Dave has been dropping not so subtle hints about me making another pair of McCalls 2586 for a shamefully long time. So, for Christmas, I bought him 3 lengths of fabric to make him garments of his choice. I had a good idea what he’d want, but wanted get the fit exactly how he wanted it.
Although I’d made them previously I want to check the fit before sewing. I know I would fit a pattern from 12 years ago!
The first fabric is a cotton ramie blend. It comes in 24 colours but I knew he wanted black. I thought this would be a perfect choice for him and wasn’t wrong. When he opened the parcel, he said ‘lounge pants’ with glee.
The fabric is really lovely. It has a firm weave and has drape but isn’t floppy. It’s also nicely opaque. It looks like linen and has a slightly slubby texture. I think it will soften over time and get even better with age.
It’s perfect for these trousers, but I couldn’t help thinking whilst sewing that it would make great summer shorts, or a nice shift dress for warmer days. You wouldn’t need to line it at all. It would also make a cute summer jacket as the fabric has enough body.
Anyway, I digress.
I made him two pairs of McCalls 2586 probably 12 years ago, possibly more. Definitely pre-blog. Definitely before we were married. I have no pictures of the original pairs, but he wore them to rags.
McCalls 2586 is now out of print, but I found copies available on the usual selling sites. It screams late ’80s early 90s, but I find the design quite timeless with the right fabric and fit. And obviously loungewear has had a renaissance over the last year. Isabel Marant is selling a virtually identical pair over on Mr Porter for £315.
Dave wouldn’t wear the beige or pink that they offer, and wouldn’t get his very fine thighs into even the largest size.
I paid less the £45 for the fabric and notions, sewed the colour he wants, and they fit him perfectly.
Home sewn 1:0 designer.
I’ve sewn these straight out of the packet in size L. There’s a selection of pocket options. We went with the patch pocket because it’s the perfect size to sling a larger iPhone in without risking it falling out. Pockets are as important to guys as they are to us ladies!
The pattern instructs you to sew a drawstring from the fabric but it’s way to bulky and drags against the casing. So, I swapped it out for a knit cord and added these snazzy toggle ends to the order. I think, if memory serves, that happened with the original pairs too…but I’ve slept since then! In future I’ll know to ignore the pattern so I bought extra cord for the stash. Future me with thank me.
I am making a rod for my own back with this. Dave is so happy with these. He’s requested more for the summer. Let’s see how things go when the kids are back in school after the 8th March. My spring/summer wardrobe is very bare and I’m itching to get the oversized shirt project back on the table.
So, that’s the first of the Christmas pressies done, 2 more to go.
Ooh, these look comfy. I could do with a pair myself.
I’m going to investigate your fabric – it sounds as if it would be good for all sorts of things.
I really like this fabric. Dave says it’s super comfy to wear. I’m not buying for me at the moment (still need to sew up the stash), but if I was I would buy some of this for sure!
OK – trousers look great but I’m also loving the arm tattoos!!
The ink is very meaningful.
Dylan is left handed so he’s on Dave’s left arm. Summer is right handed.
The numbers are, in order, their birthday, the date we met them in foster care, the date they came home and the date their adoption was approved.
He also has a dragon and three red roses on his shoulder. He was born in Somerset and the dragon is the image for there. The three roses are me, Summer and Dylan who were all born in the red rose county of Lancashire. 🥰