Well, they're comfy

I finished the free Unfettered Patterns Barrel Leg Pants last night when it was already too dark to take photos.

As a reminder, here's the UP drawing of this pattern.

Here's my version.

I cut these out of mystery stash fabric. It's a navy blue woven, probably some cotton with maybe some rayon in it - this guess based on drape and weight. Provenance completely lost in the mists of time. I'm treating these as a wearable muslin.

The verdict is that they are supremely comfy. But maybe not so fashionable? Does fashion even matter? 

Asking for a friend.

I am glad I added 1.2 cm to the rise, which puts them at just the right height to sit at my natural waist. 

However, I did not need the extra room in the front and back leg seams, or at the inseam. Whoops. I sewed some of this out. The finished hip measurement seems to be about 112 cm whereas the pattern says it should be 108 cm. I kind of like the volume in this fabric. But it would be too much in anything heavier or stiffer.

The back, meh. Flat bum, too much fabric there. 

But I can definitely see making these again.

I have some lightweight synthetic fabric with lengthwise stretch, meant for hiking pants, that I bought from Core Fabrics last year. I think this pattern would make dandy pants for summer walks in the woods. Long pants are a must even on the hottest days due to the increasing prevalence of ticks, which carry some nasty diseases. 

I will cut size S/M with the extra length in the rise but no extra width. I may add cargo pockets or a zipper pocket in the right side seam. And I could see making additional darts in the lower leg. The barrel shape is pretty subtle as it is. This would not only emphasize the shape, but make the pants more tick-resistant by narrowing the ankle. 

Final assessment - a pretty good pattern, especially given that it's 100% free!

And next up: my custom barrel leg jeans project! I'm going to make them up 100% as per the pattern, no second-guessing. Can't wait to see how they work out.

New pants in progress

But not "those" pants. I got distracted by another barrel leg pants pattern. This one is free! And it's another new-to-me pattern source - Unfettered Patterns.

The website has a variety of confusing click-bait buttons. Like the "free PDF" button in the image above. That is NOT the download link. 

Stash diving revealed a length of navy blue cotton (?) - maybe it's a blend. It's nice and drapy and not totally rigid. So I figure it will cover for a variety of possible fitting snafus. If it works out I may make several pairs including one for summer hikes/walks in the woods. 

For future reference, I have cut size S/M based on my hip measurement. However, based on some comments including one that mentioned these were low rise, I added some extra fabric insurance in the form of 1.2 cm in the rise on all pieces and an extra cm along the vertical leg seams. I also cut size M on the inner leg on both front and back. I can always sew out this extra fabric!

Thanks for the comments on my last post! I want to resurrect my blog via shorter and less detailed posts (not so daunting) because other platforms have become such a swamp of ads and AI nonsense. If you leave a comment, I'd love it if you included your name because so many comments just show up as "anonymous" and I feel like I know so many of my readers.