HotPatterns Marrakesh Pants part 2

I've finished two wearable pairs of HotPatterns Marrakesh Pants. I made the second pair from the mystery slate gray flannel. For this pair, I decided not to alter the pattern and trim outside seam at the hip line (and the pockets). I think that they turned out very well--I still have to sew on the hook and eye at the waistband. I'm glad that I removed a quarter inch from the front legs--the pants are still drapey, but they are not billowy. There is still some extra fabric gathered at the waist, but it's not excessive (altering the outside seam would fix that). After writing this post, I've viewed Trudy's Marrakesh Pants video and it looks like there is no extra fabric gathering at the waist. I may need to look at my draft again...

I've lowered the waistline on the pattern for the third pair, which will be made from linen. I consider this linen as the really good stuff from the stash, especially since it usually retails for $12 a yard (I got it on sale for $6 a yard earlier this month. This yardage hasn't aged at all in my stash LOL!). I shouldn't get too worried when cutting this out--I'm familiar with the Marrakesh pattern, since I've sewn it several times. I made the first two pairs from woven fabrics with crosswise stretch. The linen doesn't have any crosswise stretch, but I'll double check the fit of the pattern before cutting, as well as comparing pattern to the second pair of pants.

Fabric prep--I washed the linen the other night, and I've pressed it (with steam) to remove the wrinkles (suggested by Sandra Betzina's Fabric Savvy). I'm glad that I pre-washed the fabric-- the lint catcher in the dryer was filled when I dried this load of fabric yardage. It could have been the linen or it could have been another piece, but I'm glad that I'm not going to encounter that dust when sewing. Right now, I'm letting the fabric rest on the cutting table for two reasons: I don't like to cut fabric late at night (or early in the morning). The second reason is there has been some discussion on sewing blogs/boards that fabric gets stretched when it's tightly wound on bolts, so it should be allowed to relax and contract before it's cut into garments. Even if the fabric relaxed after I laundered it, I may have stretched it when I pressed it. So the fabric is resting, spread over and gently folded on my cutting table, with all the notions assembled and ready to go. I guess that sewist and the fabric should be relaxed before cutting.

I know--I don't have any pictures of my work. I'll try to get some up after the third pair. I'm in awe of those bloggers post with pictures every time!