Sunday, September 20, 2015

Ahhh! Culottes!!


Love them or hate them, right? Yes, the culottes zombies came for me.  And I've been bitten.  I seriously love all three pairs of culottes I've made.  I made the two shorter pair this summer and just finished the longer black pair.  They are all made from McCall's  7131.  I actually made the first black and red printed pair very early on the summer.  They have been worn almost every other day since.  And I think they've held up pretty well!  Despite using a fairly cheap rayon challis. 



 This pattern is a good one.  I would call these actual culottes, meaning they look like a skirt but aren't.  A divided skirt.  I have seen other patterns called culottes that I would probably call wide leg pants.  But the pleats and the width of each leg on these put them firmly in the culottes category in my book.  Now that I've made this same pattern three times, I think it's time to review it.



Pattern Description: Loose fitting pants have front waistband and pleats, back elastic casing and side pockets.  Different hem lengths in pattern, including very short and very long.

Pattern Sizing: 8-24.  I cut a 16 but ended up using the back elastic guide for a size 12.



Fabric Used:  My first black and red version is a rayon challis.  The brown and black check version is a mystery rayon blend I thrifted a long time ago (with crinkle-- ugh).  And the black version is a crisp rayon poplin.  Which I struggled with.  There is quite a bit of puckering along my seam lines in the rayon poplin.  I am guessing I needed to adjust stitch length or maybe use a different needle?  Maybe a microtex needle?  The puckering looks very noticeable in these photos but I don't think it's as noticeable in real life.  I'm wearing them anyway.  I'm hoping those seams will loosen up a little with some wearing and washing.  The fabric has great drape but the weave is a lot tighter than regular rayon challis.  It's very opaque.  The back view is not the best in the crisper rayon poplin, also.  I did an extremely mediocre job of matching prints and checks on my first two versions.  So don't judge me.  My red and black version are ok, except for that one stupid mismatched stripe on the front.  Hasn't stopped me from wearing them, though.  The brown and black check fabric has a crinkle to it which caused all sorts of issues when matching up plaids.  I did my best.  My pleats match pretty well but my hem is off from front to back.  The outside leg seams match but the inside leg seams don't.  I swear that crinkled fabric was just messing with me. 



Alterations/ Deviations: None, other than using a smaller elastic length.  I tried the original elastic length and the waistband was much too loose.  The first black and red version is the length of view B.  So imagine how short view A is!  The brown and black pair is view B again with about two inches added to length.  And then the black version is view C minus two inches.  


Likes/ Dislikes:  This pattern has a lot of great design features and is easy to make with the elasticized back waistband.  There is one front pleat that is done after sewing up the front center seam which helps hide the pants leg split.  I think this might be my favorite feature and is what makes them look so much like a skirt.  The back waist casing is done by sewing four channels for narrower elastic instead of one big piece.  I like this, although it is very fiddly to feed all four pieces of elastic through.  Kind of a two steps forward, one step back process.  I tried to get a good shot of where the front waistband meets the back elastic casing.  I like how this is sewn as well.  The pants are totally constructed with side seams sewn last.  I like the way the waistbands are sewn together with the front waist facing.  It's a nice clean finish inside.  I'd explain it but I think I'd just confuse people.  My only complaint with this pattern has come after viewing all these photos.  I did get the feeling that the front hem would dip lower while wearing these.  I figured it had something to do with tightening the back elastic and having all those pleats in front.  However, I have noticed on all three pairs that my side seams pull forward.  Can anyone tell me why?  Is it a fit issue?  Or just a feature of the way the pattern is drafted?  It doesn't bother me enough to not wear these.  I do tend to readjust the back elastic casing throughout the day and pull up on the front waistband to keep the front hem from dipping lower.  The front, with all the pleating, is heavier than the back if that makes sense.


Conclusion:  Great pattern!  I'm saving this (I folded it back nice and neat!) to revisit next summer.  I really did wear the first version to death.  They were perfect for hot summer days.  And I know the black version will get worn plenty this fall.


23 comments:

  1. I like all of these. Either I've been worn down by the culotte trend after a season of them, or yours are really cute. It must be the latter!

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    1. Ha! Thanks! This is a really great little pattern.

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  2. Oh you're now one of them! ha ha! Love these. I may join you in team cullottes this summer. I'm sure they are super practical to wear :)

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    1. I've moved over to the dark side. And yes, great for teaching! Super practical. No flashing of undies.

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  3. Nice review, Zombie LJ! (Or do you get a new name when you are turned?) I think that the black ones are my favorite - they just look so elegant. I like that the pleating doesn't go all the way around - it seems to give a trimmer look. Oh, and I'm pretty sure that zombies don't really need shoes, so I'll take them off your hands (feet) if you like!

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    1. Thanks! This blog post reads like an advert for Dansko. All three pairs of shoes are danskos. I may have a problem!

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  4. This looks like a great culotte pattern. I've been feeling tempted lately, but wondering if they would work for fall. Your black pair looks perfect for the next few months!

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    1. It stays pretty hot here for a while. But I definitley plan on wearing the black ones in to fall! The rayon polin is a little bit hardier than the challis.

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  5. Love love love! You can't go past a pair of culottes and all three of yours are gorgeous. I agree with you on the culotte/skirt thing. I have seen so many patterns that I think aren't culottes even though they are labeled that way. Isn't the whole point of culottes to make it look like you are wearing a skirt?

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  6. Fab culottes in all fabrics and lengths!! I love the pleats and think these are the best kind of culottes as the mystery is greater!!! Gotta live culottes! Carry on enjoying them :-)

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  7. I am always impressed how you use a pattern multiple times...I always mean to, and then something new and shiny comes along to distract me. I like all of these, but especially the black ones. I didn't notice all the problems you point out, so probably no one in real life will either. The pleating is more obvious in the black ones, which I like.

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  8. I really like all of these, and I love how they look like a skirt - definitely true culottes. I think they really suit you and I love the tops you paired them with . I think these are the first ones I seen that I feel like I would actually wear, if I were to jump on the culottes train. Your fabric choices are awesome even if you did struggle with sewing them up a little. Great makes Liza!

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  9. I love these! I've had culottes at the back of my mind for a while now, and the only pattern I liked is Megan Nielsen's Tania Culottes, but that's because I hadn't seen this pattern!

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  10. Oh my goodness, these are PERFECT! I am especially in love with the midi black culottes with those shoes. You look smashing. I pinned your photo to my FW inspiration board, hope you don't mind!

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  11. Do you know, I swear you can wear things other people (OK, me) can't! I love culottes but every pair I try on look terrible so I wouldn't invest the sewing time, but you look fab in them all. Lucky you! And you seem to be really back in the swing of things with your sewing x

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    1. Well, thanks philippa! I hit a good sewing streak right at the end of the summer :). Things are a little drier around here now, unfortunately.

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  12. I am really not into culottes, but these are pretty cute! They definitely look more like skirts than shorts, which helps. :)

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  13. Loving all three of these! You totally pull them off.

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  14. I love looking at people who can pull off a nice pair of culottes! I think this is not for me since I am a bit short, I’d end up looking like a dwarf. LOL. Thanks for sharing and glad I stumbled upon your site. More blogs for me to read in addition to Kayla Green website.

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  15. I totally bought this pattern after seeing your red and black version on instagram. Secret pants!

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  16. I really like your trio of culottes and they fit and suit you well. I am a fan of culottes, having made 2 pairs of a Burda Style pattern (with invisible zip). Though your elasticized (back) waist is appealing to me as I am not keen on sewing zips.

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