True Bias – Hudson Pants in Faux Leather

Hi friends! It’s been a while! We’ve had lots of family visiting and lots of house projects going on over the past two months, and I did not have the mental capacity to blog (or find a new place to take pictures). So, I allowed myself to take a break, and it was great. But I’m excited to back sharing a few of the things that I managed to make amidst the chaos!

I took a poll in my Instagram stories, and it looked like everyone was eager to see my new faux-leather joggers. So, without further ado, here they are!

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This is the Hudson Pants pattern by True Bias (up to 59.5″ hip). I’ve made this pattern close to a dozen times now, and it’s a great pattern. The 0-18 size range could use a tweak, which is much more apparent in this version. Stacey (@acrookedseam) talked about the issue in her story highlight “joggers”, and it’s well worth watching. Basically, the back leg piece isn’t balanced, and the outer side seams don’t match completely, so the legs sort of twist when you’re wearing them. I didn’t notice as much in the others that I’ve made in French terry, but with this stretch faux leather it is much more noticeable.

I also have a much stronger opinion of what kind of fabric to use after sewing so many over the years and now knowing how they hold up. I have made ALL of my other Hudsons out of French terry and I learned something very interesting. The very first ones I ever made are still in great shape even 5 years later, and I have two pairs that I made in the past 3 years that already have a hole (both on the butt) I don’t know what to do with them. They will probably get chopped up into smaller joggers for my kids. The difference is — The first ones I made are made in a cotton/poly blend, and the others that have holes are made in cotton/spandex.

I’m all for getting natural fibers, but I won’t be making anymore joggers with purely cotton/spandex. I know there are ways to mend French terry, but not in a way that isn’t visible, and especially not where the holes are. That totally bums (haha) me out, but I know in the future not to make the same mistake.

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Since this fabric is obviously polyester, I was a little less worried about gettting holes in it, so I went for it! We’ll see how it holds up and if the faux leather starts to flake, but so far it seems pretty good quality. Karen (@intostitches) talked me into getting this fabric last year after she made her Hudsons and she LOVES them. The fabric is a knit pleather (sold out) from Mood Fabrics. It has a good amount of stretch but it’s very stable.

Instead of using the pleather for the waistband and ankle cuffs, Karen used ribbing. I liked the look and agreed that it would probably be more comfortable, so I used this cotton ribbing from Style Maker.

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In the past I’ve made the size 12, but I’m closer to a 14 now, so that’s the size that I made. I didn’t make ANY changes to the pattern, not even lengthening, which it probably could have used. But it seems like all of the leather joggers I see on Pinterest are a little shorter on people anyways.

I haven’t worn them very much since they’re pretty warm for summer, but I’m hoping they’ll get worn in the fall. The leather look is a little outside my comfort zone, so it might be a challenge for me to style them, but we’ll see! I’m currently gathering outfit inspiration. It was fun to try something new, and they were really quite easy to sew.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments, and happy sewing!