Lander Pants In Organic Hemp

I have to admit that this Indigo hemp fabric sent to me by Organic Cotton Plus sat in my stash for an embarrassingly long time. But this post is actually timely since they are having a hemp sale until the end of April 23. Head on over quickly to get your Earth Day discount!

When I ordered the fabric I had in mind a little Rosari skirt, but at 10 ounces, this hemp/cotton Indigo fabric was a little too heavy , so it sat around for a long time, and I felt guilty because I hate to accept free fabric and then never use it. Although occasionally that has happened if the fabric ended up being of questionable quality. Which has never been the case when working with Organic Cotton Plus. Quality was not the issue with this fabric. This was a case of not having the right pattern. Until I decided to use it for my True Bias Lander Pants. I feel that this is the perfect pattern to showcase this gorgeous Indigo fabric! Luckily, it’s still available here.

So what does Hemp fabric feel like? Maybe a little like a very rough linen.Very textured. Sort of earthy. Weedy!

Construction Notes

• Based on my measurements of a 29.5 inch waist and 38 inch hips, I should have cut a size 8. After reading several reviews I decided to cut them a size smaller, since I wanted a close fit. The pattern includes one inch seam allowances at the side seams, great for fitting purposes! I ended up leaving the pants as is at the waist and then letting out the seams to 1/2 an inch at the hips down.
• I found the instructions for the button fly good and it was very easy to make. I made sure to trim all of my seam allowances in that area because my sewing machine tends to go haywire if sewing buttonholes on anything but the flattest and firmest fabrics.
• I found the waistband instructions a bit unconventional, but I still ended up a nice waistband. I prefer a two piece waistband on a straight waistband. The instructions have you sew the waistband on, then fold the waistband over the original stitching 1/16 an inch. This small amount is almost impossible to get right. My waistband looks  a little wonky from the inside. Another method that might also help with this would be to sew a basting stitch over the foldline. With my bulky fabric, I had a hard time folding my waistband over evenly, and I relied mostly just on my eye to make sure the waistband looked even from the outside.
• The belt loop intructions have you the belt loop strip sew right side to right side and turn them inside out with a loop turner. This method is really hard to do when working with bulky fabrics, and I usually only do this with lightweight fabrics, since the loop can get all bunched up and stuck in the middle. I made my belt loops by this method instead.
• Even though I’m 5’5″.5 inches, close to the pattern’s length for 5’5″, I made my hem only 1.5 inches instead of turning it up the recommended 3 1/4 inches. My legs are long for my body, and I would recommend everyone try these on and pin them first, instead of turning them up the amount described in the instructions. Depending on your torso and leg height you might need to make them longer like I did. Or shorter, even if you are 5’5′.
• All in all, I really enjoyed sewing these pants. The ft is good, they are totally on trend for this spring, and the instructions are good as well. Even if there are a few things I might personally do differently, like the belt loops, following the instructions as is should get you to a nice fitted pair of pants.
• I added an extra button.

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