I am totally jealous – Veronica’s photos for today’s post were taken on the beach – and I LOVE the beach. Someday I want to live on a beach. Until then, I’ll just have to content myself with more Oceanside Pants like the cute ones she sewed up.
Hi! This is Veronica from sewVery, and I’ll be sharing with you all today my favorite, new piece of clothing–the Oceanside Pants! I whipped this pair together in under an hour using the wildly popular Oceanside Pants Pattern from Blank Slate Patterns.
Almost every year when the kids are out of school for Fall break, my family heads to the white sand beaches of Alabama. In my opinion, it's the perfect time of year to splash in the ocean and soak up the sun or take a relaxing stroll on the beach. The days are still hot, but not unbearable, and the evenings are pleasant with breezes that sometimes make it a little chilly. For that reason, I needed something new to wear on vacation that would transition from warmer days to cooler nights, and the Oceanside Pants sewn out of Essex Linen fit the bill to a tee!
I'm not sure the Oceanside Pants could be any simpler to sew. Because there are no side seams and the waistband is formed by folding down the top, there is just one main pattern piece. The pockets (two simple rectangles sewn together) are the easiest I've ever made, yet with the folded edge and decorative button, they add so much detail to these pants!
Using the pattern's sizing guide, my hips required a size small. Because there is no side seam, it did take over 2 yards of 44" wide fabric to cut the pieces out correctly; however, I had enough fabric left over to make my daughter a size 7 gathered skirt! What a deal!
I'm not very tall, so I was a little concerned that the 30" inseam would be extremely long on my 5'4" frame. After trying them on, I decided to make the hem a little larger (approximately an inch more) than the pattern called for--making the length perfect for me.
I am personally not a fan of belts or drawstring ties at the waist because it adds bulk to an area that I am already self conscious about, so I modified the waistband of the Oceanside Pants from the original design. Instead of using 1/2" wide elastic with drawstring ends that tie in the front middle, I used 1 1/2" wide elastic and omitted the elastic from 9" across the front of the waistband.
At first, I added 2" to the top of the pattern to compensate for the wider elastic I would be using. However, I ended up cutting off 1/2" of that because the pants were a little too long in the rise for me. I normally wear mid-rise pants where the waistband sits just at or below my belly button. After removing that extra 1/2" before creating the waistband casing, the pants were a perfect fit!
(Melissa's note: The Oceanside Pants are designed to have 3/8" fabric above the 1/2" drawstring elastic casing - which means you could sub in a 3/4" elastic waist without altering the pattern at all simply by not sewing a second line on the casing. By adding 1 1/2" to her pants, even with the wider elastic, Veronica lengthened the rise of the pants quite a bit over the design. This is why sewing for yourself is great - you can make something fit EXACTLY the way you like it!)
These Oceanside Pants are as comfortable as yoga pants but with a more stylish and dressy flare. I've worn this one pair so many times since our vacation that I really need a couple more to add to my wardrobe. I've already purchased more yardage of a suiting fabric that I believe will have the perfect drape, and once I sew the next two pairs, I'll be sure to share them over on my blog at sewVery.
If you are looking for something simple and comfortable that can be dressed up or down depending on the fabrics used, then the Oceanside Pants Pattern from Blank Slate Patterns is what you need!
Until next time--have fun sewing!
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