RED PANTS SUIT | BUTTERICK 6915
I finally DID IT! I’ve been wanting a red suit for such a long time and I finally added one to my new wardrobe. WooHoo!!! I haven’t made a suit since 2019, and that was a skirt suit. You can see it HERE. Last year, I purchased fabric in red, blue, and black to make suits. As I continue rebuilding my wardrobe from scratch, I’m so excited to add several more suits. Now, let’s get into the details of these garments. This post is sponsored by Baby Lock Sewing. I am an Ambassador for Baby Lock. All opinions in this post are my own.
Pattern Information
BUTTERICK 6915 is described on the Simplicity Website as follows. Classic two-piece suit with a twist. Lined jacket draws asymmetrically across the body and fastens with three buttons. Jacket features flap detail at front. Pants come in ankle length and included invisible zipper on the side. View C is a pair of wide leg pants.
The pattern is available in both Print and PDF options with a size range of 8 – 26. It is rated as AVERAGE (Intermediate) and I agree. I used 14 pattern pieces to make my suit. Several of those pieces were also used to cut lining and interfacing. So, there is quite a bit of cutting involved. I usually cut one day and start sewing on a different day. It breaks up the process and makes it more enjoyable, especially when there are linings involved. I found the instructions to be straight forward and easy to follow.
Fabric Information
The pattern recommends Gabardine, Poplin, Crepe, and Linen fabrics to make the suit. I used this Poly/Rayon/Spandex blend and it was perfect. It’s medium weight and structured enough to hold its shape. I purchased the fabric from JoAnn’s. Just typing the name makes my heart ache.
If you are not aware yet, JoAnn Fabrics is going out of business. They are closing all stores by May. Our local store closed in January. When I drive by and see that empty building, it’s heartbreaking. We have a huge garment district I can shop from in Downtown, Los Angeles, but it’s a 1 1/2 to 2 hour drive. JoAnn’s was fifteen minutes away. I will order online sometimes but I really like feeling the fabrics before purchasing. I stopped going Downtown because my favorite store, Michael Levine, closed years ago. But I will definitely go shop at the many others now. We also have LA Finch Fabrics, which is about a 2 hour drive. I’ve been wanting to go for a visit and now I will make it happen. In the meantime, I have lots of fabrics from JoAnn’s to use up.
Inside the Garment
I used my BABY LOCK CHORUS SEWING MACHINE to sew all the seams on the garments and BABY LOCK VIBRANT SERGER to finish some of the seams. I am having so much fun sewing on these Baby Lock machines. They are all workhorses, and provide everything I need for efficient sewing. If you are ever in the market for an upgrade, I highly recommend any Baby Lock machine. But I can say from experience that the Chorus, Euphoria Coverstitch, and Vibrant Serger are all dream machines.
Check out my AMBASSADOR PAGE to get more information about the machines (including other options) and accessories. These are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission on qualifying purchases. All opinions in this post are my own.) And if you decide to purchase, make sure you use my code SAVE10-AAM4 to get 10% off your order.
The jacket is fully lined but I used the serger to finish the seam allowance on the peplum, even though that seam is covered by the lining. I didn’t want threads peeking through the lining which is hand sewn to the seam allowance. I also used the serger to finish the seam allowances for the pants because they are not lined. I’ve decided to share some construction photos of the jacket in the making. I hope you will enjoy seeing how it came together before attaching the lining. I’ll share the insides with the lining in the ALTERATIONS section of this blog post because I have some explaining to do. Hahahaha!
The shoulder pads come with a curve that fits nicely over the shoulders. I like to place the pad on the shoulder with the curve facing up so that when I turn it right side out, the pads will have that natural downward curve.
The center seam on the shoulder pad is aligned with the shoulder seam on the jacket.
I pinned the shoulder pad securely to try on the jacket before sewing it down.
I placed the straight edge of the shoulder pad 1/2″ past the armhole seam, equal with the edge of the seam allowance.
Notions Information
You need three 7/8″ buttons and one pair of 1/2″ shoulder pads to sew the jacket. A 7″ invisible zipper and one hook & eye are all you need to sew either view of the pants. I used buttons, zipper, shoulder pads and hook & eye closures that I already had in my notions stash. Because my fabric is a medium weight blend, I used an 80/12 Universal Sewing Machine Needle. I didn’t have to use a Stretch Needle in this case, although the fabric has spandex.
Alterations Information
Whew! Okay, this is where the DRAMA begins. My first mistake was not making a muslin (practice garment) for the jacket. I almost always sew a muslin first for fitted garments that have many pieces, if I’m sewing it for the first time. After looking at the finished garment measurements, I decided it was fine and started cutting. The jacket came together beautifully although I forgot to do a swayback adjustment, but it doesn’t look too bad. The lining, on the other hand, is a hot mess. I didn’t want to show you but let’s just be honest about sewing. Sometimes I really mess it up. If you don’t like to hear creators share about their mistakes, please skip this part. I share my mistakes because I learn from them and teach my students to do the same. Here are some closeup photos of the insides, with commentary.
My first issue was with the bodice lining. It was too short to cover the seam allowance of the peplum. Even if I had sewn a muslin, I wouldn’t have known this because I don’t include linings with practice garments. So, I had to do some janky alterations because I was not about to take that lining apart. I cut a 2″ strip of fabric equal to the circumference of the lining at the waist, including a few inches for folding over on the ends. As you can see in the photos, nothing is even. It’s so ugly, but I don’t care. Hahaha!
I struggled to get a smooth seam on the lining princess and sleeve armhole seams. Eventually, I decided to just leave it alone and be okay with it.
In the back view below, you can see the strip of fabric I added to compensate the length shortage. I made it work.
You can’t see it as much in the photo as I can in person, but I would cover the shoulder pads in the lining fabric before inserting them next time. I don’t like that you can see them through the lining.
I used a different method to hem the sleeves than what the pattern instructs. I do prefer sewing the hem to the lining by machine instead of hand stitching. Since my arms are going in and out of the sleeves, I find it to be more secure sewn this way. Maybe if I were better at hand sewing it wouldn’t make a difference. But the truth is I’m not a fan of hand sewing at all. I will avoid it whenever possible. Here’s a YouTube video I followed to HEM THE SLEEVE. There are many others out there, but this is the first one I found and was able to easily follow her instructions.
By the time I got to sewing on the snaps, I was ready to be done. Hahaha! I could have definitely done a better job here but, again, I decided to leave it alone. However, I do plan to go back later and sew the snap on the asymmetrical crossover again. It’s sewn too tight and you can see the imprint on the outside of the jacket.
This was my second pair of pants. The first pair came out way too small because I overdid it with the seam intake. The pants were too big in the waist, so I took up the side seams and center front seams. Since I altered the pants at the waist, I had to do the same for the waistband. The side seams on the waistband facing are a bit unaligned with the pants side seams. But that doesn’t bother me as much, considering the other more egregious alterations.
I made a mistake here with the zipper. I cut it about an inch too long. The pants are designed with a side zipper insertion. I moved my zipper to the back because after the first pair, I didn’t want to mess around with fitting on a side zipper insertion. It looks horrible on the inside, but you can’t tell on the outside. And it actually looks longer in this photo than it really is because the pants are too big in the waist for the mannequin. So they slide down. I also lengthened the pant legs by two inches because the first pair were too short for my liking. They were right at my ankle without the hem. I am 5’6″ tall. I sewed the 1 1/4″ hem as instructed by the pattern. And I do plan to go back and insert the hook & eye above the zipper.
Styling Options
The styling options for this suit are endless. I plan to wear the two pieces together and separately. Here I have it styled with a cream camisole for coverage since the jacket does open. I’ve paired it with my open-toe, red pumps and red-cream-blue handbag. I’m wearing a pair of rhinestone stud earrings, clear beaded bracelet and rhinestone ring. The scarf is an added touch of elegance for cooler days. Oh, I love it so MUCH! I’m actually wearing it this way today for a meeting where I will be speaking about being a Daughter of the King. If you’re on Instagram and want to listen in, it’s being recorded LIVE on the Business Women of God IG Page, starting at 9:00 am Pacific Time (March 13, 2025).
I also look forward to wearing a turtleneck top under the jacket. I envision it with so many pretty colors.
The pants can be paired with all kinds of blouses and sweaters that I will be making. The jacket will look amazing with an animal print pencil skirt I just made recently. It will also look amazing with a matching pencil skirt. Oh My Gosh! I think I must make that pencil skirt right away because I see it with the jacket.
I absolutely LOVE this red suit. And guess what? I have enough fabric left over to make another one. I’m not sure which pattern I will use yet, but my next red suit will probably have wide legs. I’m smiling so big right now and thanking God for blessing me with this gift of sewing.
What do you think?
I would love to hear your feedback. Scroll to the very bottom of this page to leave a comment.
Thank you for stopping by today! 💕
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This Post Has 69 Comments
Beautiful!
Thank you
Absolutely gorgeous suit!! I love your creations. I lost a significant amount of weight and have altered some of my favorite pieces. I learned to sew in high school and I’m so
glad!! Happy sewing
Thank you, Marcia! That’s awesome that you’ve altered some of your favorite pieces. Happy Sewing to you too.
You look fabulous in this suit. And I am convinced you had a great meeting dressed in red!
I am curious about the lining in the back. Any particular reason you did not go with the ease fold in the centre?
Thank you so much, France. I just followed the pattern instructions for the lining.
Gorgeous and love the red and perfect choice of bag !
Thank you!❤️
This is stunning, and suits you perfectly. Your finished garments always look immaculate but I love the fact that you’ve kept it real by showing the mistakes, and how you corrected them – mistakes are how we learn, and only another sewist would ever notice anyway.
Thank you so much, Helen. Yes, that’s how we learn.
ALWAYS SO BEAUTIFUL, Anita! Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome, Dara!
Thank you for being so open about the issue you had. Especially about the lining and say back adjustment. Give me an idea of what to expect. I bought the patten and wondered if I would ever see it but now, after seeing what you did, I will. Your final garment looks gorgeous!!
You’re very welcome, Maureen. I’m so glad you saw this post before making your suit. It’s a great pattern and I love the outcome. Have fun sewing yours.
This is so beautiful Anita & you look beautiful wearing it! Thanks also for sharing your struggles – you certainly can’t tell it by your photos and my guess is no one would of known had you not shown them. We are sewists are so hard on ourselves sometimes – truth is our creations are probably made better than 99% of RTW garments. Again – great job and if I ever decide to upgrade my Soprano I will definitely check out the Chorus!
Thank you, Teresaa.
Until now, I thought garment results like yours were unattainable…so perfect. I could never make clothes as lovely. However, I enjoyed following your projects.
But now I see that you are HUMAN! You make mistakes!! Sometimes the inside is jabberwocky!!!
I ❤️ you even more!
Susan, I just cracked up over “jabberwocky!!! 😂 And you are right! I love that I am human and allow myself to learn from mistakes rather than giving up. We ALL make mistakes, even the most advanced creatives. I love you too. ❤️
I love the design of this suit and plan to make it and add a skirt, making it a 3 piece suit.
Yes, indeed. I’m planning to make a matching skirt too. It’s gonna look so sharp. Have fun making your suit.
Was the lining being too short an error with the pattern?
Yes, I absolutely believe so because I cut it exactly as indicated for the size I chose.
Your suit is beautiful, and you are beautiful in it! Thanks for sharing the problems you encountered, because it is encouraging to know things happen to everyone who sews and we need to realize everything doesn’t have to be absolutely “perfect” to be more than good enough. I am still coming to terms with a future without Joann’s and it’s hard to imagine and I am not happy but will have to figure it out. Thank God for you – for your kindness and all the wonderful ways you share your skills and talents with the world, from the sewing world to the business community and beyond.
Oh my goodness, Mary Jean! thank you for blessing my heart with this comment. I love that you said, “…everything doesn’t have to be absolutely perfect to be more than good enough.” That is so profound and true. Yes the JoAnn’s loss is deep. We will all grieve their closure, but we’ll be okay. I’m happy to know that you enjoy what I share in the sewing community. Thank you for being here and God bless you too, sister.
Whenever I am about to give up on sewing and see your craftsmanship, I get inspired again, all ” DRAMA” included. It is nice to get a reminder that “DRAMA” too shall pass. The outfit looks perfect, and you look great in it.
Yeeesss! The DRAMA will pass and we shall learn from it. Hahaha! Thank you so much, Mari!
Anita, your new red suit looks beautiful on you. I think you should contact the pattern companies and become a model for them. You would be an asset to them.
Awww, thank you so much, Maureen! What a beautiful compliment.
Anita, this is such a classy look. Love it!
OOOWEE !!! Lady that suit looks good on you!! Wonderful job!
Thank you so much, Gwendolyn.
The suit looks great! That shade of red is really beautiful. Thank you for sharing the construction details. I love lined jackets, but I struggle with inserting linings. Your garments always look so tailored. Even your mistakes look good. Thanks again for sharing.
Thank you so much, Hettie!
Absolutely gorgeous Ms. Anita!!!
Absolutely Lovely!!! Great fit on both your jacket and PANTS!!! Loved the inside views of your construction…it demystifies the process and shows how easy when taken step by step this can be!
For more fabric ideas…Have you ever been to M&L Fabrics in Buena Park? For quality cottons and notions, check a local Quilt shop-they may surprise you with what they carry! Some awesome places that send samples are Mood Fabrics, StoneMounain&Daughter in Berkeley and Britex in SFO.
Hi Rose Mary! Thank you so much for the Fabric Store resource recommendations. I’ll have to look into those. The only one I’m familiar with is Mood and we actually have one in Los Angeles.
Anita, that suit looks beautiful on you. I recently made the jacket, also in red, and will be making a matching skirt. Everything was going well until the buttonholes. My buttonhole maker was doing strange things and I was only able to make one that I was satisfied with. I put the jacket aside and will pick it up when I’m more relaxed. It is a lovely pattern and you did a great job.
Thank you so much, Marie. I love that you gave yourself a break from the jacket to refresh. Wishing you all the best when you get back to it. Have fun finishing your jacket.
You look powerful and gorgeous in this outfit. I love, love red. The little errors you described for the lining are just that but I understand your point because you have high standards. I wish all retail stores had similar ones; some outfits lack good sewing structure . You look great and this sew is another winner. Please know you minister as you sew. The inspiration, ideas and instructions you give are priceless. Thanks so much!!!
Wow! “You minister as you sew.” That just blessed my heart. Thank you for everything you said, but THAT touched my heart. Thank you so much for being here, De.
Beautiful. Question I’m making a pair of my favorite pants and notice the pants are riding up my butt. Where would you suggest I increase the size at? The crotch or the sides or do I lengthen the crotch area? Thank you for your advise.
Hi Barb. There’s no one size fits all answer to that questions because our bodies are so unique. You may need to lengthen the rise, or the crotch curve, or just the back crotch curve. It just depends on your body. I would start by making a muslin of the pants and include a one inch seam allowance so that you have extra to make changes. Try lengthening the rise first to see if that helps. Use basting stitches so you can remove them easily. If that doesn’t help, try lengthening the crotch curve on the back. I hope that helps. You can also get on YouTube and search for video tutorials for your sewing topic of interest.
Beautiful pant suit and the red was the best color now I am thinking about doing something in red. What size did you cut and what size is your mannequin?
Thank you Chelvy! I think I cut a size 8 or 10. I forgot already. 😂 I usually include that information in the post but forgot to do that this time. My dress form is a size 10. I don’t know the size of the white, headless mannequin. I got it from a closeout sale a few years ago.
This suit is *gorgeous*, as well as you in it! Thought I was an intermediate sewist, but suffice it to say, I now know ‘confident beginner’ is more my speed! Hahaha! Still, you are inspiring, and I love to read your narrative explaining your sewing process (and really appreciate the accompanying photos).
Miss Anita, you look so beautiful in that beautiful red suit! I think we all have worn something we made that is not so nice on the inside. But as you said, we kearn from our mistakes. I’ve worn worse from store bought lol. I also love that scarf you paired it with. I can’t wait to see the other suits you make!
Carmen, you are so right. I have seen ready-to-wear garments that look not so great inside too. Thank you so much. I thought the scarf really added a nice touch too.
Beautiful.
Ms. Anita, your talent for sewing garments is impeccable. That red is sooooo beautiful and elegant on you. We all make mistakes and I am glad you are sharing yours, as it really inspires beginners like me to know this really is normal, even after years of sewing. May God bless you abundantly for sharing both your talent and faith with the world boldly as a woman after God’s heart. ❤️
Now Monica, you just touched a warm spot in my heart with this comment. First of all, Hey Sew Sister in Christ! Second, I have a place in my heart for beginners. It is for beginners that I started Anita by Design in 2016, so thank you for being here. Finally, I must boldly proclaim the name of Jesus everywhere I show up because He said if I am ashamed of Him before man, He will be ashamed of me before His Father. It’s Jesus for me in every area of my life. And I’m so grateful.
First of all, thanks for sharing your mistakes. It is more helpful than you know. It’s how I learn. But your mistakes are nothing compared to some of mine! lol Second of all, I have this very same pattern. Thanks for the heads-up on what to look out for on this pattern and also your tips on construction. It’s so helpful to see it made up on a real person. I can’t wait to get started on making this suit. Yours is so beautiful!
Hi Barb! I’m glad you can appreciate the detail I included in the post. I put a lot of work into my blog posts and I absolutely love sharing. I write the posts the way I would want to receive information if I were reading a sewing blog. Thank you for sharing with me.
You look beautiful👍
Anita, Thank you for this post. I’m so glad that you included the bloopers. You rock that suit. It looks absolutely fantastic on you. I can see this as a staple in the wardrobe.
Thank you so much, Monique!
I love the way that jacket is designed. You do such beautiful work, and you must have the patient of Job. I fear doing linings, and your story still scares me (haha). I have been in a real sewing slump now for a year and I don’t know what i want to start with to get back in the groove (maybe a couple of ties for my husband (it seems easy enough). I’m an intermediate beginner at 75, but I enjoy the relaxation of sewing and my successes. Thank you for always sharing your garment processes; i love reading your blogs and seeing your finished garments. Hopefully Shein got the message and won’t be putting your photos on their site again to duplicate. Your work and details are exquisite and I learn so much from them Your comments, mistakes and all. Thank you.
Constance, I am so happy to have you here. Reading your comment really put a smile on my heart. I love the relaxation and successes of sewing too. My favorite time to sew is when it’s raining. It is the most relaxing with a cup of tea on my tea cart, while listening to mellow music for podcasts. It just makes me happy all down in my soul. It blesses my heart to know that you enjoy reading the blog posts and learn so much. Thank you for coming back.
Thank you for you honest sewing , “oh darn” happens and I’m glad it’s just not to me. I too love babylock!!!
Your suit is beautiful and thank you for adding the shoulder pad information. I enjoy your sewing inspiration. Oh, I love Jesus too
Hello my Sew Sister in Christ! AND Baby Lock? Oh, we have a lot in common. I’m so glad you appreciated the shoulder pad information.
Before I finish reading your entire post, Anita, may I just say that your fit is exquisite and the sewing/tailoring is phenomenal. After seeing your gorgeous red suit, the pattern illustration pales in comparison. Even your button and bag selections are great. And I want your slim, trim body! I’m going to slowly read this blog post, but just had to compliment you on a fantastic sewing project. Enjoy your triumph!
Wow! Thank you so much for stopping to share your first impression compliments. That made me smile. I hope you enjoy the rest of the blog post.
It looks so perfect and beautiful! I really appreciate you discussing the mistakes – I always have some sort of mistake in my garment sewing and I agonize over them. I’m glad to know everyone goes through this and that it’s OK to leave them be. I wish I could sew with no mistakes but when you only sew a pattern once I guess it is expected. I want to sew a suit too but the suggested pattern fabric is so expensive – I never would have thought to use a stretch fabric! I’d love to see a post some time on how to pick fabrics for a pattern beyond what the pattern suggests. It’s very daunting for me so I always stick with the suggested types.
Hi Alyssa! Yes, I totally understand about the challenge of choosing fabrics beyond pattern suggestions. I will have to add that to my list. One of my favorite sewing books on the topic of fabrics is Fabric Savvy, by Sandra Betzina. It is a treasure for the sewing library. Check it out. https://amzn.to/3Fxfd9h
Lovely, you look great in red! Also, it is great that you share when things go wrong. Even with an expert like you, it is a good learning moment for me.
Yes, we are all learning, no matter the sewing level. There is always room for growth.
You look amazing in that suit! Thank you for sharing the good, bad, and ugly. God bless you for also sharing your witness.
You are very welcome. I appreciate the lessons learned along the journey.
Another job well done! I’m working on a jacket right now and learning how to make and use bias tape/trim. It’s challenging but fun, and I too am grateful for this gift of sewing. What a lovely way to put it! Yes, please share your mistakes, we all make them and it’s helpful learning how others adjust and learn. That sense of accomplishment is the best. You look fab!
Thank you so much, patty. Yes, the sense of accomplishment is so rewarding. Have fun working on your jacket.