Like so many, I work mostly from home since last year. It is interesting how this change in life also changes clothing habits. I just do not dress up like I did when I was going to the office. Also, at home, there is no need to walk around a lot, I sit a lot more on my desk before the computer. So I needed something comfortable but still dressy. This excluded any sweatpants or pants with elasticated waistbands. I finally came up with a pattern hack: I used the waistband, pockets, and waistband tabs from the ITS Emily Culottes and the legs from the Fortuna pants from the book Sew Beautiful.
Fabric:
The fabric is a cotton sweater knit. I do not remember where I got it from, probably it was from stoffe.de, but I can’t find it on their site anymore. To make the pants a bit more durable, I lined them with Cupro lining that I found in my stash. I also hoped that the lining would prevent the pants from bagging out, but unfortunately it does not. As soon as I sit down, the bagging at the knees shows.
Construction Notes:
To make the pants fit into the waistband, I had to take off a lot from the side seams. I compared the waistband pattern with the upper edge of the legs to have a starting point. Then I basted everything together and tried them on. there was still too much ease, so I took out some more until I was happy with the fit. I did not do any adjustments to the pattern, so I will not be able to easily recreate these pants. But I hope I won’t need more home-office pants.
To prevent the waistband from stretching, it is underlined with a firm linen fabric. I used this method already previously, mostly for skirts, and it works well. Else I mostly followed the instructions from the Emily culottes. The pants close with an invisible zipper in the left side seam.
Conclusion:
The pants are what they were meant for: very comfortable. I will not leave the house with them, also due to the bagging, but that is OK. Did you also sew home-office-appropriate clothing?
