I can’t get over how much I love these pants.
The amazing team at Chalk and Notch Patterns, Gabriela and Nicole, invited me to collaborate with them again, and you know I was all in. This time, I chose the Reya pattern. It’s a wide-leg pant or short with a drawstring waist, and it has plenty of options: high-rise or mid-rise, and four different inseam lengths. For such a fairly straightforward sew, there’s a lot of flexibility to customize it. I went with the full-length pant, mid-rise waist, and the longest inseam because in my head, I pictured an exaggerated wide-leg silhouette.
Sizing Notes
I started with a size 0, the smallest size available, knowing that the gathered waist would allow me to slip the pants over my hips without a zipper. I wanted a more streamlined fit through the hips, and I wanted to minimize the gathering. From there, I graded up to a size 12 for the legs and shaped the hips to flow into that fullness. This gave me a more pronounced wide-leg without losing shape up top.
Custom Details
For the pockets, I used navy blue lining and denim for the pocket facing. This helped reduce bulk at the front while keeping a clean, tailored look.
Fabric Selection
Fabric choice can make or break a DIY garment. I went with a lightweight dark denim that had enough body to hold the wide-leg shape but wasn’t too heavy around the waist. The darker color gave the pants a sleeker, more polished vibe. The real MVP was the topstitching, though. I used denim thread that popped against the dark fabric and use my vintage Kingston Precision machine for that. Not having to re-thread every five minutes was the Chef’s kiss.
The Top: Styled with the “Calvin Cropped Top”
To complete the look, I paired the pants with the Calvin Top by Jessilous Patterns. It’s cropped, cute, and quick to construct. Just be ready to spend A LOT of time with bias binding because there’s plenty of it, but so worth it.
If You Loved This Post…
- For more of my summer looks
- See more from my collabs with Chalk and Notch, the Victory Tank.
- Learn more About Me.
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Drop a comment if you’ve made the Reya pants or plan to. I’d love to see your take on them.
Happy sewing, friends. I am so appreciative of the chance to work again with the team at Chalk and Notch.
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