Pietra Pants & Shorts Pattern - Print Pattern

7 reviews

I love this pattern! I’m a beginner and bought the class that came with the digital Rome Collection, then ordered two of the print patterns with my discount (including this one) when I realized how many pages needed to be printed altogether. So far from this pattern I have sewn two wearable muslins, two pairs of shorts for myself, one pair of shorts for my daughter, a pair of tapered pants for myself, and a pair of wide leg cropped pants for my daughter. I have more planned. This pattern is a pleasure to sew, a pleasure to wear, and I looks very nice on.

I referred back to the videos often when making the first few pair and don’t know if I could have figured out the directions without them. The Pietra isn’t difficult to sew but it wasn’t easy at first for me to visualize how it came together.

I had difficulty at first trying to choose a size because my hip measurements called for one size and my waist for two sizes larger. I was able to get feedback from Heather Lou through the course to just use my hip when choosing a size and perhaps make the elastic slightly longer. That is what I did and it worked perfectly. I think it would be helpful if that type of information was included in the pattern sizing chart.

The short were fun to make. I lengthened them a bit. I didn't like the elasticized waistband since it adds bulk to the back, but they are comfortable to wear.

Love this pattern. I have always been hard to fit when it comes to pants - wide hips, flat in the back but not so much in the belly and a sensitivity to anything tight around the waist. The flat front on this pattern helps hide the tummy while the elastic in the back only gives me a little more shape in the back. I made the shorts first but added several inches to the leg length and used a light weight denim and absolutely love the fit and love the pockets. I also made the crop length pants and love those as well. Wonderful instructions and nice designs, working on the Kalle shirt now. Thanks Closet Case!

I ordered the Pietra pants pattern from Closet Case because I love the interesting front seaming and pocket construction and the high waisted style. The pattern arrived about a week after ordering. It’s a beautiful pattern and envelope with a great instruction booklet that is probably very useful to beginning sewists. I really wanted to make the slim leg version for myself but was sadly disappointed that it didn’t come in my size. I was especially confused about this because I had just been reading about how the independent pattern companies were becoming more inclusive in their sizing and this was a newly released pattern. I wanted to try to make it anyway so I made a muslin of the shorts for one of my daughters and it came out great. Then I tried to grade the pants version up to my size but the muslin was unsuccessful. I intend to try again soon. The instructions are thorough and easy to follow. It’s a great pattern, but not really for me. The only photo I have is an upside down shot of the shorts.

This is a review of View B of the Pietra Pants. With 28" waist and 39-40" hips, I go for wide-legged pants. I'll make View A soon, but the inexpensive denim I wanted to use didn't have enough yardage for A, so I started with B. And I'm glad I did, I like these a lot more than I expected to. The pattern is terrific, easy to understand, good instructions, pieces fit together well. I shortened it 3" before cutting, and then another inch before turning up my hem. I'm 5-foot-1. I cut a straight size 12, thinking I'd just bring in the extra fullness in back with elastic. But after I got my front panel assembled I realized that if I wanted my side seams to hang straight down my sides, I needed the front to FIT. I didn't want it wrapping around the back. But it was already assembled! What to do?? I emailed Closet Case, who recommended putting in an invisible side zipper. From a smooth-fitting perspective this is probably optimal, but it would totally obviate the great benefit of this pattern, which is flat-front, elastic-back, NO ZIPPER. Us small-waisted, bigger-hipped women get TIRED of needing zippers in everything. So I winged it and added four small tucks, two on each side of the front, from waist down to about 1" below the pocket line -- visually, you don't see the end of my tucks because they are hidden in the pocket. It worked pretty well. I got a very slight weirdness along the hipline, not as much as you'd expect from this sort of guerrilla-tucking approach. I finished the back including the elastic length for size 12, and overall they fit well. They are a snug pull up over my hips and butt, but possible, and I like the fit overall. They have kind of a retro-60's vibe, at least in this denim. I look forward to making View A in a lighter, more-fluid fabric, and this time I will follow Heather's suggestions about pattern grading (included in the instruction booklet) -- but still no zipper if I can help it! :-)

I've made two versions so far (B and C) and wear both frequently. For the shorts I was able to cut a straight size, but for the pants I needed to grade and found the included directions for doing so indispensable. The pants are perfect for work and very comfortable. I'll definitely be making more pairs in other fabrics!