Parachute Party Pants
I work in a warehouse for a kid’s summer camp. One day at work we started throwing out those giant parachutes that you used to play with in elementary school. It hurt me to see these parachutes get thrown away just because they had a couple small holes. My boss let me take one home, and thus inspiration for the parachute pants was born! I wanted to recycle this awesome material, and what better thing to make out of parachute than parachute pants!
Interested in spicing up your average life? The phenomenal, piquant, Party Parachute Pants are the answer! These pants are made with genuine recycled parachute. They have an elastic waist band that allows any size to fit comfortably. Additionally, there are two leg ties that help you wear the pants the way you want to!
This was my original concept sketch to help gather my thoughts.
First I cut out strips of parachute. Then I used chalk to trace extra space around a normal pair of khaki pants as a template. Next I cut out two front and two back pieces (you can notice the subtle difference between the two on the left).
I then sewed the back pieces together using a sewing machine. I repeated the same steps for the front cutouts
Next I aligned the front and the back of the pants and sewed them together. If you are paying careful attention, you will notice that I did not flip the pants inside out before sewing the legs, so now they are stitched the wrong way!
My heart sank when I put the pants together inside out, so I had to think of a solution quick! So I cut out another strip of parachute (this time purple), ironed a nice 2" crease, and stitched it across the crotch seam. Not too bad!
I then hemmed the waist and cut holes so I could add my elastic band. I fished the elastic through the cavity, folded the ends, and sewed them together.
Four hours goes by quick (especially when you make mistakes!), and so I did not have time to hem the bottoms of the pant legs. Instead I ironed creases so that the bottoms had a more resolved finish. Plus I just tucked them in my socks so you could not even tell!
I came back after my hacking event and "finished" the pants by hemming the bottoms and adding elastic bands in both ends. Now these pants are ready to party!
Making these pants in four hours was tough! I made a lot of mistakes and had to pivot quickly to get finished in time! My back was against the wall when I accidentally stitched the pants inside out. I had to think quickly on my feet and perform under pressure. I grew comfortable with using and fixing a sewing machine, and I learned how to handle fabric. I would say that the Parachute Party Pants were a success!
