M7131 is an easy-level shorts, culottes, or pants pattern that gives the illusion of a skirt with its front pleats and wide, wide legs. I think it's very well designed; the flat, curved waistband in the front gives a polished look while the elasticated back waistband provides comfort and accommodates the wearer should they fluctuate in weight. Dynamism always a plus.
The finished measurements suggest that I cut a size 14, I cut a 12 because reviewers said they ended up needing to take in the sides. I could have even gone down to a 10 for less volume, or stayed with the 12 and cut off some width from the back pieces. The back elastic is gathering more fabric than it should, I think. It feels like there's a lot back there.
I didn't make a muslin because I am lazy, and also because I wasn't concerned with the fit in the butt or crotch anyway. If I had more booty than I do, I would consider it. Definitely consider raising or lowering the rise. In the future I would raise it about an inch or so to drop the crotch more, as it currently fits closer than I'd like. My crotch depth is 11.5" for reference. Length C is just shy of being full-length on me and my short legs. I cut off about 4.5" to achieve a more midi length. Maybe I should have cut off more so it would hit just below the knee? Eh. I deepened the pockets about 3". Like many others, I exchanged the four thin elastic rows for one 1.75" wide elastic band.
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Now, the pattern review. I didn't really look at the instructions, oops. I suppose that's a review in itself, that you don't need to pay attention to them if you've already made pants before. Some reviewers find them outright bad because they nonsensically deviate from how most pants are normally constructed, and I can't wholeheartedly say I disagree.
First, I thought it was stupid that the instructions have you sew the two front pieces together and THEN attach the pockets and baste the pleats. There's no reason why a person should juggle double the fabric as they do either of those things, which is why I did them first. Then you sew the front waistband to the whole front so you can later sew the waistband pieces together at the sides. I don't mind that this is their chosen method because I believe they're trying to make things as easy as possible on beginner sewists; it might be too difficult for a newbie to deal with a half-flat, half-elastic waistband when the elastic is supposed to be in four little channels.
What really bothers me is that they tell you to leave the bottom half of the center seam unsewn, because you need to leave the crotch open to sew the front and back piece together at the inseam. I repeat, you sew the inseam BEFORE you sew the crotch seam, but I see no reason for this when sewing the crotch is the very next step anyway! What is the purpose? What is the benefit??
How I would normally approach any pants pattern, and how I approached this one:
- Sew the decorative stuff (pockets and pleats).
- Sew the front crotch seam.
2a. Sew the center pleat - Sew the back crotch seam.
- Sew the inseam.
- Sew the side seams.
- Sew the waistband.
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| This was NOT a failed attempt at pattern matching by the way. I wasn't paying attention and I cut the front pieces like this, oops. |
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| I never removed the basting stitches on the pleats. Interestingly, the instructions never tell you to at any point. |
I wanted to do it this way because I had already resolved to finish the edges with French seams and I wasn't about to re-strategize my plan of attack around McCall's wack instructions. If you already know how to make pants, none of this is necessary. If you're doing what I did, with one piece of elastic instead of four, do this:
- Sew the waistband in the most orthodox manner, attaching a big loop to the nearly fully constructed pants.
- As you sew down the waistband facing, leave it unsewn at both the left and right sides so you can do the "shimmy the elastic through with a safety pin" technique.
- Then sew the elastic down at the waistband's side seams. Stitch in the ditch if you're feeling fancy and don't want the stitching to be visible.
- Sew the gaps left in the facing closed.
Overall, I think this pattern is mostly fine. There's not a whole lot here to screw up because the pants are actually quite simple. It's not as if the instructions are confusing or difficult to understand, it's the reasoning behind them that I don't understand. If I were a beginner I probably wouldn't be so bothered by it, and as an intermediate sewist I suppose I shouldn't be so bothered either if I can just ignore the stuff that I personally find inefficient. It's also worth noting that this pattern is only available physically for some reason. I don't know why it hasn't been digitized considering its popularity on Sewing Pattern Review. Maybe it's too large? Iunno.
Summary of notes and modifications:
- Cut size 12, could have cut a 10 or reduced the back width
- Length C, shortened 4.5"
- Replaced 4 elastic pieces with 1 wide piece
- Deepened pockets
- Changed construction order because of French seams
The multicolored, paisley print fabric is a cotton lawn from Minerva. I like it a lot! It has a tight and fine weave which helped it combat fraying as I was handling it. It has just the right combination of drape and body, neither too flowy nor too stiff. It's opaque despite being pretty thin. But because it's so thin, I can't see myself wearing them unless it is truly hot outside, not just warm. I get cold easily so I can't wear them year-round. They are, unfortunately, not that practical. Ah well. It gives me an excuse to make another pair in a heavier bottom weight fabric. They won't be as groovy as this pair but I'm already looking forward to them in all their wide, spacious glory.
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| Mandatory "you thought it was a skirt, but you were fooled!" pose. |
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