Simplicity 2860, Amazing Fit Trousers

I've been scared of trousers for quite some time. I've made a few pairs but I've always felt like I was cheating, big pleats and forgiving gathers. 

The Simplicty Amazing fit trousers were what I needed to tackle my fear. The pattern instructions include a lot of fitting tips, and the pattern is designed with fitting alterations in mind, for example the seam allowances are bloody massive and there is a seam in the centre back of the waistband to aid with pinching in or letting out as necessary. 

The toile I cut was a good starting point. It was a little loose on the waist and hips, so I increased the seam allowance but 0.5cm at the waist and a further cm from the hips onwards. I wanted to keep the legs straight, so I was careful not to over-fit at the hips. 

I was prepared to have to make some alterations in the lower back area as I am often needing to tackle a swayback adjustment, but I found the waist/ butt darts gave a good shape to my behind. 

The main fit issue was a found the trousers a little tight in the crtoch area. I did a bit of research and found I needed to deepen the curve in the crotch (which felt sort of counter intuitive as I associate increasing a seam allowance with making something smaller and therefore tighter), and alter the angle of the inside leg seams. This worked for giving me less of a wedgie but did seem to make the front crotch area a little overly spacious. But hey that's what toiles are for! Lots of messing about until the fit is good and the fun bit can begin! 

I may have over-deepened (is that a word?) the crotch seam, but it did work to my advantage - they ended up a little more high-waisted with that extra room which is exactly where I wanted to wear them. I had to be careful though, as any higher and I would definitely have had to alter the darts in the back to fit the curve of my lower back. 

Wearing them a little higher meant that I also had to be wary of the length! 2cm further up the hips meant 2cm higher up the ankle! Luckily there were no disasters, but I did make a slightly narrower hem to be on the safe side. I then blind hemmed by hand so as no stitching could be seen on the outside. 

I loved constructing the fly zip (even if constantly swapping to the zipperfoot was a pain!). I could have done with sewing the left side a little further from the zip teeth so that the tag sat a little more comfortably behind it, but if I wiggle it in after I've zipped up no one would know! Also I learnt when making my toile that the outside of the fly pieces need to be overlocked before inserting. 

One of the only downsides of this pattern, is there's no pockets! But I totally get that this means altering the fit is much more doable at any stage of making. 

What it lacks in pockets it toally makes up for with beltloop bonus points. It's very satisfying adding them into the construction of the waistband right from the off instead of fiddling about with them at the end. There's also the added comfort knowing that if for some reason they need a bit of help staying up you've got an extra safety blanket! 

Other satisfying features of the waistband include the hidden button and buttonhole inside the fly. I was sooo pleased with the buttonhole (new unpicker for smooth slicing and some fray stop before any threads started running). I bound the bottom of the waistband facing with a satin bias binding for a super neat finish. I fastened down with my neatest stitch in the ditch, which for the first time ever you cannot see from the right side and I did not need to unpick a thing. 

Finally, a little note on fabric choice. I would love to make million versatile versions of these trousers. I can see a plain black pair quickly becoming a wardrobe staple. When picking fabric though I need to be really careful not to pick something that creases easily (crease crotch is the worst), but not pick something so heavy or stiff that it chafes (also bad). If I keep the wide straight legs, cord might look a but juvenile (I've already lived through the 90s once thanks), denim would work but only if it had very minimal stretch so as not to alter the fit of the pattern. 

Really pleased with the time I put into altering the fit. I got these guys finished in time to start my new job. Meet your new boss. 

x
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