NOT The Wrong Trousers

Actually the very right trousers.  More right than many RTW trousers I've purchased over the years. 

Rolling on from Me Made May and my pledge to myself to construct more separates I dived into my Barcelona haul of fabric and pulled out some  grey twill - 1.3 metres of perfectly soft cotton, just right for a pair of 3/4 pants.

The pattern used for construction was a Patrones Number 364 from 2008, pattern number 51 - 3/4 trousers with faux pocket flaps and a cute  leg split.  I didn't actually keep the split in as my original intention was to bling up my pants with some nice buttons on the flaps and splits but when I found these babies.........

...... I decided less is more and opted for embellishments on the pocket flap only.  A good job as the buttons were a costly £2.60 each from my local fabric emporium.

Construction commenced with sewing the pockets first, then the fly front which I was very pleased with, not having sewn a fly closing for a not insignificant amount of years.  I followed my Readers Digest sewing bible to the letter and inserted the fly shield just right.  Onto the leg seams;  previously I have made trousers by constructing each leg and then fitting one inside the other, right sides together, and stitching the crotch.  I opted for a different make up with these and instead, after sewing the crotch/back seam, sewed the inside leg seams together.  After laying the trousers out on the floor this is what they looked like:

After basting the side seams it appeared the fit was too big for my frame and I ended up lopping off a good inch or so to bring them in to my measurements.  This is where I was glad I had sewn the inside seams first as it saved a lot of unpicking and, fortunately, side seams amended, fit nicely.

Post fitting they felt a little low slung but the wide waistband with self facing soon fixed that and after a few tweaks the trousers fitted like a dream.

 

 

Looking a little creased after sitting on a train for the journey to London but still feeling very comfortable outside the Queen's residence.

I didn't go in here (today!).  I would've spent a fortune!

 



Next time I think I would consider the addition of belt loops but, in the meantime, what a joy it is to have pants that fit.

Ease factor:  Not so bad, say a 4 out of 10 with the fly zipper being the most head scratching part of the make.  I did have to " re-sew" the outside seams to take them in to fit though.
Cost:  1.3 metres of twill at 7.90 euros a metre, so just under 10.3 euros.

Happy sewing

Linda x

My (Slightly) Mad Men Dress - PATRONES 272 Number 34

Well I totally missed the deadline for  Julia Bobbin's Mad Men Challenge but, nevertheless, decided to add my take on it to my blog anyway.  I'd been eyeing up the Pattern from Patrones no 272, pattern no 34 from 2008 for some time and when I saw the Mad Men Dress Challenge I decided now was the time.  Click on the link above to see the wonderful creations of the sewing community that did manage to get their offerings submitted in time.

The dress was made from a piece of wool remnant that I picked up from Leicester Market recently and I only just managed to squeeze out the pattern from the amount that I had.  Consequently the fabric pattern doesn't match as well as I would have liked, but I did manage to match up the lines on some parts.

 

After initial construction the armholes seemed a bit large compared to the picture and I had to take in quite a bit of the side seams in order not to have my undergarments on show!!  The collar also stood out at the back but a couple of press studs fixed this minor amendment quickly.

Although not in the pattern I decided to add some piping to the seam between bodice and waist as it set off the black in the fabric and added a bit of interest.  It also matches the inside of the pockets where I used some cotton satin as I discovered after cutting out I didn't have enough original fabric to line the pockets.  Sewing the dress was fairly easy. After pocket construction the skirt was made of 6 panels and the front bodice gathered at top and bottom.  The collar was interfaced and attached after zip insertion - it was just the armhole alternation that took a little extra thinking about.

The original image from Patrones 

The hem was finished with bias binding and hand sewn.  Now all I needed was an excuse to wear it.  Easter saturday provided some welcome sunshine and a trip to Walthamstow gave me the opportunity.  Being a tad chilly I opted for a long sleeved layer and finished it off with a vintage brooch.  By there way, as well as fabric finds in Walthamstow Market there's some very lovely restaurants in Walthamstow Village about 15 minutes walk from High Street.

I even managed to bag a selection of fabric in the market - a bargain at just over £20 for five pieces.

So that's it.  Mad Men project done and dusted.

Ease factor - fairly straightforward.
Cost - £6 remnant + zip and bias binding (about £1.50).

Now to my Patrones collection for ideas for the new purchases.

Happy sewing.

Linda x