Pomona Pants: Two Versions

 I thought I'd share about my Pomona Pants in a little more depth in this post, especially as I've just finished a second pair. I'm struggling right now with wanting to knit all the linen/summery/flow-y things while being stuck in below-freezing temperatures. Is it spring yet? 

Pattern

The pattern is from Anna Allen Clothing and is a PDF download. I go back and forth on whether I have the patience to print out and tape a pattern together. I think as long as it's not too many pages, I find it worth it. (Taping a PDF pattern together also became 10x easier after I saw Rachael's (@minimalistmachinist) tip about folding the corners). There's also something that really speaks to the risk-averse side of me about having the pattern in PDF format so I can print out different sizes as needed and don't have to worry about losing the pattern during apartment moves. 

Fabric

Both versions I show here use fabric from Joann's. The black is Sew Classics Amaretto Linen Look and the yellow is Sew Classics Linen Look in "honey". The black fabric actually has no linen in it, whereas the yellow fabric is 55% linen and 45% rayon. Despite my black pair not actually being "linen", I prefer the feel of them -- they're softer, wrinkle way less, and are also a bit warmer. I haven't washed my yellow pants more than 3-4 times though, so they might soften more with wear. They are also definitely a warm-weather-only pant.

Cost for the yellow fabric: $18.18

Cost for the black fabric: $18.18

I do think I'm still exclusively sewing with fabric others might consider toile or muslin material -- the cost of sewing can be truly A LOT. I understand the process of buying a pattern and modifying it so it fits perfect for you, and then using very high quality fabric to create a long-lasting quality piece of clothing, but I think that realistically for people like me who are just starting out and likely to make MANY mistakes, there is not a huge value-added right away to splurging on nice fabric. The fabrics I listed above definitely function well for this pattern in particular, and I don't feel like I've wasted both a lot to time and money if I mess up along the way. That said, there are still a lot of questions in regard to sustainability with some fabrics, but I think that my new sewing hobby (and the pandemic) has started to make me much more mindful of the clothing I buy and what I could make myself, and also motivates me to be more creative with the clothing I already have -- especially anything I've made myself. 

Sewing

The pattern calls for a 2-inch elastic. For both, I instead used this 1.5-inch elastic from Amazon. This elastic doesn't roll in my experience and works well -- I just modified the casing by a half inch. 

This pattern is great for beginners, the instructions are detailed, and I had few moments when I felt lost about what to do next. After sewing my Burnside Bibs and then sewing two pairs of the Pomona Pants, I think I finally understand how sewing pans actually worked (on a basic level). Before now, though, I relied heavily on this video, which walks you through which seams line up with each other. 

The black are a size 6 and the yellow are a size 8. Part of the difference in fit is definitely fabric, but I am a little surprised how the two fit so differently. I think my ideal fit would be somewhere in between, and I plan to work on a version that is graded between an 8 at the hips and a 6 at the waist. I also think I could add a little more length (I'm 5'7" for reference).

I also added horizontal stitching to the waistband. I really love the finished look it gives, but I also want to caution anyone doing this that it will stretch out the elastic, so make sure the elastic is quite snug before you do the horizontal stitching. 

This pattern has really worked for me, just like my Wiksten Shift Top, and I already have plans for a third pair that will go along with a Ashton Top in the same fabric (slowly making my way toward the linen lounging set of my dreams...).