Bianca (aka @beesilva.creates) has sewn the Lander Pants by True Bias in this vibrant 'Plum Flower Garden' African print fabric from Dovetailed London. Want to read on, get a cup of your favourite drink and enjoy!
Pulling the fabric out of the bag for the first time, I felt a bit worried as I didn't know what I was going to do with it. I didn't recall this fabric even being in my top 5. The reason is simply because of the size of the print and not the print itself or the colours.
Initially, I had a hard time deciding what to make with this fabric. Being a short person, I tend to steer away from big bold prints, I feel like they eat me up and end up wearing me instead. but after a brainstorming chat with my mother, it became clear what I wanted to make and I began to feel excited about using this fabric.
Since this was a large print, I wanted to make something that would accommodate it and not cut it up but instead would keep the flowers intact. I also knew that I wanted to make trousers. So I decided that this was going to be my biggest attempt at pattern matching.
I decided to make the Lander pants by True Bias because these were the only pants pattern in my stash that had a wide enough leg for me to accommodate the large print.
I omitted the front pockets because I didn't want to be overwhelmed with all the matching. So the first step was to add the pockets to the back pants. I forgot that there were darts and didn't take that into account which meant all the work I had put in to match the back pockets kind of didn't really work, since the design was altered on the back.
Matching the side seams, I knew it wouldn't be perfect because of the curve of the hips, but the legs were spot on! So unfortunately the hip matching is slightly off.
As for sizing, I made one size smaller than my actual measurements and I removed 3.5 inches from the leg length.
The time it took to make these pants which includes cutting, interfacing and sewing was 5 hours and 21 minutes.
Since I had some scraps left, I also decided to make a quick scrunchie. I just cut a rectangle of about 27"×5", sewed the short ends together first, sewed the long edges using the burrito-style method and then inserted the elastic.
The fabric was great to work with, it pressed well, did what it was told and had a crisp, soft feel to it.
I look forward to adding more African wax print garments to my wardrobe as the colours and designs are just gorgeous and eye-catching!
Want to make something gorgeous on this fabric? Shop here.
Want to sew with African fabric? Shop here.
Looking for a range of sewing patterns designed specifically with African wax print fabric in mind, shop here.
Want to buy ready-made in a selection of Dovetailed garments? Shop ready made here.
Want to make your own with a little help? Shop workshops here.