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Vogue Patterns Men's Swimsuits and Tank Top 1897 pattern review by coffeebug

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coffeebug star
Australia
Member since 8/19/20
17 Reviews (patterns: 17)
Skill: Advanced Beginner
Favored by 3 people
Type: Shorts

Fit: Boxy or Loose (lots of ease)
Vogue Patterns 1897 available on PR for $32 Pattern Details
I needed some comfy/daggy house-shorts to replace my aging Uniqlo ones and this swimwear pattern is the only shorts pattern we have (borrowed it from my partner). I figured the only difference between male and female for the shorts might just have been that the butt was a bit smaller for the men, and with an elasticated waist band there's lots of room for adjusting sizing.

Pattern Sizing:
I started with an M (because girls have butts!).
I made ... either view B (grown-on waistband) but with the side-pockets and leg-shape of A (no bias/curved edges on the leg). So looks like view A but without the fly (but much closer to B in terms of patterns because A has a separate waistband).

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Not really but that's not what I intended!

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes. But this is only the second pants I've made, and the first with pockets, so of course I didn't read the instructions carefully enough and managed to sew the pockets to the outside of the pants rather than the inside 😆

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like how many patterns there are in this pattern. I dislike 3 x 1/4" elastic for the waist band - it's too thin and rolls too easily (despite tacking down at CF and CB) - would do a 1" elastic instead in future and maybe some decorative topstitch on the top and bottom edge to hold it down.

Fabric Used:
Some very drape-y ?cotton or maybe poly?

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
Many, but that's because I wanted house-shorts not swimwear.

* started with view B, size M based off hip measurement/finished garments measurement against my existing shorts (with an elasticated waist it doesn't matter if the waist of the M is bigger than mine)
* laid the pattern over view A and traced out the leg shape of A (so no bias binding and just normal shorts rather than the curved hem of view B)
* lengthened the legs a bit (I think ended up same as or slightly longer than view A)
* ended up cutting 1" off the waist because the crotch seam was too long for me
* added the side pockets of view A, but did french seams for those because my existing shorts had them and it looked cool
* skipped the lining. I had no idea mens' swimwear had an undies-like lining with elasticated legs, ha! I only need shorts, not swimwear.
* added a drawstring: instead of doing 3 channels of 1/4" elastic, I made the middle one 1/2"(ish) elastic and put 2 button holes near the CF over this channel. I almost put the buttonholes on the inside of the waist instead of the outside on accident (since it's folded over) but caught myself just in time, or I'd have been super grumpy 😆 I'll run a drawstring in the same channel as this elastic (stilld nee to buy it). In future I'd prefer a 1" thick elastic and just topstitch top and bottom to create the drawstring channel in the middle.
* overlocked all my seams and used the twin needle to topstitch them down in a fake coverstitch/flat fell. I tried to use my coverstitch machine but we are not on speaking terms at the moment the right needle keeps skipping and it's driving me nuts, and takes far longer than the twin needle. but it's frustrating because I specifically bought a Huskylock to get both coverstich and overlocker!!!!

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes! despite the number of mods, view B is pretty simple. (I have yet to tackle pants with a fly and I bet that would be harder which is why I put the difficulty to intermediate).

Conclusion:
Hacking swimwear shorts into daggy home shorts works good, and having an elastic waist eliminates any problems with trying to adapt the mens pattern to a woman.
Vogue Patterns 1897 available on PR for $32 Pattern Details
Fancy Frocks Fabrics
Fine Designer Fabrics
Elliott Berman Textiles
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Nature's Fabrics
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1 Comments
zora said...(1/19/25 8:18 AM ET)   
Wow, you made quite a few adjustments! I do like the finished shorts. Great job.
  
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