Oh Closet Case Pietra Pants, you are a sneaky little one!

When Closet Case released their Rome Collection, my first reaction was “nice, but not for me”. I kept thinking, well, this would have been the perfect pattern collection five years ago when I was first learning to sew (seriously, imagine the crap it would have saved me from sewing if there’d been such a stylish beginner-friendly intro to sewing available), but I’m looking for something a bit more challenging today.

But then its pieces started worming their way into my thoughts. The next thing you know, I’ve bought these pants and am trying to speed sew them before heading to London for a weekend!

We’ve all been there, right?

The Pietra Pants come are high waisted pants or shorts, with either a tapered leg, a wider leg or a slightly flared short. They have a totally flat front, which is finished with a facing and an elastic waist encased within a waist band at the back.

And they’ve got really cool pockets!

Tapered Pants Hell

I have long believed that tapered shaped pants just do not suit my body.

I always felt that they brought out the worst about my leg shape and just looked all around unflattering. Even in my RTW life, I have never had a single pair that suit me.

I have quite large thighs and calves (let’s say strong!) and since this is a style of pants which depends on framing those parts of the body just right, it’s always erred on the ‘miss’ side of things for me.

And you may have seen what a disaster the Papercut Patterns Palisade Pants were on me!

Even when I’ve tried to sew my own tapered pants, I feel that a large part of the problem lies in the fact that the widest point of my body is across my thighs – the famous saddle bags. And this part of my body is not only significantly wider than my hips but it is also significantly lower than them. A good six or so inches. I have often read the conventional wisdom that even if your hip measurement isn’t your actual hip, just take your hip measurement across the widest part of your body. But I’ve always felt that “that can’t possibly mean my saddle bag measurement” cuz, well, that’s nowhere near my hip.

So even if I size up to ensure that the saddlebags can be accomodated, the overall fit just isn’t working because, yeah, hips and saddlebags are in two distinctly different parts of the leg.

Nonetheless, despite feeling that most patterns of this nature don’t cater for my body, I’ve also been feeling as though I can’t just wear wide-legged pants all the time and that a solid pair of tapered pants is a vital part of a grown up wardrobe.

A part that I have never been able to experience.

Until now.

And that is why I decided to dive blindly into view B of the Pietra Pants.

And, would you believe, OMG, Closet Case has actually made a tapered pants pattern that suits my body.

Well, if anyone could do it, it was going to be them, right!

My Pietra Pants – View B

My Pietra Pants are a size 14 at the waist, tapered out to a size 16 at the hip downwards. Despite my aforementioned woes, the leg shape of the 16 is generous enough that it’s not pulling on me along the leg anywhere.

Which is unheard of!

I was very relieved to see that the Pietra Pants included detailed and easy-to-follow directions for grading between sizes. When I made the Palisade Pants, which also had the front leg piece in two pieces with a funky pocket, I avoided grading because I wasn’t sure how to do it. These instructions specifically recognise that grading here is slightly more work than usual and tell you exactly how to do it.

Yes!

The one little thing that I think would have been nice is if the finished garment measurements including a thigh and calf measurement. I saw a thigh measurement included in the Morgan Jeans pattern and, as someone with leg fit problems, it’s a really useful figure to look at and use to make a ball park estimate as to whether the pattern has the right amount of ease around the leg for me.

In the end, there was, but I would have felt more assured if I had known that from the start.

Speaking of things “from the start”, I would also highly recommending making a muslin if you can. In terms of construction, the Pietra Pants is one where it is not super easy to try things on as you go, so if there is a problem with the size or similar, you’re not going to figure that out until pretty late. For projects like this, a quick muslin can be invaluable.

Although you should do as I say, not as I do. Cuz, no, I’m sorry, I didn’t actually make a muslin myself. I thought of these ones as a (very) wearable muslin!

Tapered Pietra Pants vs. Palisade Pants

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So I already talked about the Palisade Pants but, insofar, as the tapered version of the Pietra Pants goes, they’re both tapered pants with a two piece front, elastic waist and a funky pocket feature. In other words, I think some comparisons are inevitable.

So, I just wanted to take a second to point out why, having made both, I think the Pietra Pants is by far superior.

First, the obvious. The Pietra Pants has multiple leg shapes, so you’re simply getting more variations for your buck. That’s almost a win itself.

But, since I have more wide-legged pants than I know what to do with, I really bought the Pietra Pants for the tapered view B. So I’ll continue a bit more as to why I find even view B alone, worth the price, compared to the Palisade Pants.

First, I’ll give the Palisade Pants the fact that their pocket detail is probably slightly more spectacular. But, that’s just not enough to win this contest.

First, that detailed grading advice when you are dealing with fancy pockets and multiple pieces making up your pant front is invaluable. The Pietra Pants has it. The Palisade Pants do not.

Insofar as the comfort of a partialy elastic waistband goes, the Pietra Pants has it at the back only with the front being completely flat until the side seams. The Palisade pants has a flat centre front but the elastic starts at the edges of the front and goes around to the back. I find that the sight of a visible elasticated waist against my side is unflattering, so the extra illusion of smoothness created by the Pietra Pants makes them much more wearable.

I also like that the Pietra Pants uses a facing, rather than a waistband at the front. It is easy to sew, still feels very secure and really contributes to the stylish clean look from the front.

I also like the fact that the Pietra Pants still has an actual side seam in a regular side seam position. The Palisade Pants don’t, as the side piece wraps around to the back. This means that with the Pietra Pants, you do still have the option of playing around with the side seams to make minor fit adjustments.

Finally, it may just be that Papercut’s patterns just don’t suit my body well, but it really felt like the Pietra Pants were thoughtfully designed to maximise the chance that they will flatter a range of body shapes. That’s not a feeling I got with the Palisade Pants!

So, ummm, I guess you can tell which tapered leg pant with cool pocket details is my favourite!

Pietra Pants: Instructions

The Pietra Pants (and the entire Rome Collection) are designed to be beginner friendly. So it is actually a really simple and speedy sew. If anything, the instructions are even more detailed than usual for a Closet Case pattern and, you know, they’re already detailed as hell.

Any more detail and they’d be threading the machine for you!

The only downside of sewing the Pietra Pants is that it included a bit of one of my most dreaded sewing skills – “stitching in the ditch”. When you are not a patient nor particularly accurate sewist, it’s one sewing skill which can strike fear deep in the heart.

Nonetheless, I survived without tears!

The other light bulb moment I had while sewing these is that elastic in a channel really does look soooooo much better when it’s top-stitched in place. I’m not going to go as far as saying that it’s pretty, but it’s close enough. And hat’s off to the Pietra Pants instructions for including an instruction which was highly apt for lazy sewists like me. It specifically says: top-stitching the elastic in place is not optional, you have to do it!! I would have been that person who tries to skip that step and then whinges that it looks bad.

So thanks for saving me from my lazy sewist self and showing me the top-stitching light!

Tencel goodness

Hmmm, so is there anything more comfy to wear on a summer’s day than breezy lightweight pants with an elastic back. All the cool comfort of wearing a dress but, you know, without the risk of chub rub!

For this kind of pant, this tencel sanded twill from Meter Meter was just ideal!

It’s only downside is that I do find tencel to wrinkle a bit. And not in an intentional-looking way. So I do have to iron these after each wear.

Beginner love…

It’s been so wonderful watching the sewing community evolve and I feel that the Rome Collection is an epitome of just how far it has come. For beginners just starting out there are now stylish elevated basics like this easily accessible.

Honestly, I remember being a beginner sewist. I sewed a skirt. Then a top. Then a dress or two. Then, I figured, I was ready for pants.

Those pants were a disaster.

I had no idea in the world how to fit them.

These Pietra Pants are deliberately easy to fit and flattering and would, simply put, make a fantastic pair of pants. Seriously, imagine how much of a sewing goddess you would feel like if these could be your first ever me-made pair of pants!!

I feel like enough of a champion just to finally have a pair of tapered pants that fit.

So much so that I’ve already started sewing two more pairs…

Oh and, finally, a little P.S! If you like to get your blog hits through Bloglovin’, feel free to follow me over there: you can find me here. And you can find me on Instagram here.