Hallelujah! After some lackluster sews, I’m happy to report that I have a couple successes under my belt that I’ll gladly be sharing with you guys!
First off is this pair of Hudson pants. And yes, they might be a basic black pair of joggers but I really do love how they turned out and I’ve been wearing them a lot.
I’ve made half a dozen Hudsons over the past three years but somehow I’ve yet to make a pair that’s comfortably neutral. All mine seem to be very bright and very lounge-y. I know we live in a glorious time where pajama and lounge pants are acceptable to be worn practically anywhere but I didn’t have a pair basic enough to match with any tops in a way that made me feel like I could go anywhere other than my couch and maybe to take the dog out. I wanted a pair that was neutral!
And once I started thinking down this path, which was really quite a stretch (why are neutral things to hard to plan for? It must be directly related to the difficulty I experience when having to buy socks), I knew what I wanted was an athletic pair of Hudsons.
I did a lot of looking around for “athletic stretch woven fabric” and finally found this fabric from The Fabric Fairy. It’s made up of polyester and lycra and the description says it’d be perfect for running shorts so I felt like I could kind of picture what it would be like in person. I wanted something with stretch and this has 15-20%.
When I got the fabric, I was surprised at how little 15-20% stretch feels like! I guess I had been used to stretch knits that typically have 50% or more. The stretch is very subtle, and it has to be completely on grain or you lose the stretch completely.
Because of the lack of stretch, I decided to reprint the pattern for a larger size. I had cut out a size 8 and used it exclusively despite the fact that my measurements have fluctuated a lot during that time but with the low stretch factoring in, I wanted to make sure I had plenty of room so I reprinted and this time cut out a size 12. I removed 3.5 inches from the length but now that I’ve worn these several times I feel confident saying that I could stand to lose 1-2 inches more. Luckily, the cuffs are very generous so I’m going to alter these by remove a bit from the cuffs and then reattaching, no problem.
I also always add an inch to the pocket pattern piece. On my first pair of Hudson pants I was disappointed at how shallow the pocket was. Adding one inch seems to make them the right depth for my taste.
Interestingly, the woven fabric has exacerbated some fit issues for me that have been on my other pairs but less noticeable because they have more stretch. Or maybe it has to do with the size change. In any case, there are some drag lines and pooling. And I also wish my rear end had just the tiniest sliver more of breath room. For this pair, I’m choosing not to worry about the fit issues; to me they are minimal. But I will try to make adjustments because I do have plans for another pair of woven Hudsons (okay and also French terry pair! Haha! I’m obsessed!).
So I had my running-shorts fabric for the main body but I wanted ribbing for the pocket detail, waistband and cuffs for visual interest and to make them seem a bit more professional. Unfortunately, The Fabric Fairy didn’t have what I wanted for a rib knit so I only bought the one cut from them (I got a yard and a half). Once I had that fabric in hand, I took it to Joann to try to find an athletic rib knit to use with it. To me Joann’s is hit and miss, but it seems like their athletic knits are good quality. I circled the store trying to find what I wanted but couldn’t find it anywhere. I almost walked out empty handed but decided to go check the athletic section one more time and I’m glad I did! They had exactly what I was hoping for-a good quality athletic rib knit in black! I got half a yard.
I’ve been very impressed with the level of quality on both fabrics. I’ve been especially grateful that the stretch woven seems to repel dog hair! Our dog’s hair is white and it getting on me is my biggest frustration with wearing black leggings. Somehow these remain remarkably un-haired.
I thought I’d be smart when sewing the waistband and sew the label on first. Obviously that wasn’t the best choice as it got all scrunched up but consider it a lesson learned. I’ve also noticed that my waistband doesn’t ruche where the elastic is doubled up and somehow it seems extra noticeable here? Oh well.
Anyway, when all is said and done I’m really happy with this pair of joggers. They might not be the most exciting or glamorous thing I’ve sewn but they are comfortable, neutral and very wearable to pretty much all of the places I find myself going these days. I haven’t done anything athletic in them, and actually don’t really plan to, but for the record, I do think they’d hold up very well to most athletic ventures. Almost every time I’ve worn these, Ben has requested that I make a pair for him and I’m thinking I’ll make that happen. I will need to order more stretch woven but that might give me the opportunity to buy the same fabric but in mint for me, so that I can make myself a second awesome pair of athleisure Hudson pants (“athleisure”–that’s the word we want to use here-not pajamas!).
Oh! And you may have noticed my photos are a little different! I didn’t think my regular camera would pick up the black pants very well but I thought my phone might do a good job. I asked my girls to take pictures for me and let me tell you, it was an event. I was surprised that my younger girl took the better pictures, but she also insisted on telling me how to pose so that’s what you’re getting here: a 4 year old’s interpretation of what my blog photos should look like!
Pattern: Hudson Pants by True Bias
Size: 12
Adjustments: Removing 3.5 inches from the length, adding 1 inch to the bottom of the pocket bags
Fabric: 1.5 yards Poly Lycra Stretch Woven from The Fabric Fairy; .5 yard rib knit from Joann
Cost: $16 for the woven; $8 for the knit; everything else from stash
Would I make this pattern again?: Ha! Of course
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