Sometimes inspiration strikes at the oddest moments.
For a while now I’ve wanted to return to a regular yoga practice and recently tried a new studio. Settling in for class, I spied some fantastic pants a couple rows ahead of me. What grabbed my attention was how much they were not like typical yoga pants. They were a deep russet color, wide-legged and really flowy. They appeared to be made from linen or voile — something very lightweight. Definitely not your basic black fitted lycra yoga pant. And henceforth I became obsessed with the thought of soft, flowy yoga pants.
And, so, did I make myself yoga pants? Nope. I guess this is a case where the end product strayed a bit from the genesis of my inspiration. My pants are wide-legged, relaxed and linen, but not really yoga class attire. I’ve worn them out a few times now and I think they are a unique and stylish summer option. Especially helpful for covering mosquito-bitten legs, while keeping you cool on warm days.
I don’t recall exactly the path that led me to these pants, but it started with scrolling through linen fabric choices online late one night, and then somehow stumbling onto some great patterns by designer Tina Givens. I purchased some patterns (more reveals coming soon!) and also downloaded the free pattern for her Plinka Pants.
These pants were my introduction to Tina Givens. I’m still wondering how I’d never heard of her. I love that her designs are so unfussy but still feminine. And they leave plenty of room for you to add your own design elements and embellishments. I’m giving myself way too much credit here, but I felt a certain kinship with her design vision. Scrolling through her pattern gallery I was struck by how similar some of her designs are to the items I sketch for myself or rip from magazines or simply imagine wearing.
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The sewing was easy but the instructions are pretty light (about one page of instruction!). I guess I have become spoiled with the high level of direction, photographs and diagrams included by most of the independent pattern makers I have sewn. It’s not that the techniques used in these pants were tricky, but I think it would definitely be helpful to have a good understanding of the techniques involved, as well as the basics of constructing clothes, so that you can follow along with the limited directions. This is not the kind of pattern that includes instruction on the individual techniques needed to complete the pattern. I couldn’t for the life of me understand the description for the final step of attaching the ruffle along the pant hem. I just attached it the way I typically add a ruffle trim, even though I think a different method was being described.
The only advice I would share about the pattern (and I think this might apply generally to TG patterns, since it was also relevant to the next TG pattern I tried) is that her style is very relaxed — there is nothing fitted about these items!! — and depending on your personal comfort level with additional fullness in your clothing (i.e., is this a romantic, flow-y look, or do I look like I’m smuggling something in my clothes?), you may want to reduce some of that fullness. I sewed a size small (her pattern sizes cover a wide range), altered the pattern to shorten the length to about mid-calf and reduced some of the fullness in the legs. Yep, this is the reduced fullness version! These are very wide-legged pants – kind of a ruffled hem version of a harem pant. As one of my friends remarked, “It looks like a skirt, until you start walking.”
I tried taking some photographs holding the pant legs out to their fullest width to make my point about the fullness, but the result was so ridiculous looking I just couldn’t post them. We are in the middle of toilet-training my daughter, and the way I looked in the photos reminded me of the way my daughter walks when she’s had an accident and wants her pants off ASAP. Actually this whole photography session was humorous because I was using the self-timer on my camera and running back and forth taking shots and posing, trying to accomplish it all within the 24 minute window I had while the kids watched a television show On Demand. And any typical self-consciousness about having my picture taken was compounded by the fact I was paranoid my neighbors could watch my silly sprint-filled photo shoot on the porch.
These pants are super comfortable. And the linen-rayon blend fabric I used is perfect. It provides a nice drape but doesn’t wrinkle the way pure linen does. And, I scored it on sale at Jo-Anns, which made these pants a super bargain considering the pattern was graciously provided for free on the Tina Givens website.
I’m actually starting to re-think my statement that these pants wouldn’t work for yoga! They are so relaxed, not restrictive in the least. Or maybe I’ve been confusing them with pajamas — nice bed head, huh?
Happy start to summer!
I am so glad I found your page! I also love Tina’s style and I am about to tackle the Plinka Pants. I have no idea how to attach that bottom ruffle ??? It will be a total improvisation on my part. I’m quite the Frankenstein seamstress.
I love love love how yours turned out.
Hi Lidia, Thanks so much for your kind words on my pants! I really appreciate you stopping by and commenting. I think TG’s patterns allow for a lot of improvisation, so I bet it will work out just fine for you! I never posted about the TG dress I sewed up next. SO ridiculously big (and it’s not like I’m a real petite person). I still haven’t hacked it up to reduce some of the size, which is a bummer because I really like the fabric I chose. I guess I better put that on my “to do” list. Good luck with your pants!
Love the Plinka’s! I was just surfing the ‘net looking to see if these had been made up and what people thought of them – glad I found you! I have to admit being quite a TG fan although the only pants I made were based on the Jaqueline pattern. My totally unsolicited advice for her dresses and slips is to use a shell pattern that works well for you – I really like ‘Sorbetto’ by Collette (I’ve made all the adjustments I need) and then make a pattern sandwich – the TG pattern, my Sorbetto, then tracing paper and I’m good to go. I get the lovely design lines that TG uses, but the fit that suits me!
So, I’m off to make some Plinka’s in brown linen/rayon
Hi twotoast (and my apologies for the delayed response!)! I completely appreciate this advice — I’m all about learning new skills, and love how much sharing goes around in the online sewing world. This sounds like such a great approach to personalizing the fit. I have to give it a try. Thank you! I hope you had a good time with the Plinkas!
I love your pants they look great! I just printed this pattern off and am going to attempt them soon. I’m wondering if making a size Extra small would work to reduce the size issues you mentioned, or was the size small good but just needed de-bulking? I am 5’1″ and weigh about 115 and was going to make the Small size, but I like the way yours fit…. I don’t want ridiculously baggy either.
Hi Monica, and sorry for the very late response! The size small worked well for me in most respects, so I’d say it was mostly a de-bulking issue. I’m just shy of 5’7″, so I think that the XS wouldn’t have worked with respect to the rise, etc. I hope you like how yours turned out! Thanks for commenting!
I love how your Plinka’s turned out. I have mine all cut out and was reading through the instructions and was baffled by the ruffle/binding attachment instructions too thus stumbling upon your post. I’ve been sewing garments for a lifetime and even I was bamboozled but after reading it half a dozen times, closing my eyes and visualizing it and then practicing the construction with three sheets of toilet paper, (the closest thing I had on hand Lol) I finally figured it out. You place the ruffle onto the WRONG side of the hem edge (yes, with the pants turned inside out) and put the binding on top of that with all the raw edges aligned. Sew around the leg. When you turn it right side out, your seam will now be on the RIGHT side of the pants. Now enclose the seam with the binding, press the seam up and stitch along the folded edge of the binding around the leg. I hope that’s clearer. Now off to finish mine. 🙂
Thank you, Carin! You persevered longer than I did in order to figure that out. 🙂 And I love that TP was your muslin, lol!
Holy cow…I thought it was just me and Plinka’s ruffle dilemma. I have only recently started sewing. Carin, thank you for the explanation. I used your TP trick to work it out and, wa-lah, it works!
Glad it worked out for you, Sheri!
Beautiful job on your pants; they look great on you! I just made my first pair this week and am so glad to find your blog and especially your photos, as I also experienced frustrations with the limited TG instructions. Also, the plinka pants, as shown on the TG website, are so dark that it is impossible to see the detail of the pleating (a better pic would help make-up for the lack of well- written instruction). I agree with you in that the pattern is generous. I wish I had shortened mine and will do so the next go-round.
Hi! What happened to the other TG patterns you bought? I would love to see your results with these…
Sooooo pretty! I also just cut these pants out. Thank you for the ruffle help and OMG your pants look fabulous!!!!
So glad I just saw this love your Plinka pants. Just ordered pattern so I copied instructions for hem. I’m excited to try them.
Tina Givens’ designs are great. However, sometimes the actual patterns are not – I’ve sewn many – arm scythes and arms not the same size, missing or mislabeled pieces, poor directions, etc. pattern sizing is completely inconsistent across her catalog. Few line drawings, no indication whether a digital pattern will be available as a A0 download until after purchase. Often patterns are promised as forthcoming in workshops, etc and then never released. Both websites, STG, and the sister “build your own collection/Sychil” websites are navigational nightmares.
And, customer service? Virtually non-existent. “Contact Us” links, emails, messages – no response to any. If you can find the correct phone number, you might get your call answered but may be left with your problem unaddressed.