Pants and Skirts

Threads, January 2002

There's a new, key alternative to your favorite skinny pant of last season: a plain-front, wide-leg pant in soft fabric, which offers a flattering silhouette—regardless of how "big" you think you are—and has a dropped waistband or none at all.

Quick as you can say, "Hmm… maybe I'll make a pair of pants this afternoon," think of the Christine Jonson Straight-leg Pant, Pattern No. 621. This narrow pant (15-1/2 in. at the hem, size 12) is designed for two-way stretch fabric. The pants hug the waist, using the fabric's negative ease and darted waist-shaping, rather than hanging from an elastic casing. Our tester found these pants comfortable to wear and easy to construct in cotton-Lycra fabric, taking two hours, start to finish. To use a stretch woven instead, choose a pattern two sizes larger than your measurements and insert an invisible zipper at center back.

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