Green Velvet

Need I say more? These cotton velvet pants were a very recent thrift score and though they weren't a perfect fit, I knew that it wouldn't take much effort to make them into my favorite pair of winter pants. First off, they're green...deep emerald or forest green *sigh*. So pretty! And they're pants, which are super functional for work, home, whatever! And don't forget velvet.

Now, these are a size 6 petite, which meant I knew there would be a length issue, and though I wear a size 6 in some brands, these ended up being a couple of inches two large around the waist and hips. They have no belt loops, which means they're meant to fit well (i.e. they don't slide down) and they didn't...fit well, that is.

I put the pants on inside out and marked with chalk how much I needed to pinch in on each side...but here's where it gets interesting. The zipper closure, for some reason, sat slightly off center. So, I ended up taking in both sides an even amount initially, then unpicking the side that the zipper tended towards and just took them in on the opposite side. Does that make sense? Essentially I centered the zipper while taking them in the necessary amount. I took the one side in from the waist down to the top of my thigh, to start. Then I tackled the the bottom of the pant legs. I marked how much I could take in on each side of each leg, giving them a skinny fit. Once I'd marked, pinned, and then finally sewed everything in place, I cut off the excess and finished off the insides. Sorry, no pics...I was transitioning from one phone to the next and did all of the sewing while I was without a phone/camera.

Now, I feel, the fit is much better and much more flattering in the legs. I still don't like how these pants look on my butt, however. They have pockets and I'm considering sewing them shut and trimming away all of the excess fabric to see if that helps them to look better, but it may be an issue of the cut and type of fabric of the pants and I'm not sure how I'll fix that. Or its my butt....... nah! ;). If I decide to play around with that I'll let you know and post an update with pics. And hopefully better quality pics with better lighting!!! Winter is so dreary.

Anywho, this is how I wore the pants to work on Sunday, and I got compliments on both the pants and my cropped kimono jacket!

Thanks for stopping by! Stay tuned for another post on making your clothes fit better...

Peace,
Andrea