Trouser Refashion Swap: Colorblocking!

Trouser Refashion Swap: Colorblocking!

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• 9.26.2012

Super fun series debuting today, readers... the ultimate in refashioning and upcycling... the stakes are higher... the plot thickens... DUN DUN DUN....

No, it's not a new reality show; it's the second in the group refashioning projects organized by the great crew of the men's shirt refashion swap from early this summer. Miranda of One Little Minute got a bunch of us together and matched us up randomly to remake men's shirts into creative projects for one another. It was so much fun and everyone had such creative ideas, so this time she up'ed the ante... we refashioned PANTS this time!

So, this week I'm sharing with you the pants that I refashioned for Liz, my "customer." Next week, I'll show you how I wear the pants that Miranda, my seamstress, made for me! So my challenge was, take a pair of pants (not jeans, pants) and refashion them into something cute my partner would want to wear!

Liz wears brights and skinny jeans so well, I leaned that direction from the start. I had a few ideas for pants refashioning, although nothing too ground-breaking, but I wanted them to be fun and versatile for early fall--and hopefully work with Liz's bright and cheery style!

I wanted to do colored pants, sooo much fun, but my Goodwills didn't produce the perfect subject and I went a bunch of times! Oh, well. Since I wasn't stuck on any of my design ideas (center front ankle slit? Stencil? Colorblock somewhere?), it was more open. So I found these Old Navy khakis at Goodwill--they looked like they hadn't been worn much, newer style, lightweight cotton stretch, and I figured, good blank canvas!

So here's the refashion!

Before: Booooring. Kind of flared but not really, more just sort of shapeless from the thigh down, I bet.

After: Skinny fit, colorblock hem!!

It may not look like a huge change, but I'm sure they'll feel like a whole new pair of pants. I took them in all over to fit Liz, and to have that straight/skinny fit through the legs and ankles.

Then of course I added the color block--I used a bright red cotton stretch sateen, and cut four pieces to match the fronts and backs of the legs. Sewed together on the side seams, then sewed right sides together...

Then to show off the edge, I pressed and turned and pressed under 1/2" on the red, and folded it to just 1/8" or so beyond the joining seam. Then I stitched in the ditch and had a visible hem band, basically. I kept saying "cuff" in my head--colorblock cuff, but really it's not a cuff since it doesn't fold back on itself. I could have done a cuff, I guess... but I like that these are smoother--makes it more of an actual colorblock, less of just a contrast cuff. So, it's a colorblock hem, I guess.

Annnnnnyway... I can't wait to see them on Liz, which she'll post about next Wednesday, October 1st. Today you can see the refashions of all the other talented bloggers on their blogs, and on Wednesday we'll be modeling what was made for us! Here's the crew:

Suzannah of Adventures in Dressmaking

Miriam of MadMim

Miranda of One Little Minute

Melissa of I Still Love You

Liz of Cotton & Curls

Krista of Lazy Saturdays

Kelli of True Bias

Kate of See Kate Sew

Jennifer of Grainline Studio

Carrie of This Mama Makes Stuff 

Check 'em out! Are you inspired for refashioning yet?? ;)