Baggy Trousers

Sing a long with me....

No? Not a Madness fan then?

This post isn't really about songs by Madness, although I do like to relive the 80's and listen to the best of every now and again. It's more about the start to 2021; how we are coping with Lockdown and the most recent of my makes - yes you guessed it - baggy trousers.

2021 didn't start off quite as I envisioned it. I knew before Christmas that it would be strange at work as the goverment here announced, the day before we broke up for the holidays, that schools would be carrying out lateral flow tests in January. This caused a lot of stress for the senior leaders. However by the time new year had passed it was clear that things were going to change rapidly.

 

My school had a training day on the first day of term and it was virtual. This was a blessing, but before the end of that day we knew that the schools would be closed for at least half a term. Thus started the madness of planning and scheduling lessons for children to complete at home. As an art teacher, this is a bit tricky as many students don't have art materials at home. Some of my students were midway through a ceramics project (which I am now dyring and firing on the days when I'm in school). I have had to rething my curriculum, prepare resources, answer questions online, run live lessons and teach face to face on the days when I'm in school. I have struggled to switch off from work and have found hours in front of a computer draining and more than a bit soul destroying - those of you who work like this all the time - I don't know how you do it.

 

However, I have tried to get out for a brisk walk early on the days I work from home and try to watch the sunrise over the bay. It sets me up well and helps keep my spirits up. I am turning off my computer at a set time and I haven't put work emails on my phone. I need to switch off!!!!

To keep my mental wellbeing good I need to get outside and excercise and have also started doing some short (30 mins) fitness classes. It's really helping. Having the dog to walk is a positive too. During my weekends I try to do a bit of sewing, but I've decided to keep this slow and steady. In the last month I have completed 3 items. and that's only because of the christmas holidays.

First up is a long sleeved asymmetric t shirt, which I first made several years ago and promised myself another one. The fabric was from Minerva (in exchange for a review, which you can read here) and is navy and white striped. this was a super quick make and I sewed it up on Boxing Day afternoon. It's already been worn quite a few times.

 

 

I've also made the TAL Apron dress, but have only just finished it and have no photos as yet, so more on that in a future post. 

 

My slow sewing make has been these Burda 6856 trousers. These are also a Minerva Makers project and you can find all the details here.

I planned to make these well over a year ago, I'd bought the pattern and some lovely heavy wool fabric with the intention of making the high waisted version. However after an unsuccessful toile I opted for the wide leg version, which you can read about here. I knew I wanted to try this version, but also knew it would need some serious alterations.

Before beginning I reduced the width of the fron darts by 2 inches - taking out a whopping 4 inches of ease, that I don't really need around my upper thigh. This was a good call and I think the fullness of the resulting trousers is about right.

I basted the waistband together. It fitted perfectly, but didn't have any lining and I would have struggled to wear anything tucked in. So I decided to let the seams out just a mm or two and just at the upper edge - these trousers hit my ribcage, which is quite broad compared with my waist. However, I over did it and they are now a touch too loose. I think in future I will look for a fabric with a hint of stretch to create a snug but comfortable waistband.

 

The legs are quite long, but I kept them at the original length and just rolled the up - I have a habit of shortening trousers by too much. I actually like these far more than I thought I would, they care comfy and cool and take me back to that 80's vibe, they are also slightly punky, especially when teamed with my vivienne westwood t-shirt and red docs.

Burda 6856 Trousers

Oh My! How long has it been since I posted???? I have stuck to my plans and I have about 5 things on the go all at once. So far 2020 has been hectic as January was panto month and I just don't know where February and March have gone! School is now on shutdown and I'll be in school some days supporting Key Worker's children and working from home on other days - these are strange days indeed. I have been sewing in fits and starts and have completed 4 makes out of 9 from my 2020 sewing plans, plus an extra unplanned make. I'll be posting these over the coming weeks

Anyway on to the latest make...

These could have been a very simple make but ended up being more involved than I really wanted them to be.
I've had these on my radar for well over a year and had planned to make view B with the high waist and pleated front.
I began quite well and made a toile, aren't I good? I cut a 36, which I thought would be ok and actually, the fit wasn't too far off on the waist, although my measurements put me in a 38 I always find I have to remove quite a bit at the waist - not on these. I needed to add a couple of cms to make it a comfy fit. However, this wasn't the deal-breaker. the real issue was that pleat in the front leg - it just looked wrong on me - too much fabric and too much volume. It was going to look wrong, especially in the wool blend fabric I had earmarked for this project.

So instead - desperate to get going on this as it was my first 2020 make, I went for view A. This time I cut a straight size 38, which is my regular size in Burda patterns and straight in my fabric - no toile for this one. As expected I needed to take a great big chunk out of the centre back seam  - about an inch wedge taken out from the waist edge grading to nothing at the crotch curve. It looks a little bagged out here, but the fit is actually good. I've been wearing this all day!

I also found the legs a bit too wide in the wool fabric and took about a cm off the side seams at the waist grading to about an inch from the hip downwards, narrowing the leg slightly.

As my fabric was so thick I decided to sew the pocket bags from some quilting weight cotton and I think that was a good call as the bulk would have been way too much. Once the main part of the trousers were assembled and fitting adjustments made I started on the waistband. It's a curved band cut in the main fabric and a facing. I used the wool for both and in retrospect, a thinner fabric for the facing would have been a better option. I ended up hand stitching the inside waistband as it was just too thick to go through the machine. Plenty of steam and a hammer sorted out the really thick bits, but it was not going to be possible to sew a buttonhole. Instead, I opted for a hook and bar fastening.

I pinned and hemmed the trousers. I used a 2-inch hem and had cut 4 inches off the length before hemming. This was a mistake, as when worn with my docs (which have a heel) they just looked too short. I wore them once and let the hem down. The edge was overlocked already. Thankfully I had kept the pieces I'd cut from the bottom. so I trimmed them to 3 inches wide and overlocked the raw edge, effectively making a new faced hem, which I understitched in order to help keep the fabric and edges sharp. The hems were then sewn by hand - and with this fabric the stitches are invisible.

The length is much better and I love how warm these are - definitely winter wear, but here in the UK, that's exactly what we have at the moment. I think these will get a fair bit of wear before the weather improves. I'm also planning to make a matching waistcoat and I have plans for a shirt with a bow collar too - I have an outfit in my head already, which means I might get around to making something this side of next Christmas, once I've finished all my other planned makes for me and for other people. Next up is the Assembly Line Hoodie Parka. It's already cut out and prepped ready to sew.

My First Pair of Trousers

I did it - I made trousers and they are wearable!
Way back in the early part of the year I make a muslin of trousers from Burdastyle magazine. They did not fit! Way way too tight,  and the back rise and crotch curve were just wrong.

So I set out on drafting and making my own. I like the high waist cigarette pants from Gertie's book, but was not sure that they would be any better as I'm pear shaped, have along torso and fairly chunky legs - years of skating and dancing have left me with well developed thighs and over extended calf muscles.

My initial draft was OK, but there was lots of excess fabric in the back leg. The waist was also too low and too wide.

Changes made were: Raise the back by adding a wedge into the CB seam; lengthen the back Crotch seam and scoop out more. scoop out the front crotch seam a little; Narrow the legs and then take a wedge out from under the butt. I also found the fabric was catching on my calf muscles so I made a extended calf adjustment on the back pattern piece and finally drafted a curved waistband. I also made the back pockets a bit bigger than the original draft.

I used the Ginger Jeans sew a long to help with the construction order and found it very helpful. I added stable cotton for the pocket linings and tacked to the front seam. Top stitching was done in self coloured thread. The fabric behaved beautifully. I bought 2m at B&M fabrics in Leeds at the #sewupnorth event in June. I had enough left over the make a version of the Cleo dungarees dress by Tilly & the Buttons.

These trousers are completely wearable, but they are not perfect.

This was my first time sewing with a stretch woven and I'm a convert - the comfort and stability of the fabric was brilliant.

So verdict - I'm really happy with these for my first pair of trousers. I will make some adjustments for the next pair. I wore these for 2 days and the fit was great to start, but as with all denim, it slackens off when you wear it. I was really happy with the back waistband and the fit at the back - it's the first time I've had trousers that don't gape!

Adjustments for next time:-
Lengthen the legs slightly - about 3cm and add more hem
Taper the back leg at the hem, below the calf - I'm sewing with stretch there is no need for flappy hems!
Take a small wedge out of the back inseam under the butt - just to help with those wrinkles.
Take a pinch out of the front at the pocket edge to make them lie flat.
Take a small wedge amount out of the front crotch seam and check the curve.
Pinch out excess on the front waist seam to abdomen (where you would put a dart) as this is where I found the draft gaped quite a bit and I found myself pulling them up a lot, especially on the second day of wear. I do want to keep the comfort and not make them too tight.