Circle of Life Sweatpants

I had just a bit of leftover sweatshirt fleece from the sweatshirt hoodie so I made Samster some funky little sweats.I call them the 'circle of life sweatpants' because I wasn't paying attention when I cut the pieces & the print on half of the front & back is upside down. Everytime I look at them I can't help but think, "live deer...dead deer". Morbid, I know, we have a weird sense of humor in our house though because somehow that made them even more endearing to me. (no pun intended)
I also love them because I cut them to have a fitted bum & a wide leg, just like big girl Juicy sweatpants. Except for about $3.I think I've been letting her watch too much Project Runway. She's got the butt-pop pose down pat.

You probably noticed the outside hot pink stitches on the pants...Santa was very good to me & brought me a serger for Christmas. I wanted one because I noticed that after a few washes some of Sam's homemade clothes would get holes in the seams. It's pretty frustrating to work so hard on something & not have it last which is why I wanted a serger. Now the reason I haven't posted about it even though I've had it for almost 2 months is because I've been too afraid to use the darn thing! I mean look at it, it looks like it wants to eat me!After several weeks of studying the manual & watching videos online I finally decided the best way to learn was the same way I taught myself to sew...just sit there & use the darn thing. Trial & error always works, it may be frustrating & you'll hit some bumps but after sitting there for a couple of hours after Samster went to bed I can finally say I feel pretty comfortable with it. It will never replace 'my beloved' (my sewing machine) but it's pretty incredible at what it does. It cuts the fabric & basically wraps the edge in a 4 string stitch to make a permanent seam. Just look at the seam inside your clothes...that's what a serger does. To make the stitches on the outside of the pants I just stitched them wrong sides together instead of right, then I went back & tacked down the seams with a quick topstitch in a matching thread on my regular sewing machine. I LOVE IT! Oh, & the waistband is just a basic elastic waistband but I also threaded a satin ribbon through the waistband (1st I stitched the ribbon to the elastic so it can never be pulled out) & pulled it through a couple of buttonholes in the front of the waistband. It's functional but more for pretty than anything. I just thought the fuchsia satin ribbon added some nice girliness to the gray animal print fleece.

*Update* A few of you have already asked me about my serger, the brand is Brother and the link is below. My hubby did a good bit of research before deciding which one to get me & I couldn't be happier. I'm so glad he didn't go crazy & get a more expensive one. They can get very pricey but honestly this one is perfect for the basic home sewer. Serger prices usually range depending on what they do & how many threads they work with, from what I've read anything less than 4 isn't as sturdy. Mine can work with either 3 or 4 depending on the stitch you're doing. 5 thread machines are really for a professional business & will costs you over a $1,000. My model came in just under $200.

Brother 1034D 3/4 Lay-In Thread Serger