The Ultimate Floral Trousers

This is my second blog for Dressfabrics and this time I used a gorgeous floral stretch cotton sateen  to make the Sew Over It Ultimate trousers. This was a perfect fabric and pattern combination.  When the fabric arrived I couldn’t believe how vibrant the colours were, and they have stayed that way after washing. The floral print is fabulous and being on a black background makes it easy to match. I had used a stretch sateen before for a dress before but now see the real benefit is in using it for trousers. That small bit of stretch makes it really comfortable when sitting in the trousers and it’s also more forgiving when it comes to the fit. It was very easy to sew and work with, just like a normal cotton. I used my normal needles and finished all the seams with my overlocker.

 

I have had this pattern in my stash for a while, but was afraid to tackle it as I hadn’t fitted trousers before. I should have tried it earlier! It is a simple pattern with just front and back pieces, which are finished with a facing at the waist, and an invisible zip. There is a tutorial to add a waistband if you prefer that. They are pretty high anyway. The top of the waistband crosses my bellybutton – for reference I’m 5ft 6. I attended a Dressfabrics jeans making workshop a while ago and that has really given me the confidence to tackle trouser fitting. In essence it just involves taking in seams here and there and Sew Over It have a very helpful tutorial on fitting these trousers here.

I cut a size 10 and after trying on with the seams basted I took a wedge out of the centre back, increased the size of the front darts, took in the seams between the waist and hips, and also between my calf and ankles. I recommend basting everything first with a long stitch and then sewing over the seams properly once you’re happy with your adjustments. If you haven’t inserted an invisible zip before you’ll need to look at their tutorial on this too  as the pattern instructions provide no guidance on this aspect. Can you spot my zip in the photos? I think this may have been my best invisible zip insertion to date! Rolling those zipper teeth really helps to get nice and close to the teeth.

I have paired the trousers with my black velvet Ogden Cami for these photos. My Seamwork Astoria in Maeve’s black Angora sweater knit will go with these perfectly too in the cooler months. I loved working with the cotton sateen and it’s so comfortable to wear so I have a few more pairs planned to add to my work wardrobe – a black pair seems like a no-brainer!

But I love the other florals Maeve has too . They are perfect for summer dresses, skirts and jackets too. I also think a floral sateen would make a stunning version of the new Irish pattern, the Iconic Bomber  They have a colourful version on their Instagram which is also available at Brown Thomas! I love that sewing makes something like this accessible to all of us.

Maeve kindly gifted the fabric and zip to me, but all opinions are my own.

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