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Kwik Sew 3115: Yoga Pants

Kwik Sew 3115: Yoga Pants (and a Little Photography Lesson)

By on November 11, 2013 in Sewing

Kwik Sew 3115: Yoga Pants

I came very close to not posting this particular sewing project because

a) It involves my butt in tight pants
b) I had my camera set up all wrong for what I was going for
c) Visible panty lines
d) I’m going to redo the waistband
e) ALL THE THINGS

So yes, the answer is e) ALL THE THINGS. But here I am, posting it… Oh well. It is what it is.

Kwik Sew 3115: Yoga Pants

There is nothing wrong with these pants or the pattern. Let me first make that clear. In fact, I LOVE the pants, and I LOVE the pattern. It’s just a matter of, you know, STRETCH PANTS after having a baby four months ago.

A little about the pattern… This is Kwik Sew 3115, and it’s great. These pants aren’t going to win me any fashion awards, but they are perfect for those days when I really just want to be comfortable. Or, you know, when I want to do yoga. Truth be told, I hate yoga. But I DID go to a Pilates class right after I shot these photos, and the pants performed brilliantly. My instructor even complimented me on them.

Kwik Sew 3115: Yoga Pants

For the record, my current waist/hip measurements are 29″/38″. (Also, why don’t more people include their measurements in sewing pattern reviews? Everyone tells what size they made, but they don’t give measurements. How is that helpful? Some people look really small in photos; others do not. Let’s all start adding measurements! Okay, nevermind.) That put me pretty squarely in a size M, so I cut out a small thinking I will still be losing some weight in my waist (and since my hips are more at the large end of the size small). Plus, you know, STRETCH PANTS. I also added an inch of length just in case.

As it turns out, I should have gone with the extra-small. I tried the pants on before attaching the waistband, and they were just too baggy – especially in the thighs. So, I zipped them through the serger again to get them just right. I also lopped off a little from the waistband to basically end up with an extra-small. I also ended up not needing that extra inch of length. The length as the pattern was designed was perfect for me. (I am 5’6″.)

Kwik Sew 3115: Yoga Pants

BUTT (pun intended), I decided not to take any off in the rise since I didn’t particularly want a super low-rise pair of pants. My current Prana yoga pants are always exposing my behind at the gym playground, and I’m not a fan. However, I think about an inch less in rise would be more flattering and comfortable. The extra-small rise would have been 3/4″ shorter than what you are seeing in these photos. I have enough of this fabric left to completely redo the waistband, but I am going to wear them a couple more times to make sure I really want what I think I want. My formidable postpartum muffin top is really clouding my judgment when it comes to fit at the moment, so I’m just going to sleep on that one.

Kwik Sew 3115: Yoga Pants

As for the fabric, it’s a GORGEOUS, high-quality French terry that I purchased at Tissu in Salt Lake City. It was regularly $19.95/yard, but I got it for 31% off (Halloween sale). These are around $30 pants, but the comfort and fit factor make them totally worth it – especially once I work out the waistband debacle.

Bottom line: Yoga pants are not that exciting. But when they are this comfortable, they make me happy. And that is what matters.

OH! I almost forgot. I had a total “Aha” photography moment today. Take a look at these two images:

Comparison of F-Stop and Shutter Speed

They were taken in the same spot at the same time of day (adjusted for Daylight Savings Time). My untrained eye tells me the one on the left of Harper is one of the best photos I’ve taken since switching to full manual, while the one on the right is complete MEH. You’ll notice that the background on the left is pleasantly blurred so the focus is on Harper. In the one of me, everything is in focus, and the background is more of a distraction.

Well, I never quite understood how the F-stop number related to the end result of a photo. Okay, I still don’t. But what I DO know is that a smaller F-stop number results in a smaller area of focus. The larger number puts more of the frame in focus. The low F-stop number coupled with a higher shutter speed gives me exactly the look I want – a blurry background with the subject in focus.

I’m sure that’s not the scientific explanation. But hey, it works for me.

 

  • Mrs. Smith

    I love the pants (as I’ve already stated on PR!) :) You look GREAT! I should be so worried about how my behind looks! lol!!!
    I am a complete novice to photography and of course, I think the photos look pretty dang good.

    • http://www.laurendahl.com/ Lauren Dahl

      Thank you so much! I think I am getting better with practice. :)

  • Veronica

    The pants look great and so do you! And yes, we should be giving measurements, but I think that most people don’t take their measurements because they are scared to! Thanks for the photo tips, too. That stuff always confuses me.

    • http://www.laurendahl.com/ Lauren Dahl

      I hate my post-baby measurements at the moment (I have no waist), but people can see that, right? I don’t need to give my measurements for that! Hahaha. I keep it pretty well covered though.

  • kristin

    Great pants! I need some of those! They look super comfy but yet stylish enough to wear in public ;-) Thanks for the review – and measurements!

    • http://www.laurendahl.com/ Lauren Dahl

      Thanks, Kristin! My pleasure!

  • Juliette Bonnin Lanvers

    Hi Lauren, great pants, you really nailed the crotch which is so hard to do!

    The f-stop relates to how wide the lens opens, at a low f stop it is almost completely open, hence you only need it for a tiny amount of time. If you want the same kind of brightness from a higher f-stop you are going to have to stay open longer. This is hard because you will get blur with kids… What are you shouting with?
    Juju

    • http://www.laurendahl.com/ Lauren Dahl

      Ahhh.. I really need to read more and learn about this feature. And keep experimenting, of course. I am shooting with a Nikon D90 and the kit lens. 18-55 I believe.

      • rick in raleigh

        F-stop controls the ‘depth of field’, which means that you can
        – focus on her nose and only her nose will be in focus (F2) or
        – focus on her nose and everything will be in focus, all the way to the trees (F18)

        Think about those Ansel Adams pictures of the mountains, where everything from the rocks all the way to the moon is in focus.(F22) He actually started a nature photography club in SF called the F22 Club.

        Now think about a magazine ad for a cup of coffee where just the lip of the cup is in focus, the rest blurry.(F2)

        Generally an automatic camera use F8, about in the middle, which gives some focus in front and in back of the centerpoint of the depth of field.

        The shutter speed is what allows more or less light into the camera.

        One other thing to note: there are fancy digital lenses now which gives that weird effect shifting the focal-plane from vertical to tilted. Very strange for an old film guy.

        Full disclosure: I know nothing about pants. I found this site on an image search for ‘hot girls in yoga pants’. You are cute.

        • http://www.laurendahl.com/ Lauren Dahl

          Hahaha! Thank you. ;)

  • Sonia

    You’re hilarious!!! Can’t wait to see you all in Bishop! Make sure you bring those yoga pants =)

  • Anne Weaver

    The way they explained F-stops in my camera class was with that camera lens logo thing at the beginning of James Bond movies. You know, where the black things slide in from the side and focus in on the subject? Each “stop” is one notch more that the black things slide in, so the bigger the F-stop the smaller the aperture. A small aperture will result in more in focus. A large aperture will result in a photo with less in focus. But that’s all very confusing and lots of leaps of reasoning for a brain to make, so I skip to the end result and remember it like you do. The smaller the F-stop, the less that’s in focus and the less light that’s needed for a sharp photo. The bigger the F-stop, the more that’s in focus and the more light you’ll need for a sharp photo.

    • http://www.laurendahl.com/ Lauren Dahl

      Ack, it hurts my brain. Too much… ;)

  • Mae

    This post made me laugh at least three times. And i was totally laughing with you, not at you. No seriously, I was. Your writing style is great, can’t wait for the next video in the series but until then have a good vacation, er i mean visit. :)

    Mae

    • http://www.laurendahl.com/ Lauren Dahl

      Thank you, Mae!! That really means a lot to me! I try to let my personality come through without being as abrasive as I am in person. Hehe…

  • j

    Seek Jesus and HE will solve all of your problems, nothing else will. God Bless.