Tap Pants Finis

They're done!  The tap pants I started on Thursday are finished four days later.  I don't have a photo because they were whisked away as soon as the last stitch was sewn.  Comfy undies for the shingles-afflicted?  Home run.

New Look 6657D

In lieu of a photo here's a description: shorts of soft muslin with a picot edged elastic waist, 2" inseam and ivory lace-trimmed hem.  They look very like Colette's French Knickers, with a higher waist and looser fit.  They look almost nothing like the pattern I started with: New Look 6657 D.

My leg hem also is horizontal to the ground (neener neener Colette Patterns ;).  I acheived this magic by marking my own waistline rather than following the foolishly straight line of the pattern.  You can do the same: put on the shorts after stitching them together, pull the elastic overtop to your desired waistline, adjust the shorts until fitting and flattering--making sure the hems are straight--and trace under the elastic with a pencil.  Or trace above the elastic if planning a covered elastic waistband.

Then I sewed the elastic WS to shorts RS with the bottom edge of the elastic just above the pencil line.  Trim any excess fabric, turn the elastic to the inside, and stitch down close to the elastic's bottom edge (I used a wide zig zag).  It wasn't necessary to enclose the elastic because it was plush backed. Ta da, a finished waistband that fits front, back and sides.

*This was another instance where I used my flat felling foot to narrow hem.  It makes a great ~1/4" rolled hem, rolling the fabric once or twice as desired.  I haven't been able to master the baby rolled hem foot but this one's a breeze!