High-waisted trousers in linen-rayon blend from 1970’s pattern
TOTAL TIME COMMITMENT: 25.5 hours including toile (note these trousers have been interlined)
Toile (without zip, buttons, lining, interior seam finishing, basting stitch removal or hemming): 12 hours
Cut out & transfer all pattern markings (both main fabric and interlining): 3 hours
Main construction: 9 hours
Lining construction: none
Finishings (hooks, hem): 1.5 hours
SEAM FINISHING & DECORATIVE EXTRAS
Outside leg seams – overlock together
Inside leg seams – overlock together
Pocket bags – overlock together
Crotch – overlock each side separately
Attach waistband - stitch-in-the-ditch
VERDICT & LESSONS LEARNT
This fabric was surprisingly difficult to work with, and very very wandering when cutting. I think it was the open weave. On the upside, it has made the most gorgeous pair of trousers – a lovely fabric for a fluid and classy drape
Interlining in the same fabric feels like a great idea! Added weight and depth to the trousers, without having to figure out a lining, or how a lining might change the garment drape. I would do this again, definitely
WAISTBAND THOUGHTS!!
For the first time, I didn’t fold the waistband exactly in half lengthways as the instructions tell you to, but just a little less than half on the outer side of the waistband, and a little more on the half that faces inside. This meant that the turned up edge on the inside easily covered the waistband seam and raw edges, and I could easily stitch-in-the-ditch on the outside without fear of not quite catching everything on the inside. This worked really well – I should do this on every waistband with similar instructions
This is the second made-to-measure garment where I have ended up with the waistband being too big by the end. I am not sure why this is – is it because the fabric has stretched slightly? Have I sewn a slightly smaller seam allowance? Due to the fabric wandering under the scissors, did I cut it too big in the first place? Not sure, but I have thought of three options to ensure a correctly sized waistband by the end:
Measure and draw out the waistband on the wrong size of the fabric with tailors chalk before sewing
Ignore the instructions and wait to sew the back darts until just before fitting the waistband; similarly, do not backstitch the side seams near the waistband so that I can unpick more easily if I need to take it in there later
Baste the waistband to the trousers before final stitching to check the fit
I sewed the belt loops in the wrong place, which also didn’t help with the waistband fit as it started to dictate the waistband placement – in the future, I need to ignore the instructions to follow the above steps first before applying the belt loops