Last One Standing: Hudson pants

It’s still April 30 where I live, which means Amnesty Day! I’m catching up on the March challenge, “Last One Standing”. I made myself a pair of Hudson pants, from True Bias Patterns. It seems like EVERYONE made these cuffed joggers a couple of years ago, & I even got the pattern (as part of a bundle sale) back then myself. I just never got around to making it up, as I am not a big athleisure person, & I already had a tried & true pattern for pajama pants.

But the Last One Standing challenge inspired me to finally dig out the pattern, dust it off, & give it a whirl. I actually made these at the beginning of February, literally like the day after the March challenge was announced. I was going in for a hysterectomy to treat my endocervical cancer on Valentine’s Day, & I knew I’d need some easy, cozy pajama pants to slop around the house in during the weeks-long recovery period.

(These photos were taken pre-hysterectomy. That belly now has quite a few scars on it!)

I splashed out on some really gorgeous quilted double knit from my local fabric shop. It was expensive, but considering how unbelievably soft & cozy the finished pants are, it was totally worth it. My daughter insists on petting my legs when I wear these pants, while marveling that I am “so soft, like the softest cat in the world.” I used some scraps of black sweatshirt fleece for the cuffs, waistband, & pocket trim.

The pocket bags are bright yellow jersey. Instead of using wide elastic & a traditional drawstring in the waistband, I sewed lengths of yellow satin ribbon to a bit of elastic & used that instead. I don’t have any other yellow garments in my wardrobe right now–not even undies! But I’ve been really drawn to it recently. Experimenting with it in pajama pants (because that is how I employ these) seemed like a low-stakes way to see if I liked it in practice as much as I do in theory, & surprise! I love it. I am slowly stockpiling more yellow textiles to complement all my blacks, grays, pinks, & blues.

Based on the sample photos & assorted reviews, I pre-emptively added 1″ to the front rise to account for my longer-than-average legs & fully belly. That wound up being 100% unnecessary. I swear these are described as “low-rise” all over the internet, but that was not my experience at all. I also added 1″ of extra width at the waist, blending to nothing at the hips, because my waist is a bit thicker than the largest size on the size chart. This was also unnecessary. These would have fit fine straight out of the packet. All my alterations did was give me an alluring droopy diaper look, which is really all the more reason not to wear them outside the house.

But one alteration that did prove crucial was adding more width to the ankle bands. I added 2″, which works, but another 1/2″ would be ideal. As drafted, I couldn’t even get the bands over my foot. They are REALLY tight.

These got worn CONSTANTLY during my recovery…& even a few times outside the house, because there were a few trips to the emergency room & I’m sorry, I’m not going to put on real pants to go to the ER. During one trip, the nurse told me to change into a robe, but added, “You can leave your bra on.” I openly laughed at her. As if I’d stop to put on a bra for the ER? There was also the boilerplate question, “Any risk of pregnancy?” & I had to chuckle. The radiologist was like, “Are you absolutely SURE there’s no chance of pregnancy?” & I was like, “Well, without a uterus, that would be a real trick.”

I’ll have to retire these pants soon, as the weather heats up. I am already looking forward to fall so I can start wearing them again!