Tag: trousers

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A bright floral tee and extremely boring trousers

From the most OTT extravagant coat to the most boring (but necessary!) trousers… You never know quite what you’re going to see here, right??

But I really, really needed more trousers, and ones that I could wear with a number of different tops. I only have 2(!!) pairs of trousers that still fit me (the brown linen Bobs and the Belleville Jeans, since the black linen Bobs disintegrated) so this was a necessary sew for my wardrobe. These really are truly boring, but one that I will wear over and over again (or at least until I’m well enough to fit back into the smaller pairs that are in storage).

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Barrel-legged jeans

Multiple apologies for taking so long to post about these (both!). 11 months in and I’m still struggling massively with Long Covid, not just sewing in small bursts, but also less keen to take photos, or have the energy to sit up to write blog posts, etc… Anyway, I startred these jeans back in June, had them mostly finished before we went to Brittany in early July, and then they’ve been just waiting for a photoshoot for like a month. And yeah, I know these photos are weirdly dark and foggy but forgive me for not caring enough to retake them. I hate looking in the mirror or looking at photos while I’m sick, so I really don’t want to make this blog post wait any longer!

I haven’t been able to fit into any of my jeans since I got covid last September, so it was high time I filled that hole in my wardrobe, anticipating the cooler weather around the corner.

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Black linen Bob trousers & a slate blue Versatili-Tee

I’m still not sure whether I actually like this design of trousers or not, but my previous StyleArc Bobs are one of like three non-legging bottoms that still fit and aren’t uncomfortable, so making another pair was a necessity sew.

My waist is 20cm larger due to being mostly stuck in bed for the past 8 months, but I hope to not be like this indefinitely. As a result, I don’t want to sew much for this body. I’m kinda thinking of this as a “loaner body” while my real body is in the shop getting fixed, so I’m basically sewing the bare minimum that I need, unless it’s something that will also fit my real body later (like teeshirts and the cropped Hamilton jacket I’m working on).

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Midnight blue Moji trousers

Sometimes my sewing starts with a fabric. Other times it starts with a specific pattern. But this time it started with a wardrobe need – after 6 months of Long Covid spent almost entirely in bed, I have very few trousers that still fit me and I desperately needed more.

Since the Seamwork Moji trousers I made back in 2020 are one of the few that do still fit, I pulled that out again to make another pair rather than have to print, adjust, and tweak a whole new size or pattern.

When I I originally made this pattern I made heavy modifications to this pattern, so definitely read that post if you like this style because there’s easier shortcuts available now!

The only thing I don’t like about the previous pair is that the CB rise is still far to low and they give me “plumber butt” that I’m constantly hoiking up. So before I cut these out I added 7cm to the CB to stop the “plumber butt”, and also added 3cm length to the hem.

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Wrap trouser FAIL

Yes, you may have judged from the title that this post does not have a happy ending, but I think it’s important to post about my fails – almost as important as posting about my successes. It’s been a while since I’ve had a project go straight into the donation pile without even hitting my wardrobe first, but it happens occasionally!

This started because I have gained a ton of weight over the past 6 months I’ve been suffering from Long Covid. Not only have I not been able to exercise, I’ve barely been able to sit up or walk 5min for most of this time, so my waist in particular has ballooned up by several sizes.

As a result, very few of my trousers still fit me, so I desperately needed to sew some more. And rather than sew some to a new, much bigger size which I don’t intend to stay in for long, I thought I’d try a pair of wrap trousers since they could adjust more easily with a changing waistline.

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A Claudia tribute outfit – the trousers

After talking about the inspiration and my goals for this outfit, the drafting and sewing of the cape, and the incredible details of the silk shirt, we’re now onto the final piece – the plum trousers!

If you recall from my first post, the trousers used in the show were high waisted, wide legged, with a wide waistband and presumably a side zipper (as there’s no front opening on the wastband). I actually hate wearing all of these things, so making this fit my own tastes while still looking similar was going to be a challenge!

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A Claudia tribute outfit – inspiration & finished set

It’s been years since I’ve had a reason to sew something for Halloween. I’m pretty sure the last time was when I made the badger and fox suits for J and myself, and that was 6 years ago. So when I found out we’d be in Cornwall over Halloween AND there was a local outdoor fancy dress party, I started plotting. And when a friend said she’d be hosting a vampire party on Halloween weekend, I really got down to some serious planning.

You’ll already be aware from my tribute teeshirts how much I adore the recent “Interview with the Vampire” tv show (Brits, it’s on iPlayer now!), so my immediate thought was to try and recreate one of the vintage costumes from it. The first season takes place from 1910-1940 but the main female character, Claudia, is introduced in the 4th episode and spans 1920-1940. Unfortunately, for a good portion of that she’s dressed pretty juvenile, so those early outfits really didn’t appeal.

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Sage green Aina trousers

In amongst the absolute frenzy of pattern sample sewing (the trisuit pattern is with testers now, for an estimated mid-June release!), I managed to squeeze in a small amount of Non-Work Sewing! Woohoo!

I’ve been wanting to sew the Named Aina trousers ever since they were released – I’m pretty sure I even bought the pattern on release day! I love that they appear to be a standard jean-like trouser from the front, but in the back they’ve got a half-elastic waist and tabs that extend around from the front to snaps. It means they still look like normal trousers, but have some elevated details.

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Brown linen Bob trousers

I’ve seen a lot of great versions of StyleArc’s “Bob” trouser pattern over the past few years, so I finally caved and bought it on a whim during a sale last year. They’re a pretty basic elastic-waist woven trouser apart from a rather bulbous outer leg shape.

The question is – would this shape of trouser actually work for me?
And to be honest, I’m still not sure I have the answer…

I had 1.5m of Raystitch’s European Washed Linen in the “Muscovado” colourway which I’d bought with a gift certificate last year, and I figured this was a great way to test out the pattern. I know I could sew a muslin first, but I know by now that sewing muslins really dims my enthusiasm for any project, so I tend to just compare a new pattern to an existing one I like and adjust from there.

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Turquoise Audrey cigarette trousers

Even though we’ve been friends for years and I’ve followed her progress ever since she won that Threads magazine contest WAY back in the day, up until this point I’d never actually sewn one of Gertie’s patterns before, even though I own her vintage casual book. I mean, how is that even possible?!! It’s probably because I’m not really into wearing 1950s-era vintage styles, but I absolutely love her current 1960s beatnik speakeasy theme for her Patreon patterns! So I joined her Patreon to get this pattern and her Joan wiggle dress (also a knit and in my aesthetic), though it was a nice surprise to find out that you get access to all the previous patterns when you join, so even though you missed these, if you join now you can grab them.

When these slim-legged ponte trousers were released I immediately went and bought some kingfisher blue ponte from Like Sew Amazing specifically for them. I love sewing with ponte but I didn’t really have any in my stash, and I figured this shade of blue would coordinate nicely with lots of tops in my wardrobe.