Hello Internet Friends!
It’s May! I can’t believe that it’s May already! Usually I’d be participating in Me Made May but I decided to take a bit of a break from it this year due to the combined factor of my new job and the Corona Craziness. My focus for this month is going to be working on projects that give me joy and sharing as many of those as possible :) For my first post of May I wanted to share my two new Hudson Pants which have quickly become my number one work from home essential! As a nod to my previous post I’m modeling both of these Hudson pants with a new Union St Tee made from a similar weight knit to the micro-stripped version from my last post!
Ironically enough I actually bought the fabric for these Hudsons at the end of January with the plan to expand my current collection of Hudsons. I had no idea at the time how prophetic that purchase and planning actually was! I was really glad that I had this fabric all ready to cut in and sew about a week into my my new job/working from home onboarding. I tried really hard for the first day or two to wear jeans around but you end up sitting in one spot so much more when you are working from home that I quickly jumped ship to the sweat pants only team!
For these two renditions of hudsons I decided to go up a size to a 8, I had previously used a straight size 6 (shortened the length of course because #ShortGirlProblems) but always had issues with the calves being a bit too snug to the point where you can really see the threads of the seam. Since I’ve been doing a ton of Barre my hip measurement has increased (getting that Barre Booty!) so going up a size seemed like a smart idea. I’m really glad that I made the size switch because these bad boys are * french chef kiss * perfect! Snug on the calves with out being overly tight while fitting nicely in the bum! To me the Hudson Pant is truly like a cross between a comfy pair of sweats and a comfy pair of leggings. You get the slim silhouette on the lower legs while still allowing for ease on the thighs and hips, without having a baggy sweat pant bottom. Love ,love, LOVE this pattern!
Let’s talk about fabrics! I chose two very different fabrics for these two pairs of Hudsons, both from Blackbird Fabrics. The first is a ‘heather mocha’ bamboo/cotton stretch fleece that is honestly so incredibly soft on the inside (this pair has been a game changer for quick walks or sitting outside on the balcony while the weather is warming up still, so snuggly and warm!). Out of the two fabrics this one definitely has more structure and less stretch. So these finished pants are a bit more snug in comparison to the other pair but still fit very well.
I really love this version and it may be my fave out of the two not only because of the fleece but I think the slight bit more snuggness just looks a shade better. I also think it’s the colour of the fabric, in these pictures it looks more ‘mocha’ but I find it has more pink undertones in real life! I’m also glad I went with the contrast pocket detail, taking some of the extra fabric from the second pair for those pieces. The only thing with this pair is that I think I may have cut the cuffs on the wrong grainline because they don’t stretch as much as the pant leg. While this does make it kind of annoying to get the cuff around my ankle when pulling them on or off it does mean that the cuff doesn’t shift about which is kinda nice. I liked this fabric so much that when blackbird recently got a restock fo the same fleece in some of the other colours I bought up some more to make another pair in the heather charcoal colourway (a girl’s gotta be prepared for how ever long this work from home situation will last!) So I think I’ll cut the cuffs one in each direct of grainline and try basting them on to see which I like more with the next pair.
Now, even though I really love the bamboo/cotton stretch fleece version (to the point of buying more fabric!) doesn’t mean that I’m not absolutely in love with this second version! This pair is made from a Tencel/Cotton French Terry in the heather lake colour way (apparently I really like heathered fabrics?) The Tencel in this fabric gives it a very smooth feel compared to a 100% cotton french terry, it adds a feeling of high end ‘Athleisure-ness’ to the final pants which I really love. There is also really great recovery in this fabric which is great because these pants are suuuuper stretchy!
Having this second pair be stretchier has been great for the days that I know I’m going to have a ton of video meetings and probably sit all cross-legged in my chair (I tend to essentially wrap myself in to pretzel during long phone meetings lol). I’ve also been able to do some nightly yoga in them before bed, a great way to at least get some movement in my joints after sitting around all day.
What’s been the best about these two pants is that not only are they comfy but they look really good! I don’t feel like I need to change into something else for a short walk or to pop into the shop for my weekly grocery run. It’s really nice to be able to make something that I know will not only serve me during this strange time but also well after for lazy weekends to come!
lol I don’t know why I decided to snap a photo midway through saying ‘stretchy’ but here we are!
What has been your ‘work from home essential make’? I’m excited for some spring/summer sewing and can’t wait to share more with you guys soon!