Firecracker's Blog

46 Comments

• Angie replied 7 years ago

  KILLER to the Power of KILLER

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 7 years ago

  Aw, Angie, thank you!

• Style Fan replied 7 years ago

  Yes!!!  And definitely make them in another colour.  OMG yes!!!

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 7 years ago

  Thank you, Style Fan!

  I didn't mention above, but I bought this fabric online, and it was described as "navy" (!). It is so NOT navy, and it is just not a color that I can wear easily, at least not in this quantity.

• Joy replied 7 years ago

  Those are amazing and worth another go in a color you can use, How about olive? Or a deep green? Or taupe?

• bridgie replied 7 years ago

  Firecracker I am not surprised to see that you are the first to have and model the new trend.  You are one stylish lady!  And I love the fact that if you don't have any item that comes to mind you just whip up one.  The outfit is cute on you.

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 7 years ago

  Joy, thanks--I like your color ideas. I had a pair of light taupe harem pants that I bought (maybe more like a stone color), and that I passed on. I didn't like the light color as much as I liked my black ones. So I'm liking your olive or dark green suggestions.

  Thanks, Bridgie. I usually think for a couple of years before making something that captures my fancy, though. (And most often, I never get around to it.) I made these pants ahead of their time, and finally today it occurred to me that narrowing the legs might work.

• Dianna replied 7 years ago

  How in the world you are not keeping them?  They are amazing.  The fabric might not be navy, but it drapes very well.  Of course it would be worth duplicating (maybe triplicating) in another color.  Great outfit.  

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 7 years ago

  Oh, Dianna, you are sweet. They just aren't my color of blue. I tried to make this blue work, even making a little jacket to match the pants, and I didn't wear either of the pieces. They are kind of close to a blue that I would wear, but not quite, and just far enough off that I don't like it. So strange, but if you saw them in real life, you might see what I mean. It's a color that seems to eclipse my own coloring.

• kecisme replied 7 years ago

  Freaking love what you did.  Those are amazing.  Do not look like they started life as anything else.

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 7 years ago

  Thanks, kecisme!

• Stagiaire Fash replied 7 years ago

  That is a very bright color, but on my screen it doesn't eclipse your own coloring, especially with the small print of the shirt between them and your hair/face. I think they look great on you. What if you redid the jacket into a little bolero? Would you wear it with the pants then?

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 7 years ago

  Fashiontern, the jacket I made for the pants is long gone. It was a short jacket, a good silhouette for the pants. Truly, I'm not sure why I kept the pants. Maybe I wanted a reminder of how the pattern worked out. Thanks for your comment on the outfit--I think this combo just works, especially with the jacket. But I would want more things to wear with the pants. They would go with white, but I don't like wearing white--again, it just feels too bright for me.The blue of the pants is a little more toward purple than it looks onscreen to me.

• Karie replied 7 years ago

  Super cool! Love, love, love!

• Stagiaire Fash replied 7 years ago

  Sounds like they are my very favorite color in all the world! I think it plays well with reds, oranges and taupey kinds of colors, as well as some light sage and bright greens. Some of those colors are in the pattern you have on with them. But it doesn't matter how much I like the color, if you won't wear them.

• JAileen replied 7 years ago

  I think you wear them very well. Olive would be a great color for your future pair.

• donnat replied 7 years ago

  Those pants are beautiful and they look amazing on you!

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 7 years ago

  Fashiontern, you are right; I can envision this color with a lot of things . . . . Wish I liked it on me as much as you do!
  Thanks, JAileen and donnat!

• karen13 replied 7 years ago

  They look amazing - the cut and drape are beautiful. I love the color, but if you don't, have you considered dyeing them? What is the fabric content? As so many of my project begin . . . "what is the worst that can happen?"

• Thistle replied 7 years ago

  Super fun! Those pants are such a beautiful statement piece!

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 7 years ago

  Fashiontern, you have inspired me to try some other combos:
  1-2: I realized the pants go with scarf that I bought to go with a sweater, both from Eileen Fisher. So I tried the two on with the pants. The sweater is heathered blues and purples, and I'm not sure it goes with the pants.

  3-4: from your suggestion of red, I tried them with my cranberry cross-over front sweater by Free People, and added my new burgundy Born booties. I am not sure about this combo.

  5-6: with charcoal merino cropped sweater and multi-colored scarf (photo 5) or abelone pendant (photo 6), with black Chelsea booties. I think I would wear either of these versions.

  7: with a lilac boxy cowl-neck cardigan. I don't like this combo, but thought I'd show it since I tried it.

  I didn't try taupe sweaters, though I think you are right, Fashiontern, that they could work. I have an off-white chunky, boxy sweater that I think could go nicely.

  What do you all think?

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• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 7 years ago

  Karen13, they are a polyester spandex knit. Laughing at your comment about your projects. Sounds familiar to me! Dyeing is an interesting idea--hadn't thought of it.

• Deborah replied 7 years ago

  I love these Firecracker! I am biased as I have a pair in black very similar :)

  Mine don't have the pocket and they taper at the ankle. I wear them a lot on the warmer months. I particularly like cropped slightly oversized tops with them.

  Here are some pics from last summer:). I think mine are not as voluminous as yours. Definitely make a new pair fur yourself as they are right up your style ally xx

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• unfrumped replied 7 years ago

  Wowsers! These look great on you.
  I vote dark olive-- will show the drape but still be dark enough to be mysterious and luxurious, and it's a great fall item.

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 7 years ago

  Yours are so great, Deborah, and I love your outfits with them! 
  Maybe I need to try a different pattern, or see if I can remove some of the volume if I make them again.
  unfrumped, thank you!

• Jaime replied 7 years ago

  This is a very Israeli looking design. I love them in blue! The white accents are excellent contrast.

• rachylou replied 7 years ago

  Amazing pants!

• lozz_oz replied 7 years ago

  I think they look fabulous on you. Look at how many combination you've put together - surely we are all slightly convincing you to keep them!

• Staysfit replied 7 years ago

  OMG! I love them with the red and the light purple/orchid tops, and also the second pic with the blue top! My favorite is with the red. I'm glad you took a second look through your clothes to see what else would work. These look so darn good on you! I was wondering how hard these are to make?

  I was thinking that once my recertification boards are done in November, I could try to sew something other than a quilt. Maybe these wouldn't be the place to start, but I'm not sure where to begin? (I've mastered the 1/4" seam with my machine after several years of quilting, LOL!). :-)

• Tanya replied 7 years ago

  This is an amazing and very creative look.  The pants are stunning, and so is the whole outfit.

• Joyce B replied 7 years ago

  I love those pants on you and all the outfits you put together as well.

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 7 years ago

  Thanks, Rachylou!

  lozz_oz, yes, I think you all are convincing me to keep this pair.

  Staysfit, thank you! These are not hard to make, if you are comfortable sewing knits. The only tricky part is inserting the pocket into a square corner--probably not an unusual technique for a quilter. I would start with something even simpler, though, for your first knit project. Maybe a tube skirt. Christine Jonson patterns are a good place to start with knits; I was thinking her Base Wear 2 pattern for simple skirts, but I see she also has a ruched tube skirt pattern now, too.

  Thank you, Tanya and Joyce!

• skylurker replied 7 years ago

  Ok, to be honest the shape is too eccentric for me - not a fan of harem trousers in general.
  I like the colour with the heathered EF (#1) and with pink (#7)

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 7 years ago

  Thanks, Skylurker! I understand about the shape, and I appreciate your feedback on the colors.

• kellygirl replied 7 years ago

  Whoa, late to the party but omg I love these pants on you! I really love that shade of blue so I'm biased, I suppose. They look great in the initial iterations and again with the EF scarf/shirt sweater and the red sweater as well. So gorgeous!!! I'm fainting with your fabness!

• citygirldc replied 7 years ago

  Wow. Those pants look incredible on you. I wish I could wear something like that.  Hmmm....Will have to see.

• Neelie replied 7 years ago

  Amazing pants!  Can you dye them a darker colour or is it a fabric that won't hold the dye?

• Stagiaire Fash replied 7 years ago

  I'm honored that you took up my suggestions; really, because you are so much better at this than I am. I think all those colors work, but am not so crazy about a solid top with the pants. The weird thing is, the change I like best isn't a top, but adding that pendent in. Let us know if you do in fact keep them!

  May I ask you a sewing question? I have pants from the early 90s that fit me well, but the style is off. They have "eased" thighs--not quite baggy, but in that direction. They are very cool fabric, so I'd like to keep them, but with much straighter legs. Is that something I'd be able to do myself, as a way to ease into sewing, or should I find someone to do it for me? I have a couple other pairs that are the same cut (when I lie these pants flat on top of each other, they line up ridiculously well), so I could do a practice run or have an alterations person do a "low value" pair first.

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 7 years ago

  Thanks, Kelly!
  Citygirldc, thank you! I think there are versions of these pants that would fit your style. I could envision you in either of the two outfits on the left in Angie's ensemble post.
  Neelie, I'm not sure; I've never done it. Karen13 suggest dyeing, too.
  Thanks, Fashiontern. My first response to your sewing question is, Why do you want to alter pants from the 1990s? (rhetorical question) And I will admit I have a bias here: in most cases, I would rather make a new garment from scratch than alter one! But yes, you could take fullness out of the thighs of your pants. Typically the extra fullness is in the back but not the front, and if that's the case, you won't want to just take up the seams, taking equal amounts from front and back. You would want to rip out the seams and just take the extra amount out of the back of the pants. If you're dealing with a lot--say, more than an inch on each thigh--you should take out the inseam (from a couple of inches below the crotch seam) as well as the sideseam, and make your adjustments that way. I've taken a little bit of fullness from the back of pants just at the sideseam, and that can work for a minor adjustment.
   

• Jane replied 7 years ago

  Just fantastic! They are amazing. You are so talented. 

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 7 years ago

  Thank you, Jane.

• Stagiaire Fash replied 7 years ago

  Awesome--I'll give it a try. The two pairs I want to do it on have fabric I like, which is why I've kept them around. Every couple years I pull them out, try them on, look in the mirror & shake my head, but still can't bring myself to give them away.

  ETA pix of the fabrics. You can see that one has black flocking. I want to wear those with velvet tops this winter. It can be hard to find christmassy looks that aren't way too warm for here, so I'll be glad to have this combo with a sparkly necklace. The other is sort of super-micro corduroy, is super soft to touch, but doesn't get matted like velvet can, and doesn't show any wear. It's cotton with 2% spandex, from early 2003. I used to wear those pants only with brown or maybe cream, but want to try them with other colors.
  On the other pants from that era, you're completely right--no need to hang onto them, other than for "experimental surgery".

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• Brooklyn replied 7 years ago

  As soon as I started drooling over your top, I knew it would be "made by you". You are so clever! The whole outfit is wonderful. A great interpretation of the ensemble.

• Dianna replied 7 years ago

  I loved the new styling options you tried, and frankly I liked all of them on you, although my favorite is the same you prefer (both options with the black top). 

• Staysfit replied 7 years ago

  Thanks for the suggestion Firecracker! I'm going to look into this! You may see me in a new tube skirt some time in November.....

• Ledonna N. replied 7 years ago

  Oh those are a dreamfor sure. Im gonna need 3 pr in a size 18 lol your skills are beyond.