Good morning friends!

Blogging for the fifth day in a row?! That is definitely some sort of record on the blog here! I didn’t want the week to get away before I wrote about my second favorite pattern in the book. The Fortunas are mid-rise pants that are designed for bottom weight knits and come in three styles – joggers, wide-legged pants and shorts. The joggers and shorts have front slant pockets with woven-fabric accents with decorative top-stitching. All versions have rounded back pockets with woven-fabric accents as well. The elasticized waistband is constructed slightly differently from your typical joggers or legging waistbands. I found this way of constructing easier and neater as it removes the bulk that is usually caused by overlapping the elastic in the waistband.

The Fortunas are the fifth pattern in the book “SEW BEAUTIFUL” by Kennis Wong. I have been sharing my versions of the patterns from this book all week on my blog here. Here are some quick links if you want to take a look at the first four patterns: Mornington Dress, Taktsang Wrap, Prague Top and Carlsbad Cardigan.

Needless to say, the fit of these pants is what makes this such a well-loved pattern for me. Based on my waist and hip measurements (27.5″ and 36″), I made a straight size 2. The only fit adjustment I made, was removing length. I am only 5′ tall and usually have to remove a good 4 or 5″ from most pants patterns. For these pants, I removed 1/2″ from the rise and 4.5″ from the inseam. Lengthen shorten lines are provided for these adjustments so you don’t have to guess where the length needs to be removed. I am not sure if black is really the best color to use when you’re trying to show off a pair of well-fitting pants but here we are! Blogging pictures aside, these are pants that I have been wearing CONSTANTLY since making them.

The fabric I used for these pants is a medium-weight ponte with excellent stretch and recovery and a really soft hand. It’s perfect for these pants but the fabric has such great stretch and drape, that I ended up using the scraps to make a Prague Top. With only 2 yards of fabric, I was able to eke out both joggers and a top. I love pairing these joggers with hoodies and sweatshirts so they’re perfect for lounging at home or going out and about for grocery pickups and such. I am wearing my Page Hoodie in these pictures, I simply love this outfit combination.

I realize that I’ve been harping on about how wonderful this book is for the last few days and I apologize if you’re tired of reading it. I truly believe that this book is a wonderful resource for the home sewist whether you’re a beginner who’s looking to make beautiful, meaningful garments that fit your style, or an advanced sewist planning your wardrobe capsule wanting to experiment with different fabric substrates. I highly recommend this book for everything that it has to offer from beautifully designed patterns to thoroughly explained and illustrated instructions. Kennis Wong’s book SEW BEAUTIFUL: MAKE STYLISH HANDMADE CLOTHING WITH SIMPLE STITCH-AND-WEAR Patterns is now available in both printed soft-cover version as well as a digital Kindle version for pre-order on Amazon and many other retail stores. 

Thank you for stopping by!

Happy Sewing!