Made for Mermaids Winnie Pants

Writing posts this summer was a real struggle for some reason. Maybe Summer Brain is a thing just like Mom Brain is a thing, except it’s the languid, long summer heat that causes the malfunction instead of the incessant needs of tiny humans. I’ll plead victim to both!

So here I am, for the umpteenth time, sitting down trying to write a post about these pants and maybe this one’ll stick!

I made a pair of wide leg pants that I do not hate and that I have actually worn! This might not seem like a very big deal but I have previously, within the last few months, made two other wide leg pants in linen and for whatever reason, I haven’t been able to wear them in any natural way. I just feel so self conscious when I put them on, like everyone will know I’m a wide-leg-pant wearing FRAUD! Which makes absolutely no sense because this is 2024 and there are very few rules about what a person can and can’t wear.

In any case, these Winnie pants have been a win for me! They are, essentially, a fancy pair of sweat pants so maybe the fact that they are successfully integrating themselves into my wardrobe is no surprise.

The very best part of these pants is the fabric! I got the fabric from Surge Fabric Shop, which is a new-to-me online fabric store. They have an introductory blog post about this fabric when it first dropped, explaining that it’s meant to replicate the fabric used for the Spanx Air Essentials clothing line. I have never worn (or touched) anything from the Spanx line (it’s very much out of my price range), so I cannot attest to the similarities. BUT I can say that this fabric is unique and exceptional.

It is a “cupro double knit techno” which is not a phrase I think I have ever come across in my sewing journey. If you can imagine, though, an incredibly soft, velvety, squishy scuba knit, that’s what this fabric is like! It has a cool hand and a good amount of stretch. It’s thicker, but as far as knits go, it was pretty easy to work with. I used a ballpoint needle.

I was able to get the fabric for 10% off making it $36 for 2 yards of fabric. Seems like a pretty good deal when compared to the Spanx version! I got the “dark blush” cupro but, unfortunately, Surge is currently out of every color of this fabric. Maybe they’ll get more for fall???

The pattern I used is the Winnie Pattern from Made for Mermaids (M4M). This is my first time using a pattern from M4M, which is surprising since they have a pretty extensive free catalogue. I will say, though, that I’ve always gotten the impression that they aren’t the most professional of pattern makers and making the Winnie pattern did nothing to dispel that impression. It wasn’t the worst pattern I’ve worked with and I’m not turned off from trying them again (the pattern was only $12, which feels like a steal in a world where pattern prices have been bumped up to $18-$30!), but I had a few issues with the pattern, so I’d use any future patterns with a grain of salt.

One thing to note is that things weren’t trued. Unfortunately, with knits this is an easily overlooked issue since things can be stretched into place. But I had serious issues with my pockets and I think (?) drafting is to blame. I had to unpick and resew three times in order to get the pockets to lay flat. The design itself is fine, but personal preference might have me tweak the pockets to be more like the Hudson’s (with the pocket detail squished between pocket layers, so that the inside of the pocket’s not peeking out).

For their instructions booklet, M4M uses photos instead of illustrations. I think this can be done well, but in this case, they used something like 4 different pairs of pants-all different colors/prints- interchangeably throughout the photos, including a pair of child-sized Winnie pants. This was, at the very least, distracting. But the instructions themselves were good and thorough. And the pants fit well enough! I did the front pleat, though they provide instructions for omitting that. I did the flat waistband without elastic but with a drawstring. They aren’t as secure as with elastic (which is to be expected) but they only droop a bit when my phone’s in my pocket (read: secure enough that there’s no worry of the pants slipping off, thankfully!).

And yes, they are as comfortable as they look! I’ve worn them lots over the summer-even in 97° (F) weather-and I never felt like the pants were making me feel hotter than I already was.

Since we’re here, I also want to mention my top. I took photos of it, but I don’t know if I’ll get around to doing separate blog post on it. It’s a Jesse tee but the fabric I used is a knit (also from Surge) made of cotton, hemp and…yak hair! Ha! I still get a kick out of it! It does have teeny fibers that kind of stick out, so I can’t say it’s a fabric everyone would love, but I have absolutely loved it! It’s surprisingly cool and breathable. It’s lightweight and has a good drape. It’s a little more expensive than what I normally spend on fabric (it’s $25/yd) but I only need one yard for t-shirts, so I justified it and I’m hoping to buy more soon. I need to rework the neckband, but it’s a top/fabric combo I could happily wear every day.

Anyway, back to the pants, overall, I’m really happy with how these turned out and glad that I finally was able to dip my toe into wearing wide-leg pants. I’m still going to try with my linen versions. I think one of my biggest issues is having tops to go with it! For years, I’ve almost exclusively been wearing baggier tops, but I think baggy bottoms mean I need to balance with something more fitted on top? And fitted tops aren’t something I currently have in my closet. Anyway, I’m working on it and experimenting but also telling myself that the wide-leg trend might not be for me and that’s okay. For now, I’m glad I’ve got this pair that I like and that will do me good in the upcoming changing seasons.

Pattern: Winnie Pants by Made for Mermaids
Size: Indigo
Alterations: Their cropped inseam is 23″ which is actually about right for me! No alterations
Fabric: cupro double knit from Surge fabric
Cost: fabric $36; pattern $12; thread from stash
Would I make this pattern again?: I would. I think I’d alter the pockets a bit but it’s a pattern that ultimately worked out for me