That sums up my feelings about the StyleArc Barb pants that I just made up. Based on their size chart (which I’ve heard they have a very RTW fit), I’m smack dab in the middle of two sizes, so I made the larger thinking that these were supposed to be fairly slim fitting. Perhaps my expectations were unrealistic for a pair of pull on pants, but these are just kind of frumpy on me. I’m frumpy enough on my own, thankyouverymuch, so I prefer my pants/bottoms to be more fitted. Here is a list of what needs to be changed/where did I go wrong?
- I think they are simply too big. Being in the middle of two sizes, I felt like bigger should have been better in order to prevent the look of a sausage casing. I may have been wrong, although I haven’t made the size smaller to see.
- I had a wad of fabric in the front that I cut off. It’s better, but there are still some wrinkles. Maybe with my cylindrical shape, pot belly, and big butt this is just the nature of the beast, IDK.
- There is 4″ of ease on each thigh. My thighs are each 26″ around, so they’re not exactly slim!
- The front crotch curve seems exceptionally tiny to me. I’m unsure how this affects fit, but it’s something I noted.
Ultimately, they look (and feel!) like maternity pants. And not just any maternity pants, but ones that have “room to grow”. I did, however, find them extremely easy to put together, sew up, and I even nailed the length I was aiming for.
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- RTW pants don’t give me this much…excess?
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- Good grief! Wedgie city!
As you can probably guess, these won’t be leaving the house. Actually, they won’t be worn at all. And I’m not sure whether I’ll give them another shot or not at this point. I’m a bit bummed, but there are a lot of ladies who have had excellent results with theirs, so I think the pattern is fine, just not for me. Or at least, not without a lot of tweaking.
Splinters & Stitches 
I don’t think they’re as bad as you think they are. Of course, if you hate them, move on. But seriously, I think the biggest issue is that they’re a size too big and the length of the pants a bit off. I think they need to hit you higher or lower. Having said that, something is going on with the crotch curve – you can see because the inside leg seams are pulling up towards it. I think you need a longer rise in the back.
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My gut tells me that I need a deeper curve in the back, but you might be right. I honestly don’t know enough about fitting pants to say. 😳
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Oh boo. Sorry about the disappointment. Been there! At least you can say you learned something.
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Well they look better than some of the things I have sewed up in the past. I find pants fitting is hard, I am still working on it. I like the comments made by K-Line, but perhaps you can do better with a different pattern?
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Yup the crotch curve is wrong and there’s too much fabric in the front for sure. Pants fitting is a business but there’s a lot of info out there, if you’ve the inclination and time.
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I really should try again sometime, but I’m not sure if this pattern is suited to my shape. And to think that I don’t have that much trouble with RTW pants outside of the waist being too tight.
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