Pattern Hack: Mamma Can Do It - Men's Fit Pants

Occasionally, I must sew for someone else, and that preferred person is Husband. 

He is EXTREMELY picky with clothing, and like me, not a cookie cutter straight fit, so after a few failed attempts last year, I finally found a few patterns that worked with him (with the sizing guidance of the pattern designers and groups).

I had the opportunity recently to test the new Men's Fit Pants and Shorts pattern for Mamma Can Do It, and Husband was happy I was sewing yet again for him. 

I lacked Husband's presence during the muslin version (aka he was snoring in bed), so didn't have the right elastic measurement other than his waist size, which isn't where the pants sit on him - they sit on his lower abdomen, so I safety pinned him in for fit pictures while my head wasn't Migraine Spinning too badly. 

I ended up taking a pair of sleep shorts I made him for Christmas, added a few more inches as they were a BIT snug (things happen when you make clothes in secret for a surprise - don't use tight Jeans as a size guideline - ha ha), and got the perfect elastic fit for the final pair of shorts.  

Pockets and look at that Elastic - fits perfectly without being tight! 

I did place the fake fly on the Version 1 of the test pattern, and although it was widened slightly for the final version, he still felt the reprint was too thin, so I left it off his final shorts. 

I have sewn fake flies in 3-4 other patterns previously, and honestly found these instructions the easiest to follow - especially with my current brain fog and slow brain state - so you'll be pleased at the ease of adding the fly if you opt for that selection.  

Similar to Zippers, sewing flies - fake or real - is not an easy sewing instruction to explain, and I've had to watch videos in the past to get it.  These instructions differ from others, and I got it first time without hesitation. 

I didn't have to lengthen the shorts or alter beyond the straight sizing I made (size 46 as per measurements guideline included in the pattern instructions).  And he's 6'-2", so this gives you an idea of where the normal shorts sit.  And he has had to have shorts lengthened 2-3" with other patterns to hit his knees as they do with this pattern, so it was nice to not have to alter anything on the pattern. 

Front

Back - Look at those seams!  I'm getting good!

Then on day 5 (6?) of non-stop migraine head pounding, I was saddened to find out that the custom fabric I'd been coveting for almost a year for him wasn't quite enough to cut the entire shorts out of. 

I wasn't leaving the house to hope that I could find any decent fabric at the closest knit fabric store a 30-40 minutes drive from home in traffic on the weekend (or weekday in the full Migraine zone). 

So I did what I do for myself normally. I found a nice basic complimentary cotton lycra fabric,  and colour blocked. 

Front is one fabric type...

From the side, you can see the grey fabric - vertical - and the nice flat pockets! 

But what makes this pattern awkward to colour block (but gives the shorts/pants their flattering shape), is the curve in the actual pattern piece. 

So I measured across the back piece - 12.25" at the leg - and marked the pattern centre from top to bottom, and literally cut the pattern piece in half vertically.

I cut two mirror imaged pieces from the custom fabric, and the other half from the normal cotton lycra (light grey in my case) - ensuring there was a 3/8" seam allowance extra on either side to allow me to sew them together in the centre. 

So with my stretch stitch, I placed one full set of the back panels right sides together (one custom and one grey piece) - ensuring they matched the full pattern piece before sewing (because seam ripping a stretch stitch isn't fun!). 

I pressed the seam flat, pinned each side of the seam with dressmakers pins, flipped over the full back piece, and top stitched on either side of the seam, creating not only a flat seam, but giving the seam a professional look. 

From that point onwards, I was able to sew up Husband's new shorts with side and front pocket options and a Regular fit.

He likes his behind in it, and gave a little wiggle - asking Husband's to pose for pattern test photos either entails silliness or grumpiness on his end.

He just started wiggling...so I couldn't resist - is THIS what Husbands think we do during pattern photo shoots??

He is EXTREMELY picky with shorts/pants, and blames what his mother gave him for slight bulkiness in the front area, but this is a normal complaint he has - we're still keeping together shorts that should of gone away a long time ago, but he can't find replacements he likes.  

So I'll attempt these again in perhaps a medium thickness stretch cargo pants style fabric (if that exists!), with the fake fly widened, in the Wide leg style to see if that gives him the room he wants. He will also prefer the wider leg option that the Wide Leg style offers, as he is a baggy clothes style guy. 

So overall, Husband has worn his shorts 3 days in a row (I'm sneaking them into the wash today!), and loves them as lounging shorts.

The other testers have great "serious" pants and shorts and everyone did a great job making their Husbands and mates a bit happier - sewing for all of those people we love! 

And the other husbands are just as silly as mine - maybe it goes with the sewing wife territory?  One man also did a wiggle, another posed like he was a super model, then there was tractor farm guy (I NEED that fabric for Husband's next pair!), and my friend An - oh An.  

An's the European version of me. One day I *will* go to Europe, visit Husband's family in England, go back to the Black Forest region of Germany (and see that famous castle I was kyboshed on in lieu of the Mercedes Benz Museum - which was cool....but I didn't see any "real to me" castles), and spend a week with my friend An, her puppy, and her Husband who seems just as silly as mine. He did a twirl video - I'm so proud of him!  

We have to keep a tally of how many people we get to twirl in tests now - it's our way of spreading sparkle and joy in the sewing world even when we're not 100% our best. 

Or An can come to Canada and we'll float down the Riviere Noire in Unicorns at our camp - a 10km river float that lasts 4 hours until you get beached at the area we park our ATV.

I really do float down the river in a Unicorn!  

Our men can do camp stuff, twirl, and wiggle in their Mamma Can Do It's Men Fit Pants while we're busy floating. 

Sew on and don't be afraid to use this hack for other patterns - it's a great use of fabric, and after the first few times you do it, it's just second nature and looks really quite amazing!  Take your time, and make your man some bottoms!