Hot Patterns Marrakesh Drawstring Pants

I finally finished my Hot Patterns Marrakesh Pants:


I thought that this would be a very bad style for me, but then I saw so many people making them on PR with fantastic results, as well as seeing Trudy's videos, I decided to give them a try. And can I say I was pleasantly surprised by the muslin? I had two tiny, tiny wrinkles under the bum that showed that I needed to extend that crotch curve on the back pattern piece, and I had to add a tiny wedge to the back to cover the bum and fix a little bit of "gaposis." This may SOUND like a lot of alterations, but in my experience with pants, these were NEARLY PERFECT. Seriously, I would have totally worn a pair of RTW pants with the minor issues that the muslin had.

So, I made my alterations and cut my fashion fabric. I had this deliciously drapey poly suiting that I bought in Portland at Fabric Depot, and some leftover zebra charmeuse that I used for the pocket bags. I know no one will see it, but it makes me happy.


I have to say, though, that I would be very reluctant to post a review about my happiness with the draft of this pant in light of a recent thread on PR, in which a couple of members accused reviewers of deliberately "glossing over" issues with patterns because a) the company is small, or b) we personally like the people who make them, or c) god knows why.

As far as I can tell, the original poster was stymied by the fact that where the inseams meet the crotch curve, there is a little hump...i.e., it does not make a perfect "U." The claim was that a beginner wouldn't know how to fix it, and because everyone else has conspired to hide the fact that the pattern draft is faulty, that we are complicit in chasing beginners away from sewing. OK, so I paraphrased, but that was the basic point...that beginners would be discouraged and might quit sewing.

OK, I understand frustration. I have been very frustrated by patterns. I was frustrated by the 4 million muslins I had to make to get a pair of pants that I wasn't ashamed to leave the house in. My response? That I could not post on the boards because there was no way I could "be nice?" Scroll up to the image of the pattern. See the two little dress forms at the top? Know what that means? NOT A BEGINNER PATTERN. As an "Advanced Beginner," the assumption should be that perhaps you have actually seen a pants pattern before, or would know how pants patterns go together, or have enough experience sewing (and wearing clothes) to know that pants crotch curves should not have a lump poking you in your junk. Having just completed this pattern, I can attest that this is a rather involved pattern. Between the waistband with a drawstring, the pockets, the topstitching, and the fly front...this had quite a few fiddly bits that beginners would be frustrated with long before they got to the crotch curve.

Not to mention, probably half the pants patterns I have ever sewn (and let's face it, I have sewn A LOT of them) have that hump and you just straighten it when you sew the legs together. I have done this to Vogue pants, to McCall's pants, to Burda, and I had to do it to this Hot Patterns draft. I don't even mention it in reviews because it happens all the time, and you just correct when you sew. The mismatch of the seams also tends to be "enhanced" once I start making my alterations.

But, no matter how many people pointed this out in the thread, the entire thing just became an excuse to bash Hot Patterns, or bash the people that said that they had had good luck with those patterns. So therefore, I will probably not be posting a review on PR, because I don't feel like being abused. Suffice it to say, I was very happy with these pants, and any issue with the crotch curve is so minor and so ubiquitous to pants patterns as to not warrant mention.

Here is the final product:


You can see that the back fits very well, with no pulling or creasing. To achieve this, I added 1 1/2 inches of length to the back crotch curve, blending back down into the inseam. I also added a 1 inch wedge to the back to raise the waistband and keep the undies from peeking out. I also tilted the back seam so that it would curve over the top of the derriere and prevent "gaposis."

I also added a slight bit of width to the front pattern piece, and may add more...but I can't decide if the creases at the crotch are because of fit, or because I've hiked them up by tying the drawstring too tight. The description says that the pants sit one inch below the natural waist, but in this picture I have them at the natural waist. I think I just need to loosen the drawstring:


Overall, I am extremely happy with these pants. Normally for pants I use fabrics with much more body, and these are like wearing pajamas. The only concern that I would have is that they don't exactly camouflage anything...so Spanx may be in order. I think a minor tweak here and there to account for other fabrics and these could be a fantastically versatile pant. I think that you could even use them for a lounge pant in a stretch knit, and omit the zipper. I am looking forward to using this pattern again.