EVERYBODY WAS KUNG FU FIGHTING (HA)

How have you been?! It feels like forever since we've spoken! I have so much to tell you! Firstly I can now do the whole 'half up half down' hair thing. Do you like it? Not as cute as your hair, obviously. You are looking fabulous.

So I'm fighting crime now! No, wait. That's wrong. I made pants that I could fight crime in. Let's talk about those and then I'll tell you that other stuff.
The pattern is By Hand London's Holly Jumpsuit view C pants, or trousers as those lovely English ladies probably refer to them. I adored Holly from first sight but it was Rachel's, Jenny's, Lizzy's, and SallieOh's versions that prompted me to get down and dirty.
I cut a size 6 and, fitting wise, all I did was shorten the hem and do my standard full booty adjustment.

I wasn't sure if wide leg pants were my jam so I trawled Pinterest for inspiration & happened upon these gems. The decision was made: if I was going to go wide, I was going to go wiiide and throwing in a few pleats while I was there. Here's a basic tutorial if you'd like to give it a go:

I top stitched the top 7" of the pleats because they were bursting opening making my soft yet flattish tummy look a bit on the "is she pregnant or did she have a big lunch?" side. Thank god I'm not a celebrity or paparazzi would be salivating.

The fabric is a teal rayon that kisses my skin when I move but begged for a walking foot during construction. There's a few too many tucks and pleats around seam lines for my liking, but thems the breaks until I can afford (or karate kick my way to) a walking foot.
My only other quibbles are that hemming long pants are hard and that the pearl snaps, despite advertising themselves as 'strong,' pop open with a deep breath or mention of a burrito.

So there you have it! Pants. I like them. They feel nice. They're for BHL's #PatternHackathon but I didn't have a kitty because let's be real: those karate kicks are too dangerous to be near any living creature.
Now let's talk about those other things! I'm still in New Zealand and when we arrived ~2 months ago we decided to slow this thing down and save money. My first fiscally responsible decision was to purchase a $10 ice cream. The second was to throw all remaining money on a handsome older man.
Friends, meet Napoleon Sewnaparte (Napoleon for short).

^ photos from my instagram
Born in Switzerland in 1977, Napoleon is a Bernina Nova with strawberry and cream colouring, a collection of fancy shoes (feet), and a kooky velvet coat (case). He never skips a stitch but exhibits quirks that make me laugh, sometimes with love and other times a bit too maniacally. I purchased him from one of the strangest, sweetest persons I have ever met on the good suggestion of Bella, a Aucklandarian Aucklandian Aucklander person who lives in Auckland.

Speaking of fantabulous sewing people, I haven't really bragged about meeting Melissa & Erin yet, have I? Well not here, anyway, if we've caught up in person I probably chewed your ear off about their loveliness. I met with them both in the US a few months back & Erin even invited me to stay with her for a weekend (she wrote about it here).
Go ahead and imagine the sweetest, most generous, talented, beautiful, vivacious and funny creature you can and then totally dismiss it because it's not even close to how cool Erin is. I've missed hanging out with her and her sweet family the moment I drove away from their house, and I may have tried to steal Stella (ssssh, don't tell Erin). I was pretty rubbish at taking photos but here are a few from the afternoon we went to Hearst Castle, where I swear Erin should be a tour guide, and then watched whales. It was pretty fucking magical.

And finally... In less than 10 days I'm heading back to Australia! I'm going to miss New Zealand but am pretty dang excited to see my friends and binge cherry ripe bars. I'm planning on taking Napoleon home with me and am welcoming ALL tips for packing a sewing machine on a plane!
Love and karate kicks, Reana xo