Start at the beginning. Sure. Sure. That’s always a good place to start.

If we’re talking ponte pants, this sewing journey starts many, many years ago. The Sabrina Slims were wildly popular, or at least it seemed to me. Mac looked amazing af in her teal pair. Well. I tried SS. Not right away, of course. I had to spend a lot of time being scared of making pants first. I probably used some very cheap polyester ponte. I’m not sure I even fully finished making those pants. I definitely never wore them.

If we’re talking about the houndstooth material, well, that I bought early in 2019 from StyleMakerFabrics. It’s a sort of loose woven material (I don’t have the content information) that has a bit of give, mechanically speaking, but probably not from spandex. It’s definitely not ponte. But it wanted to be fancy pants.

Initially, I thought a wide-leg pull on pant would be the route to go. But fancy, right? So I added faux fly detailing and stitching. Well, in short, those pants were comically… not right. I pulled off the waistband and picked out all the seams. The fabric demanded a much more fitted approach.

So that’s where Rosslyn comes in. I found the pattern pages, size 8, straight cut, were already printed and had been collecting dust. I’m sure I jumped on the pattern right at its release. But I hadn’t bothered to tape it together yet. (Thankfully, I didn’t print it twice. Been there, done that).

I needed to cut down the legs A LOT. And it’s a good thing I had added a fly extension. Otherwise, I might not have been able to Tim Gunn it.

This trouser design features slash pockets in the front, as well as welted back pockets. Since my fabric wanted to fray like there’s no tomorrow though, I chose to forgo the pockets completely. [Insert Michael Scott’s wincing face here.]

Initial pull-on wide leg pants in progress.

While a nylon/plastic zipper is recommended, I used a jeans zipper (metal teeth) since that’s what my stash said I could use.

And I chose a snap instead of a button. This fabric was not a fan of going over the feed dogs more than necessary.

I took a few little liberties with the waistband assembly. I mean, there’s more than one way to skin a cat, right? So the outer band is interfaced and the facing is Nani Iro cotton. Just because it wouldn’t add any bulk and would be more stable than a knit and less bulky than my main fabric here. I like to construct most waistbands (or things like sleeve cuffs) by stitching the inside to the project first and top-stitching everything closed from the right side of the material. That’s not the exact order of the instructions for this pattern. But it’s sixes! Do you!

Finished. Completely smitten. True love. Happily ever after. But these pants needed pockets. (Everything needs pockets.) At least A POCKET. I simply used the pattern piece for the welt pocket bag as a patch pocket. It looked too big to go on the front, so on the butt it went.

The most fun part of these pants has been styling them!

They easily pair with a black jacket and ankle booties for an elevated, TAKE ME OUT vibe.

The jacket is a stretch corduroy version of the Evergreen (Hey June). I’m not sure I’ve shared anything formally about this make except a few Insta posts (here, here, here, and here.)

As for the hem, I took 3” off the full length, then turned 2” under twice, and got fancy with a blind hem stitch.

A classic chambray shirt and slip on canvas shoes makes for a more casual, everyday look.

They shine with a pop of color from a mustard sweater.

Naturally, a little graphic tee works too.

I hope these pants will take washing a wearing well. Because they truly are comfortable and fun to style. I added extra lines of stitching during construction of the main seams as well as top stitching for insurance. Honestly, they should probably be dry cleaned. But the likelihood of that is quite slim.

Hey. Here’s one last shot of my butt in my ponte, not-ponte pants.

I can certainly see myself using this Rosslyn again for actual ponte pants. I’m a wee bit flabbergasted this woven fabric worked so well here without any significant adjustments. More pattern details from the designer in her release post.

Typical body measurements: 5’5”, waist 29”, hips 39-40”.

It’s quite amazing how well Rosslyn pairs with beer too! CHEERS!