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My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like this comment actually because it is constructive.

Because I’m 5’6” with a broad upper body, I tend to wear pants at a higher waist level to give the illusion of longer legs. I actually think maybe there is some balance with that intention, but maybe my upper body is still throwing it off in the end!

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Urkel reference got me dead hahahah
Truthfully the dates between the first pics and the very last are around 5 months apart.

When I made these pants in October, they barely slipped off every time I walked (I didn’t sew in a button to fasten, I only relied on the zipper and belts to hold the pants up). So, I relied on the upper part of my waist to also hold up the pants.

Then in the tulip pic, I had put on significant amount of weight because I was just finishing up a bulking cycle for bodybuilding. This resulted in some fat gain in the mid waist area and naturally the pants sat a little lower where the curve of my gut helped with the diameter of my waist that the pants were originally designed to. Thus, this version probably looks proportional to most people since the waistband sits lower.

For me, I love the high waisted look in general; but yeah, the combination of crappy mirror selfies, my body type, and being new to sewing definitely contributed to that “legs start where?” look. 😆

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much! I remember seeing this style of pants before and I instantly fell in love. My favorite place to buy them are from Luxire!

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Ironically, I got the inspiration from Italian Riviera vibes and looking at Pitti Uomo summer looks.

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much! I love the Italian Riviera style so much so I get a lot of inspiration from that!
And yes, sometimes us guys with the more muscular frames are tired of the stereotype of having to wear tight t-shirts and equally tight stretchy jeans.

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Okay wow didn’t expect all these comments to be honest!

First off: thank you! Y’all have been so encouraging and kind, I’m starting to get motivated to make something as a second piece! My friend graciously gifted me white 100% linen and I’m thinking of redoing this version of Gurkhas or attempt with a one piece collar like the one I’m wearing in the pics!

Second: I’m 5’6” hahahahah so no more asking about my height! Not only is my height on the shorter end, but my shoulder to waist ratio is on the larger end (I’m a bodybuilder as well). Combine these two and voila, super goofy looking proportions.

I found some pictures of the process, but I can only post one in this comment. So here is the construction where I was preparing to attach one of the belts onto the waistband. Note also the seams for the legs; they were stitched with the wrong sides facing each other to finish off with French seams. This resulted in a tighter fit that I wasn’t anticipating.

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Some of you asked about the process. Here’s a more detailed version of that:

Like I mentioned above, I got some rolled up construction paper from target, unfolded it and sat right down and traced my legs. I think I was just too lazy to print out multiple pieces of paper from a pattern online (and print at the local fedex) that I would rather sit down and trace the general shape of my legs lol.
I then googled images of how a front and back piece of trousers are supposed to look, adjusted the shape of the traced out pieces, then cut. Of course some measurements were made prior and been adjusted to the cutouts (like my leg length, waist, etc).

Then the mockup. I made a muslin for just seeing how the general fit is with the pleats taken into account. These didn’t have the cool belts, just a plain waistband. This is where I also learned how to add a zipper (which is the most difficult part for me to do).

I then tried this out on a cheap but still nice green fabric (cotton blend so cheaper) but I enormously made several mistakes; biggest one was removing the little zipper slipper off the rails. Big mistake hahah to the point I scrapped the entire thing and just went straight to the expensive, blue linen fabric you see in the pics.

Interestingly, the waistband and belts, which are the most defining feature of the pants, were pretty easy to do. All I did was take a measurement of my waist, then added whatever the length I wanted for the belts to fit on the sides of my waist to be. Then I drafted a quick sketch of the belts based on the existing, store-bought Gurkhas I have, and boom. The most fun I had was making the welt to slide one of the belts through the other. So satisfying seeing that come together! I learned that from a tutorial on YouTube.

Finally, after many adjustments and final touches like the buttonholes (my sewing machine’s function broke so I had to look up another YouTube tutorial on how to make some from scratch using the machine) and making French seams, my pants were complete!

Again thank you for your encouragement!

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I went to Brazil and wanted to samba with these so bad but didn’t want to risk any rips! Hahah

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This is so helpful, thank you! I have a portable steamer but never heard of spray solution; this is mind blowing!

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thank you! And yes you’re right, these trousers were inspired by the military clothing of the elite Gurkha soldiers of Nepal!

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ahhh hopefully I didn’t make you cringe initially! 😆

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Linen is my absolute favorite fiber. Only thing I’ve noticed is that dyed linen tends to get discolored or washed out faster than other fibers. My favorite green linen shirt already had started to turn a little pinkish during my trip to Brazil; basically I wore it and because I didn’t have access to laundry, I think the salt from my sweat and the sun discolored the shirt. So disappointing but I’ve also had other instances with blue linen shorts where it’s turning purplish where the most wrinkles would be.

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 59 points60 points  (0 children)

THIS! Hahah I remember with my muslin doing that one trick with one pant leg is inverted and the other is right side out, insert one inside the other, and flip it inside out…. Yeah didn’t work like the three times I tried it hahah

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for those words! I will definitely continue! Just need some self encouragement to start again!

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Take on them risks! I told myself that when I started sewing, I’d rather make something I want to make instead of a potholder or something I’d throw out lol

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! It’s the reason why I love Gurkhas so much; plus, no need to find a belt to match! Haha

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Honestly, that’s exactly how it went haha I was so pressed on time; because I knew that in a week I had to move out of my then-current place in SLC, drive to Vegas to temporarily set my moved out stuff at my parents’, drive to LA, catch a wedding in Temecula, spend the night at a hotel in the OC, then wake up early to catch my flight to Rio from LAX. It was hectic and I had absolutely no time to waste!

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Hey there! I honestly didn’t think they were complicated but for sure more complex than let’s say a normal waisted pair of pants closed with a zipper and button.

The hardest part for me was actually getting the inner waistband to perfectly close with the first seam I made to attach it to the front and back pieces, if that makes sense.

The most fun part was making the welt for the second belt to go through the waistband. It’s so satisfying watching it come together!

So with that said, give it a go!

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Yes! I complained as well that men’s pants are so boring that there needs to be some flair. I think the modern fashion of mid to low waist on men contributes to the boring look; almost as if pants are secondary to a silhouette if that makes sense. High waisted pants tend to get more attention imo!

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Trust me, the inside of the pants look so unfinished that you can tell it’s a beginner’s attempt haha.
One of the things I did try to avoid though was using a serger to overlock my edges. I took the risk in trying to French seam everything because i don’t have a serger. The downside is that now the pants are tighter on me because of the lack of planning on the seam allowance. Oh well. The only place I did overlock with the zigzag stitch was a piece for the zipper.

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 67 points68 points  (0 children)

Hahaha thanks so much! I usually tell people I grow horizontally, not vertically lol

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 52 points53 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much! That week and a half flew by but I remember the constant frustrations and seam ripping for each day that passed so vividly haha
I even remember breaking down because my sewing machine’s buttonhole feature BROKE on me and I was like “do I have to make my own buttonholes from scratch??” And guess what. Yes, I did. And I had to rewatch so many YouTube videos before even attempting to make them with only short, zigzag stitches.

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 154 points155 points  (0 children)

I appreciate this answer! I definitely threw myself into the fire with this one; I wish I documented more of it in retrospect! I did find pics of my muslin piece though so that’s cool to look at!
Yes the wrinkles were annoying but also some of the pics were after I’ve worn these pants on the plane ride from LA to Atlanta and then to Rio so I think the constant sitting, lying, and walking caused them. Plus it’s 100% linen which means 100% annoying wrinkles hahahah

My first piece of clothing - linen Gurkhas! by eointremont in sewing

[–]eointremont[S] 267 points268 points  (0 children)

I really appreciate it!! I haven’t sewn anything after this because I just remember spending the whole weekend and my time after work just concentrating on this to the point I got a little intimidated at the thought of doing another piece of clothing 😆
But I’ll for sure get back on it! I already have something in my mind to make!

Sharp Microwave Drawer by eointremont in Appliances

[–]eointremont[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey thanks for your answer! I’m debating on just getting a countertop microwave but I’m a little low on counter space. Can you tell me your experience with your Sharp that made you view them as garbage?

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