Folk Haven

I’ve had a slow start to sewing this year. Finally, I got started on a pair of pants I’ve been wanting to make for a couple of months.

I really like this detail on a pair of Eli’s pants. For want of a better term I’ll call it a knee pleat. (Please, if you know a better technical term, educate me.) The color in this photo isn’t great, but the pants are a color green that just doesn’t match much of his wardrobe so they haven’t seen much wear. He doesn’t really need more pants right now but my friend’s son Alan, who is about the same age, does. Yay! An excuse for me to try to make a pair of pants with a “knee pleat.”

I traced a pair of Eli’s pants that are currently a good fit to make a new pattern. Do you see what I forgot? Yep. There is an appalling lack of seam allowances. I ‘m not concerned with the the top or the bottom of the pants as I’ll be adding other fabrics there (and I did remember to add a little extra length), but the seams around the seat and crotch and down the legs… Uh-oh.

Of course I didn’t notice until I had it pretty much sewn up. Little Alan is the same height as Eli but several pounds lighter. Even so, these certainly don’t look like they will accommodate a little guy with a diaper, even if he is a string bean.

Here’s the thing. I’m trying to decide if the pants are salvageable. I was pretty excited about the pocket on the side of one pant leg.

And of course the “knee pleat.”

Please excuse the tailor's pencil lines. These haven't been washed yet.

Also, the fabric on the bottom is made to be worn as a cuff or down when Alan gets taller. It’s the first time I’ve done that as well.

So, I’m wondering if maybe putting in a butt-wedge like I put in Eli’s Fluffy-bottom Sweater Pants would save these pants. (I think the skinnier legs would still work for Alan.)

Of course with the denim material being much more uniform it would be less noticeable, Maybe I could add a back pocket to further disguise it, but would it look too “baby-ish” for toddler jeans? Should I just salvage the pocket and start anew?

I’d really appreciate any feedback on this that I can get!

I won’t be able to sew much this coming week as I have doctor’s appointments for Eli everyday but Wednesday. That gives me time to step back and think this through and gather your nuggets of sewing wisdom before I blunder ahead.

And for those of you out there who pray, I’d really appreciate any prayers you might have for Eli on Thursday. We have to take him in for a swallow study. Eli chokes fairly often, even on his own saliva, and it’s possible his tongue not working quite right could be a part of the speech delay he has. It seems he chews up and spits out more food than he swallows a lot of the time.

Between getting him up a couple of hours earlier than usual (lately he won’t sleep much before 11:30 p.m.), not feeding him or giving him anything to drink, getting him to agree to swallow the barium and then either having him brave the x-ray alone, or convincing the hospital staff to allow me to stay with him during the actual x-rays…. Then continuing to not allow him to eat, drink, or nurse so they can do more x-rays a while later to see the state of his small intestine… Let’s just say we are really going to need some Divine intervention to get him to co-operate through all of this. And of course, co-operation aside, I’d like it to be as un-traumatic for him as possible as well.

Thank you for reading, and for any support, sewing or prayer, you might be willing to lend!

Karen

Here’s where I’m linking up.

Friday:

Simply Designing, Whipperberry,  Happy Hour Projects, kojodesigns,

Joyful Stamper, Making Lemonade Blog, Thirty Handmade Days,

Release Me Creations, Naptime Crafters, Romantic Home, Finding Fabulous,

Shabby Nest, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, French Country Cottage,

The Charm of Home, The Grant Life, At the Picket Fence, Fingerprints on the Fridge,

Stuff and Nonsense, One Art Mama, 2805

Saturday:

The Gingerbread Blog, Too Much Time On My Hands,

Six Sisters Stuff, Serenity You, Be Different Act Normal

Sunday:

LambAround,  Homemaker on a Dime,  I {heart} Naptime,  Flamingo Toes,

Petite Hermine, My 1929 Charmer Blog

Monday:

{aka}/ design, Get Outta My Head Please, Mad in Crafts, Skip to My Lou,

The Gunny Sack, Sew Can Do, Singing Three Little Birds, Etcetorize, Dittle Dattle,

C.R.A.F.T.,  diy home sweet home, Craft-O Maniac, Sew Chatty, Artful Rising,

Sarahndipities , Just Winging It, Everything Under the Moon