I found comfortable jeans!!! Finally!

I wear Sevens- low cut/stretch/flare leg
I don't mind the low cut- they are higher in the back so my butt crack doesn't show.
are the Levi's flare leg? I just got rid of a pair of Levi's 550 that I had since high school-

Don't ya just love it when you find great jeans!

I love my DNKY jeans! They are the Soho ones. They are low cut, but not too low and have a little lycra in them. JUST LOVE THEM!

- Lilly Anne

Having given up my faded Levi 501s a long time ago and needing some plausible jeans for my fabulous camping trip that I just missed because of illness :-( I bought some calf-length ones at…K-Mart!

The legs were very dorky looking – way flared with a wide cuff – but they were low cut and kind of rustic otherwise. So, I took down the cuff (this made them reach just below my calf) and folded a small pleat on the bottom of the outside of each leg. To go through the several thicknesses of denim I used a long needle, embroidery thread, and needle-nose pliers. I attached a silver conch button at the lower margin of the pleat on either side. I actually like them!

For any sewers out there -- the old-fashioned pattern piece, a gusset, is a very neat trick to know in making pants. It makes the pants much more 3-dimensional -- like our bodies! You can have pants that fit trimly while also allowing you to move freely, and without binding anywhere.

To do it, cut a diamond-shaped piece of your pants fabric about 12" long and 5" wide. Place the cross-wise line (where the diamond is 5" wide) on the BIAS. I then round these points off a bit, making the diamond about 4.5" across, as it makes it easier to sew in.

To construct, sew front to back at side seams (do the pockets however you usually do them). Sew the inseams, making 2 tubes. Attach the gusset to one tube so that the widest point of the diamond (where it is 5" wide) is at the inseam. Insert one tube into the other, and, right sides together, stitch from the waist down the center front, along the free side of the gusset, and up to the back waist (inserting zipper in back seam).

It's really quite easy, especially after you've done it once. I've done this for years, but now that I'm dealing with a prolapse I'm especially glad to know about it.

Ellen

There's one more step in making the gusset that I did not mention. After you have cut the 12"-long diamond shape you need to make one end, which will be inserted toward the front of the pants, about an inch shorter than the other, which will be the back of the gusset. This is so that the gusset does not show from the front. Just trim one end off an inch, then shape the sides into a point.

Aha! I told Louise I wanted to develop a pair of pants with a gusset that was the exact dimensions of the pelvic wall. What I ended up with was a triangle that was shorter in front and longer in back…just like you are suggesting! Still, I couldn’t make them not pucker a bit at the sides – that is the very top of the thighs.

My jeans are maternity jeans (the before and after ones). They look exactly like regular jeans but they are perfect for this posture. No one knows they are maternity jeans. I have had so many people comment on how they like my jeans and where did I get them haha. I just got one size smaller. They are basically made like childrens jeans with an elastic at the back of the waist and lower in the front so there is room for the round belly and they are high enough in the back.

For years I've insisted on making my own low-in-front-high-in-back pants. After learning of the new style of maternity pant - no elasticized front panel - I see no reason why all women can't wear these. Thanks for reminding us, Mommynow!

Christine

I've been wearing maternity skirts ever since I put them on at 12 weeks pg. pantyhose too.
but now that I've lost most of my pg weight, they don't stay up! I will have to look for some xs's. not that I'm that thin, but the maternity stuff is cut more generously all around.

and yes, I get compliments on my fav. maternity skirts all the time. I'm not shy, I tell people its maternity. they never know what to say to that. I chuckle.

and for those who are wearing below the belly styles, american eagle outfitters carries really long t-shirts to keep your belly covered. also good for those of us with long torso's

Hi all

I still wear one of my maternity skirts, twenty five years after my first pregnancy. It is just so comfy. I didn't like the elasticised panel in the front of maternity skirts that were available at the time, so I made my own skirt out of ribbed, knitted banding fabric, that already came in a tube shape.

All I did was blind hemmed the bottom and zigzagged a casing in the top for wide soft elastic. At the time I made the front higher than the back as it sat better while I was carrying way out front, then when baby making was finished trimmed a little off the front, took a little out of the elastic, and resewed the casing so the waist was the same height all the way around. This pencil skirt hugs my hips beautifully, has the weight to fall nicely and stretches amazingly when I sit or squat.

I did make another one in a different colour, but it must have been a different degree of stretch as I needed to take the tube in once I was no longer pregnant, so it now has a seam down the back.

BTW Christine, my lightweight canvas trousers with the deep slash pockets in the side are just so comfortable for sitting and squatting, and fall well when I stand.

Ellen, do you trim anything off the pattern pieces in the crotch area before you fit the gusset, to remove extra fabric bulk, or isn't it necessary?

Cheers

Louise

No, I don't trim off the pattern pieces in the crotch area before sewing in the gusset (see the two posts below for instructions). The dimensions I suggest for the gusset include the seam allowances. You shouldn't have a problem with puckering, just pin carefully around the bend at the inseams. It's about the same degree of difficulty as easing a sleeve cap into an armhole.

Ellen

Just a correction...sorry to add confusion to the mix. In my first post below I said "triangle" and meant diamond shape. C.