Part 1 of the Pineapple Express Pants
It all started a few years back when Miss Melysse, my beautiful, daughter asked what I wanted for Christmas.
“ Mom, what would you like for Christmas?” she asked.
“ Tropical earrings.” said I.
“ Like what, big bananas, crystal palm trees, shells, what?”
“Bright citrusy colors, not too big, but not too small. Beach colors.”
Melissa, always surprises and delights me with her gift choices.
And that year she did not disappoint.
Here are the lovely peach and water green earrings she gave me. I love them. And I wear them often.
But I always had an idea that I wanted a special garment that would go with those earrings and really pop as a tropical accessory. And then Pattern Review had a two-week challenge contest. The brief: show a garment made to go with an accessory that inspired you.
Enter my “Pineapple Express” fabric. A lovely tangerine linen embroidered with little pineapples. I love the color, I love the embroidery, and they screamed “ I will go with your peach and green drop earrings.” I could hear the screams across the store. I immediately bought 5 meters. When I got home I loved the fabric so much, I went back and bought three more meters. I could see pants, shorts, a blouse and a dress all out of that soft, yummy, sherbet-colored linen.
I live in a resort town, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, and summers here are HOT. Cool, light fabrics in icy colors appeal to me.
Isn’t it wonderful? It is not as pink as it shows up here. I dreamt about this fabric. I dreamt about me wearing clothes made from this fabric and wearing my deliciously fruity tropical earrings.
I planned to have many pieces sewn from this delight long before today, but I broke my ankle in January and could not sew for two months.
During our annual mega-shopping trip in Dallas at Christmas, my Beloved and I visited Designer Shoe Warehouse. This is a dangerous place for us both. We gear up for this visit, split up at the door, and don’t come out until we have stuffed our beach feet into every and any shoe we think will work at home. The smell of new leather, the rows and rows of designer shoes at closeout prices, and my daughter’s points card all combine to intoxicate us and seduce us into buying far more than we need.
“ Oh Melissa, come here, look at these sandals!”
“Wow, Mom, they go perfectly with your drop earrings, you have to buy them!”
“Wow, Mom, they go perfectly with your drop earrings, you have to buy them!”
I thought the same thing. I had already filled two shoe bags with sandals of many colors, but these had to come home with me.
And I knew my Beloved lost in the hinterland of men’s shoes would be swooning with his own finds and would not say a word about my SEVEN new pairs of sandals.
So here are the sandals.
Aren’t they perfect? Don’t they look good on my feet? And don’t they go perfectly with the earrings?
And look how lovely the earrings and the sandals look with my linen Pineapple Express pants.
The pants are made from my Sure- Fit Designs (SFD) body blueprint pattern. The style is the elastic waistband pants, also known as Hollywood pants. This pattern is in the SFD book, Pants that Mix ‘n’ Multiplywritten by SFD president, Glenda Sparling.
The pattern was easy to draft based on my body blueprint. I found (what a surprise) that if I slow down and R-E-A-D Glenda’s hints and notes, I will have a successful sewing experience. Sometimes in my haste and with my hubris of being an advanced sewist, I totally flub up. And that is what I did with the first iteration of these pants. I watched Glenda’s wonderful videos on her educational website, SFD Learnng Center
Glenda is a patient and supportive person. She has helped me achieve a very good fit and gently reminds me to R-E-A-D her books! Each kit comes with a workbook and DVD that walk you through the process. Accurate measuring is the key. And after the disaster at the start of the Pineapple pants, I realized I had measured the front crotch incorrectly. When I corrected it, the fit improved. I would have wadded these pants, but I am attending Glenda’s sewing retreat in July and she asked me to bring the pineapple pants so she could see what I may have done wrong. I have re-worked these pants so I am not ashamed to let Glenda look at them closely. Nothing like THAT kind of pressure to improve one’s sewing skills!
I asked a friend ( bribed her with chocolate and a dip in the pool) to come over and measure me. It didn’t go so well. She was tired and a little grumpy. Maybe I didn’t give her enough chocolate.
I watched a Craftsy video on easy zipper application, and I am happy to say that I inserted a perfect slot zipper. Zippers have been my nemesis. I love fly zippers, but lapped and slot zippers drive me wild.
Here I am at the Malecon beach in downtown La Paz,
and at home near my pool. I had been in these pants since 8:00 a.m. so they look a touch rumpled, they are linen ya know.
Here is a photo of our darling Chihuahua Coco-Nut Ibrahim Garcia he is a rescue dog. He rules the roost and we like it that way.
Tomorrow’s post will show my construction trials, travails and successes.
8 Comments
Glenda Sparling
May 12, 2013Hi Susan, I will like to see the before and after pineapple pants and you can tell me what you did differently. I'm glad you're happy with the second pair. See you in July. Kindly, Glenda
BeaJay
May 12, 2013Great outfit. Perfect for the pool or beach. So many people are nudging me toward Sure Fit Designs. I will have to try them.
That dog is so cute. That face can do no wrong!
Anonymous
May 12, 2013LOvely outfit! It's perfect for you.
Delia
Susan Fogel
May 12, 2013Beanbag,
What I love about SFD is that the patterns fit me, and with minor tune ups I now have a basic pattern that can be adapted to other styles and I know it will fit. I am so excited about going to Glenda's retreat in July. BTW, it was the iPad editor that changed your name froM Beajay to Beanbag!
Diana
May 13, 2013Great sandals and pants combo! Love the fabric colour too.
Anonymous
May 13, 2013You look great in the outfit! And the color is good for you also. Hugs Terri
catspec
May 15, 2013Oh what lovely colors. What a lovely beach to go with it. 🙂
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