Ginger jeans, I remember I had to take them in all around, so I must have cut 1 cm off around all pieces, although I cannot remember doing that. In this fabric, which is not that elastic, this was. I am making another pair nowadays, adding 1 cm in all exterior seams, we will see if that is right, or I might have to print and trace the pattern in my right size again.