Papercut Anima's for a New Season
Before I went on holiday, I was starting to think that my beloved merino Papercut Anima pants were actually not cutting it anymore. As comfy and cosy as they are, they are not at all suitable for spring wearing except on the coldest of days. I really wanted another pair in a lighter weight fabric like my previous black ones, which had now developed a hole in the back side. I am all for maximizing the number of wears out of any given item of clothing, so while I am thrilled that I have had my moneys worth out of them, which was easy given they were made of second hand fabric, I draw the line at wearing clothing that is reduced to holes. 
In my stack of fabric that I have reserved for wearable muslins, I found some navy blue cotton knit that has very little stretch. I had used it previously to make a top that wasn't exactly successful because of the lack of stretch which is why it had been put in the muslin stash. In a light bulb moment I realised that the minimal stretch was perfect for these pants as it would reduce any potential for them to bag out. I also had quite the pile of striped knit remnants in my scrap bin because, well, it is no secret that I love striped fabric. So for the princely sum of zilch, I had all the fabric I needed to replace my pants. All I needed to do was whip down to Lincraft for a piece of 5cm wide elastic for the waist.
I constructed the pants a couple of days before I left for my holiday but didn't actually buy the elastic until my return. As is usually the case, I have very little motivation for sewing when I return from a holiday and combine that with jet lag and these pants were in UFO status for close to a month. Despite being rather a boring item to make, these pants are probably one of my most worn items of clothing for days at home and after work. Will I make more? Yup...it goes without saying really!
Six months ago I wrote to you when you were mentioning that winter was around the corner for you whereas it was spring here in Montreal. Well, now it's your turn to have warm weather looming--lucky you! I will be living in my merino joggers as I did last year (Icebreakers--can't seem to find reasonably priced merino wool). Your animas look great, I can see why you have made many pairs. I wonder how this pattern (which I don't have) compares with the Jalie Vanessa pants pattern (that I do have). Enjoy your new Animas and the upcoming summer.
ReplyDeleteJoanne in Montreal
Merino fabric seems to be quite easy to get hold of here. The Fabric Store is my main source. We have a lot of merino sheep here which is why Icebreaker was also founded here. While winter here is quite mild by norther hemisphere standards, it is nice to have the warm weather back again.
DeleteGood to have a style staple that you can return to over and over!
ReplyDeleteAs they say 'if it aint broke don't fix it'. I have no need to try other patterns because this one works so well for me.
DeleteThese look lovely! I'm fascinated by the fact that you made this pattern in merino jersey (from The Fabric Store, I assume?). My merino jersey tends to cling to my body (whether it's my skin directly or tights underneath). I would have guessed that this problem makes it less than ideal for the anima pants but now you're challenging my assumptions! Do the merino ones cling to you? Have you found a magical method of discharging static electricity? Please share :-)
ReplyDeleteI used merino nylon from The Fabric Store, although not for this pair. It is the looped back merino blend. It has a high lycra content and works really well. I don't tend to wear tights with my Anima Pants. The climate where I live, even in winter is not cold enough to need it. I have never had a problem with clinging merino knits.
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