My Trouser Pattern Hack

I remember seeing these tie-waisted trousers in the early 90's.  I always wanted a pair but never saw them in the shops. When I saw this, I had to make it. With a little planning and forethought, you could easily sew this in under 4 hours. You can finish in even less time if you've made a few pairs of trousers before.

I got this pattern on eBay, but I haven't seen it for sale since. There is nothing stopping you from drafting your own - I didn't even open the pattern completely once I saw that the waist was a gathered style. Just take care to measure how far you want the trousers to wrap around the front and back and allow for the darts.

When I opened the pattern and unpacked it, I was a bit disappointed - this pair is not fitted like the trousers I remember, it has a casing at the top and the tie bands pull through the casing. If you recall my Leopard Print Blouse, you'll know that gathered waists are not flattering on me. So I decided to make some changes...

First I started with a shorts pattern that I have made and know fits me. The idea was to use the shape at the crotch and the darts.

Now, to begin with, I cut a 'double' front and 'double' back as shown above and below. I tried it for fit and realised my mistake straight away. Luckily, I have made trousers before and quickly figured out how to fix them.  I was able to cut the pieces down the middle and 're-pair' the trouser legs.

Minerva Crafts

Note, if you are looking to do this, remember to cut a left and right-hand version of the pattern with the front laid next to the back, with the lowest point of the crotch where they meet in the middle.

As you can see below, I carefully marked the darts from the original pattern at the waist for accuracy. I cut the waistbands 9cm wide and each as long as the leg length.

This viscose fabric was bought at A&M Textiles in High Wycombe. It's lovely and I wish I'd made these trousers for my holiday. They are far too casual and show a bit too much leg, when sitting, for the office, but they are perfect for walking about on holiday. 

I finished the waist by sewing ties to the front and back, so that they are fully adjustable.

I first sewed the side hems of the trousers - they are fully open all the way to the top - they are only joined at the inside leg. I then sewed the waistband to the top of the trousers - the same as you would for double-fold bias binding. I then pressed the seams flat and pinned the band ends right sides together and sewed a 1.5cm seam on both ends of each tie band.

I trimmed the seam allowances and turned the tie ends right side out. I was careful to use a pin to pull the seam out and clip it flat using quilt clips. I then pressed the tie bands flat and square before pinning the top centre of the waistband flat and pressing it square and flat, checking that the edge inside the trousers is at the same height as the outside. I then topstitched the whole lower edge of the waistband along the seam and along the lower edge of the trouser waistband where it meets the trousers to neatly close the waistband.

Now I have sewed a couple of things in viscose, and I understand a bit better how it behaves. I really want to try a shift dress with the same lined bodice design as my Lilou Dress from Tilly and The Buttons. I think I might use part of a skirt pattern I have and turn the whole thing into a semi-fitted dress. I am also considering long sleeves with a feminine shape. Viscose is much cooler than cotton and breathes really well. I usually wear sleeveless tops, but I think viscose sleeves will be cool enough.

As you can see, I topstitched along the top, to ensure there were two lines of stitching along the edge of the fabric. 

I noticed, on my Lauren blouse, that the notching for lining up the pattern was a bit too deep near the front middle seam of the blouse. If I can, I'd rather have two lines of stitching, as the viscose tends to unravel rather easily. I need to think about adding a decorating placket or detail, because, if I wear it as it is, a large hole will form in the front. Quite sad, really as the simplicity of the blouse makes it really comfortable and quite flattering. If I can't fix it, I will definitely sew it again.  

See the video that goes with this post.

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