I made this: Trousers

Hi Everyone,

This week, I defied all the odds and negativity surrounding crotch seams* and made my first pair of human woman trousers. I know!

I had been looking for a pattern that was simple, stylish and that I could use again and again with different weights of fabric throughout the year. I finally found it in the Merchant and Mills shop in Rye when I was wandering about with friends on my hen weekend last year (but you can also buy it online) and eventually got time to make them up this week.

I made this pair from a lightweight cotton check fabric and I am very pleased with the results. I made a couple of toiles from calico to start with as the sizing seemed to come up large and long for me. I would highly recommend doing a toile for any garment making: you will save so much money and good fabric in the long run! Anyhow, I fiddled around with the shape and as it is a loose-legged style, I used elastic instead of a drawstring and removed the false fly to create a sleeker, flatter silhouette. Now they're perfect for wearing under shorter tops and summer knits. They look great with flats or a heel and I am itching to do a crisp black cotton version for smarter outfits and a wool version for the winter.

This work is all part of my bid to consume less and create a capsule wardrobe that I love this year. I have been inspired by the work of Caroline at Un-fancy. Go and check out her gorgeous photography and learn about building a wardrobe that cuts down on waste and special to you: she's a unicorn-princess of the sustainable/minimalist fashion kind and I have learnt a lot from her.

Have a great day

Jessie

*You would not believe how many people said to me as I was doing this that sewing legs is fine, it's getting the crotch seams to sit nicely that will RUIN your hard work. But don't let that put you off! It was all so much easier than I expected it to be.