Liz’s Persephone pants!
As soon as I saw this beautiful choco denim on the Felicity Fabrics website I instantly imagined it as a pair of Persephone pants ready for the autumn. I started planning the trousers back in March and knew they would be perfect for the new school term in September. The denim fabric also comes in a ‘wine’ colourway but I thought the choco colour would go with more garments I already have in my wardrobe.
The Persephone pants and shorts pattern is by Anna Allen and is based on photographs of men’s 1920s – 40s US Navy sailor pants. They area high waisted pants and shorts pattern that comes in PDF. One of the many things I love about the pattern is there is no side seam. The front and back legs are cut from one piece. It has a concealed button fly, front waist in-seam pockets, belt loops and two back waist shaping darts. The recommended fabric for the pattern is a woven non-stretch fabric. However they do state on their website that a 3% – 5% stretch woven fabric can also be used.
The patterns comes in sizes 0 (25” waist and 35” hip measurement) up to a size 20 (39” waist and 49” hip measurement). I made a couple of adjustments to the pattern before cutting them out as my measurements put me in two different sizes – a size 6 for my waist and a size 2 for my hips.
I used the lengthen/shorten line on the pattern pieces to remove 2 inches from the front rise and graded from a 6 at the waist to a 2 at the hips. I am really pleased with the fit – there’s enough room in them to feel comfortable if I’m having a tummy flare up and there are belt loops for the days I’m not bloating so I can pop a belt on.
I have sewn the Persephone pants before in a linen fabric and I love wearing them. They are really comfortable to wear and I love the button fly detail too. I was keen to try them in a denim so was pleased when I discovered the denim on the Felicity Fabrics website. The denim from Felicity Fabrics is 65% cotton, 33% polyester and 2% elastane and 145cm wide.
I am going to be honest and say I did struggle with some parts of the instructions when I first tackled this pattern as the images are a bit confusing at times. Where certain pattern pieces had an edge finished the pictures didn’t reflect this. I ended up drawing on my pattern instructions to reflect the finished edges to help me when following along. For this pair I felt more confident and found it easier to follow the instructions.
I’ve paired them with an Anna Allen Anthea blouse made in a viscose crepe fabric for these photos but I think the trousers would also go with a jumper, blouse or polo neck for the chillier weather.
Although I love the summer time and the warm, breezy evenings we seem to get in London I am quite excited about the snuggly, cosy autumn evenings that are just around the corner. I think these trousers will be getting a lot of wear come September/October.
