Happy New Year!

Last year, while digging through the remnant bin at Fabricland, I dug out a piece of grey scuba that looked about 1 meter in length, for $9! I bought it, prewashed it, and turned that 38 inch scuba remnant into Eleonore jeans. (That pattern, by Jalie, is my favourite pant pattern.)   Fitting the pattern pieces on the fabric was a challenge!  I wear a size “V” for a 40 inch hip, am 5 feet 10 inches tall, 65 years old, and my pants need to come to my waist.  I add 1 1/2 inches to the rise when I make this pattern.

Added January 2020, click here to buy this pattern on Amazon.ca

After arranging the main pattern pieces onto my scuba remnant (the front and the back), I flipped and flopped the rest of the pieces, and eventually decided there would be no back pockets (I don’t use them anyway) and I could stand a center front and back seam in the waistband pieces.  I skipped the faux fly, too.  Here’s my pile after cutting out.  There is literally a handful of scraps!  My late mother would have been so proud of me!

To sew these I used Mettler polyester thread and a Schmetz Stretch 75/11 needle.

After seaming the waistband pieces I chose to sew a flatlock stitch centered on the seamline, to flatten the seam.  I didn’t want it lumpy across my tummy.

I love the way it smooths out the seam, so decided to use it on the pockets too, and instead of any regular top-stitching at the back yokes, pocket facings and inseams.

This pattern sews up easily and quickly and I soon had them finished. I’ve made so many of them that I have the fit perfected to my body shape.  Here’s a post where I describe the alterations I make.

My verdict on this project:

These are really comfortable to wear, and of course the fit is good.  I find that the lighter colour shows more figure faults, but the plus side is that cat hair isn’t as noticeable.  Turning a scuba remnant into Eleonore jeans was a success, I enjoyed the challenge and the price was right!

I’m wearing these with Jalie’s free Yoko top pattern, click here to visit Jalie’s site.

Discovery Fabrics in British Columbia Canada has a great selection of midweight scuba in loads of colours, they describe it like this:  They have a luxurious smooth feel to keep you feeling great during all your athletic endeavors! These fabrics are moisture wicking, pill resistant and have fabulous compression and stability to provide great support.

What’s your experience with scuba?  Have you successfully sewn pants with it?  I’d love to hear about your experiences with scuba.