You guys know how much we love a versatile pattern! Not just in the ways you can sew the pattern by giving you lots of variations; but also in the ways you can wear your makes. We’ve worked super hard on the Opal pants & shorts to make sure they’re a garment you can wear almost anywhere! You can wear them to work, to the beach, on the weekend or evenings out. We do harp on sometimes about this but our absolute numero uno goal when designing patterns is to make sure it’s a wardrobe essential. I hope you guys love all this inspiration for the Opal pattern! Take a look!
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Linen, cotton, double gauze. Making your Opals in a light fabric is not only great for casual wear, it’s super comfy and will be great in summer too!
- Take away the pockets all together and get a perfect pair of elastic waist, wide leg pants.
- Looking for some extra room? The wide leg pants are very generous around the hip and leg, so you’ll be able to make a great oversized pair (all while keeping the waist perfectly fitted!).
- Oh how I love the idea of adding a matching top to a pair of elastic waisted double gauze Opal pants. Did someone say PJ’s?
- Linen top to tail. I say no more.
- Put your favourite leather belt through the belt loops instead of the self fabric tie.
When we were looking for inspiration images for this post, we were so thrilled to find some really great ideas for mixing up the ties around View A & D. Simply changing up the way you tie up your Opal pants/shorts can completely change the look.
- Add a metal buckle or tortoiseshell buckle to your tie.
- Create a super thin rope belt in self fabric.
- Use toggles to cinch the waist of your pants! Just make sure you have more than enough cord to loosen/tighten as required…you don’t want them disappearing!
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You know when summer rolls around and you’ve realised that despite your plans to wear all sorts of fabulous outfits, all you want to do is wear the simplest, lightest, coolest clothing? My linen Opal shorts have become the perfect solution for me!
- Combine the length of View D with a paper bag waist and a dramatic tie for something cool but professional. Almost ‘shorts’ in the office…but not quite.
- Linen, cupro, tencel, double gauze – any lightweight fabric will fall beautifully and be cool and comfortable for you throughout the warmer months!
The tapered leg of our Opal pants is the classic paperbag pant leg. Personally I love it as it creates such a great silhouette, elongates the legs and gives you endless styling options. So easy to dress up or down and most importantly it’s COMFORTABLE!
Oh wide leg pants…how I love thee. I try not to pick favourite views of my patterns, but between you and I…View B might just be my pick. Paying attention to fabric choice is really going to be your biggest asset for these pants. They have such a gorgeous shape you can make them the feature of any outfit (think terracotta colour linen, or sky blue silk) or an incredible basic in navy or black. And honestly…you could be like me and just make three or four of them in every colour fabric you want!
// LOOKING FOR MORE OPAL POSTS? //
- Inspiration and Ideas (this post!)
- Tester Round-Up
- How to Lengthen Or Shorten the Pants
- Inseam Pockets
- Patch Pockets (back pockets and front patch pockets)
- Seams (crotch seam, inseam, side seams)
- Belt Loops and Belt
- Waistband (B & D standard elastic waist)
- Paperbag Waistband (A & C)
- Hemming
- Bonus Hack – Cargo Side Pockets
- Bonus Hack – Drawstring Waistband
- Bonus Hack – Elastic Hem Joggers
- Opal Hack Ideas
We absolutely love seeing what you make, so don’t forget to tag your creations with #MNopal and @megannielsenpatterns when sharing on social media, and check out what everyone else is up to!
