Sewing: Gaucho Pants with Halter Top

I have a slight fascination for culottes, not sure why. Well, possibly because my school uniform on Sports Mondays involved "divided skirt", with tons of pleats, not just a modest skort.

I wanted to make skorts for Ana, but, maybe next year... she is still quite a baby and can get away with shorts while involved in active physical play. Although I have no problem with shorts, Ana seems to think it is for boys and she prefers girlie clothes.

And, for some reason, despite seeing me in jeans all the time, she seems to have an intense dislike for regular pants. Oh, she'll wear them on and off when all other clothes are in the laundry hamper, but, it is not her garment of choice. So, I think skorts, culottes, even gaucho pants won't be rejected outright like ordinary pants.

I find that gaucho pants, even culottes, are very cute when they have a fitting waist, generous flare but no bulky pleats, and are cut to calf-length or just above the ankles. Of course, culottes by definition, tend to have a more skirt-like look.

I had 2 yards of this promotional knit fabric I had bought a year ago for a dollar a yard and was wondering what to make with it. And, as usual, sitting up awake during the wee hours of the morning thanks to Oggie not sleeping, this pattern/outfit popped into my head, asking to be made.

I could potentially have made the legs flare a lot more, but, this cut seems to have come out all right. Plus, I had enough left over to make a matching outfit for Enid, Ana's constant companion, her cabbage patch doll friend. And I still have a little less than half a yard leftover for something else.

Halter top is a very simple A-line, so easy to sew that I am always tempted to sew a bunch. No frills, no fancy, just a nice neckline and elastic back to allow for a better fit.

The pants are standard, nothing fancy, except I made the legs flare a bit rather than straight leg that I usually sew. It is nice to have a standard store-bought pattern for pants so that as Sew, Mama, Sew website shows, we can get various pants styles from just the basic style by adjusting the cut appropriately. But, since I have my own little easel paper cut-out that I've been using for my daughter, I simple went with that.

Typically, it is a good idea to cut the back a little larger than front and work in the ease while sewing the two together as human bodies are shaped such that the rear is more curved than the front usually; also, I like to attach adjustable elastic waist, but only to the back, keeping the front flat.

For yoga pants or martial arts, of course, it is nice to add the diamond-shaped gusset, which used to be the standard Patiala shalwar cut that one of my SUPW teachers showed me way back in high school that I never had the pluck to try and sew by myself.

Well, I am rambling... anyway, Summer is almost coming to a close, so, I have to start thinking of Fall and Winter wardrobe... usually, it is the same summer clothes with extra layers - maybe an undershirt, tights, plus a crochet or knit jacket.

I am sure a full sleeved shirt under the halter top might look ridiculous, but, I don't think it matters... it feels criminal to discard clothes from season to season.