Trouser Inspo

It won't have escaped your notice that I've been sewing trousers recently (here and here), and I have just finished another pair of Emerson/Alexandria mash ups which have yet to be posted. I've talked and thought a lot about sewing trousers in the past, but never really managed to actually do the sewing. Suddenly I can't get enough!

I think there are a few reasons for this. Firstly, I'm just wearing trousers more. Generally casually, I live in skinny jeans and at work wear more dresses and skirts, but this winter I've definitely been wearing my RTW black skinnies to death. I'm not sure what's prompted this change and I suspect that come summer (IF summer ever cometh) that my skirts my come back out to play, but for now I want to wear trouser.

Secondly, I tried on quite a few RTW trousers and didn't like them. The fit was OK, but not good enough, and I figured I could at least attempt to do better myself.

Thirdly, the more you make trousers, the less scary they seem. Actually trousers are not difficult at all to make. Just hard to fit.

Lastly, there seems to have been an explosion of Indie trouser patterns in the past few years, which makes the whole thing easier still, albeit with some limitations (see below).

What I will say though, is that I am fussy about the shapes and styles that I wear, and none more so than trousers. I can't always put my finger on what I don't like about things, I just know they aren't right for me, and sadly from the sewing point of view, often I can't identify this until I've actually tried them on. Case in point the Alexandria pants and more recently the Calyers, which I muslined and then rejected (same problem with fabric volume as the Alexandria). This quickly becomes an expensive hobby (the Calyer pdf cost £10), so I am trying to come up with some ways to identify whether a pattern is likely to be a winner or not, BEFORE I make the purchase. This still needs some work, but in the meantime, I thought I'd share some lovely trouser inspiration with you. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it's some of the patterns I have my eye on currently, in that "my eyes are bigger than my sewing ability" way we all know.

Wide Legs

I love the cropped wide leg look, and am keen to recreate a pair I tried on in Jigsaw a couple of months ago but didn't buy because they were dry-clean only and itchy wool. This is a selection of patterns I've been considering. I have previously made and do like the True Bias Emerson pants (not pictured), but would like to move away from an elasticated waistband. I think I like the Anna Allen Persephone and RDC Gaston's best, due to the covered fly and the slightly wider leg, but the others, the True Bias Lander Pants and the Papercut Nagoya Pants are strong contenders. I prefer that the Lander has back pockets, but they are easy things to add to a different pattern. I'd like to make a black pair for work (fabric tbc, but maybe a canvas?) and also a pair in denim. I LOVE Novita's version of the Persephones. So gorgeous.

Aside: I mentioned above about elastic waists. I actually never thought I'd write this, but I have nothing against elastic waists per se, however there are a lot of Indie trouser patterns out there with elastic waists, whether full or back only, and I'm wondering why. They are definitely easier to sew, so perhaps easier to tempt trouser-making newbies in (plus since elastic waists go with baggier trousers, less potential fitting to be scared of?), but given it's more than likely that most people will make skirts or dresses before they make the jump to trousers, they will have sewn darts and a zip or 2, making trousers with a side zip not insurmountable. Personally, with well written and illustrated instructions to follow, I don't find a fly that difficult either. Do pattern designers themselves dislike fly front or side/back zip trousers and assume their customers feel the same? Or do they actually want to avoid writing the instructions, which I can imagine are probably difficult to describe for a fly zip, and while there are some very good tutorials out there, you can't really produce a pattern and then direct your customer to someone else's tutorial. Or, actually, is it just that elastic waists are trendier/have become more socially acceptable in recent years? I have no idea, and I have no strong feelings about it. It's just something that I've been thinking about since I've been looking for some patterns without an elastic waist.

Peg Legs and Pleats

Obviously I've made a few peg leg and pleated trousers with some mixed results. I REALLY love teh look of them, but I struggle with the wearing of them. My successes have all been with the pleats of the Emerson, which are pretty shallow and short. This combination doesn't seem to give me the excess at the front crotch and thigh area, which I find problematic. This is why I think the Orangeuse Patterns Bruges Trousers might work for me. I'm not convinced by the side stripe on the legs, but that's optional, and I really like the rest of the pattern. No back pockets again, but I'm sure I could add welt pockets (she said, never having sewn welt pockets in her life). The RDC Claude Trousers interest me, but they look quite different depending on the version you see. I do like the versions that Christine has made here and here. I even dreamed about them (true story)! Finally the Papercut Patterns Guise Pants. I really wish these weren't elasticated at the back, but I suspect the pleats are probably going to be a problem anyway, so it's highly unlikely I'd make these. But they look nice, don't they?

Skinnies and Jeans

Dead easy to wear, there will be room in my wardrobe for skinnies for a while yet. I've been meaning to make the Closet Case Ginger jeans for a while, I have the pattern and one of my RTW pairs has just gone through at the knee, so it's inevitable they wiill happen. If I like them, I might also try the Sashas which are made from the same block. I chucked the Papercut Patterns Starboard jeans on there too as it has some interesting details.

Finally

I've been a bit obsessed with the Elizabeth Suzann Clyde Pants for a while. They have an elasticated waist, so I might not actually like them on me, but I love the drafting. No side seam with a capacious scoop shape pocket and a tapered leg. I even like this weird khaki colour. Unfortunately they are RTW, sold in the US and out of my price range. I recently came across the Sew Liberated Arenite Pants on Instagram and while I wouldn't wear this slouchy, relaxed shape, it has a lot in common with the Clyde pants. So much so, that I am considering buying the pattern to hack. I'm not sure how easy it would be to do with no side seams, but if I could reduce the ease enough, it could work. It's not a priority, but it would be an interesting experiment.

So, there you go. That's the round up of what's going on in my head at the moment. I wonder what, if any I will actually make?! :)

Completed: Emerson/Alexandria Mash Up

I made another pair of trousers. I seem to be on a roll with trousers at the moment, so I'm going with it, although black basics really don't make for the most exciting blog posts.

This is a mash up of the True Bias Emersons (top part) with the Named Alexandria Peg Pants (legs). The Emersandria? I can't fully take credit for this combo. Someone, can't remember who, or when, made a tapered leg Emersons ages ago on Instagram which obviously planted a seed. I bought a pair of Uniqlo trousers recently which were nice, but didn't fit that well and I thought "I could make something similar" which made me put both patterns together. I kept the Uniqlo merino jumper, which I am wearing in these photos £15!).

Anyway, the patterns went together well. I traced the Emersons down as far as the shorts line, then blended into the Alexandria legs. I also scooped a little out of the front crotch curve because I felt like the shorts I made last summer needed it.





The fabric is a poly/viscose gaberdine with quite a lot of stretch. I bought it from Splendid Stitch a while back with plans to another pattern that never really worked out. It has a lovely drape which makes it perfect for this style, although the poly makes it a little hard to press - it's quite bouncy. It's also thick, noticeable when sewing over multiple layers like at the pocket at the side seams, but it behaves nicely and isn't staticky like other polys. Unfortunately Splendid Stitch appear to have sold out of it. I bought a remnant in grey because I liked it so much, although the grey does remind me of Euan's school trousers.







There's not a lot to say about this make. I like the Emerson shape at the top. I love the pleats and the fact that for some reason they don't add volume at the crotch like other pleated trouser patterns I've tried. I also like the leg shape of the Alexandria, so the combo is pretty perfect for me. Oh, I added a bit of width to the back pattern piece at the calf. Something that I apparently need for all trousers.



I love these trousers. I seem to have to have my hands in the pockets all the time for some reason, but that's OK. They are extremely comfortable with drape and stretch of the fabric, plus the elasticated back waist band. I love them so much that I'm making a second pair with that grey remnant. Personally, I don't really like them with ankle boots, so they are better for the brighter days with flats and (gasp) bare ankles. Fingers crossed we have more brighter days soon.

I'd like to continue my trouser making journey a bit more. I definitely plan to make Ginger jeans, and I'm exploring other trouser pattern options that have proper fastenings. I'm not opposed to elastic waists (certainly not with a flat waistband at the front), and they are quick to make, but I'd like to try something else and have a bit of variety.

Completed: Safran Jeans

I have 4 posts written in drafts, but I just haven't managed to get photos of anything recently. I put that right today with a major blog photo shoot, photographing 5 things in one session! The photos aren't the best, but they'll do!

Let's jump ahead with this, the most recent of makes: Deer and Doe Safran Jeans. My winter sewing has been practical but boring and this is no different. I am in desperate need of trousers for work. In recent years I've worn a lot more dresses and skirts during the winter, but this year I just haven't felt like dressing like that. For work, I've been living in my one pair of RTW black trousers, which are starting to suffer a bit. I had been planning to make a pair of black Gingers, when someone blogged about the Safrans. I had obviously seen them before, but this time around the welt pockets at the front caught my eye. I liked that they were a little less "jeansy", but equally would work as casual wear. To make them even less "jeansy", I made them in some stretch cotton twill.

I started these back at a #sewscottish meet up in November, when I sewed the whole front together, including fly and welt pockets and then they languished in the cupboard for ages afterwards until I had a day off in Jan that I could dedicate to fitting them. I initially had some reservations due to the fact that I am not the curvy shape that Deer and Doe appear to design for, but actually the fitting was very different to what I anticipated.

First things first, I cut the size 38 grading up to the 40 at the waist as per the sizing on the pattern and the finished garment measurements. This was actually my first Deer and Doe pattern, and I found the instructions to be OK, definitely not for beginners but good enough with a bit of experience under your belt. I loved the welt pockets although my second is better as I had figured out what I was doing by then. I read through both the D&D and the Closet Case Files instructions for the fly (from the Ginger jeans, a pattern I already own) and went with the latter which felt clearer and more intuitive. This meant changing the construction order a bit, but I managed to figure it all out.



I basted the crotch and side seams and got down to fitting. There was quite a lot to fix, as it turns out. I had to take a huge amount out of the waist. In the end, I took 14cm (yep, that's 5.5") out of the waist in the back and side seams and I also added darts. The Safran doesn't have a yoke and isn't darted, instead relying on negative ease for a fit. I was sceptical of this at the start and I remain so. The pattern calls for fabric with 20% stretch, and mine had that, but there was no way I was going to get these to fit without adding darts, and I'm not the curviest of people (my waist is 28/29" and my hips are 36" for reference).

I have pretty large calves and I have thighs, which is often an issue in RTW, and this pattern was no different. I let out the calves a bit at the side and inseams (not officially the correct way to do it - theoretically you should add more to the back and not change the front leg), which isn't perfect but has helped. I then moved onto the knees which had quite a lot of excess fabric gathering. I can't figure out if the knees is down to the fabric gathering because the trouser legs can't slide down over my giant calves, if it's to do with my knock knees, or if the pattern is just truly too big at the knees. In the end, I just took the side seams in a bit here (I have some really interesting S shaped side seams going on now) and called it a day. The knees still have some excess fabric, but by this point my fitting enthusiasm was waning somewhat.

Check out that side seam on the left, it's wandering about all over the place!

You can see the excess at the knees here. And a bit of pulling at the fly which I hadn't previously noticed.

The crotch isn't too bad. There are some drag lines at the front which *may* indicate I could with scooping out the front crotch curve a bit, but it's not a biggie and with the fly already done I was limited here. The back has a lot of drag lines immediately under my bum and the legs feel very tight at the back of my thighs. Not sure what to do here, but by then I was just fed up of fitting. I can't see my back anyway and in black fabric the drag lines don't show up too much. Fitting fatigue is a thing, and actually now that I look at these photos, the back actually looks fine!





The waistband proved a challenge. For some reason I decided to fit without the waistband on, and when I subsequently tried to apply the same changes to the waistband it was far too small. At this point the jeans went back in the cupboard again and Instagram was duly consulted. After a bit of advice and a bit of distance, I went back to them. I suspect there are numerous reasons why the waistband didn't work. Firstly, the waist more than likely stretched out with all the trying on I was doing. Secondly, I totally forgot that I shifted the side seams on the jeans to counter all the excess that I'd taken out of the garment at the back, and I didn't do the same to the waistband. Thirdly, I was treating a curved waistband like a straight one and was taking the same out of the top as the bottom of the waistband. Trial and error and a couple of versions later and I had a waistband that fitted well enough.





I'm really happy with these. They are *far* from perfect but at least they fit on the waist, which RTW never, ever do. They are comfy. Not lounge on the sofa comfy, as the fabric doesn't quite stretch enough for that, but they are definitely comfy for sitting at a desk for long periods of time. The legs ride up over my calves and don't slide back down, and there is still loads of excess fabric at the knees, but I like them nonetheless. I love the welt pockets and am super proud of both them and the fly. I missed the blogger-memo about recommending a stretch woven for the pocket linings and just made them in a standard bird print cotton (from Franca). This hasn't caused me any issues, but then again, the fabric's not stretching massively around my hips. Definitely one to consider if you are better endowed than I in that area. I made a mixture of version A and B: I omitted the belt loops, but kept the back pockets and cut them at ankle length to wear with ankle boots. Unfortunately the fabric is a fluff magnet, as twill always seems to be. It also feels a little rough against my skin. Not sure why. The fabric was one recommended on the D&D website and also came from France, from a seller called Mamzelle Fourni, (they don't seem to have it any more).

I don't know that I'd rush to make this pattern again. I'd like to try the Ginger jeans next, just to see how the fit compares, however I would love to incorporate the welt pockets into a future pair of jeans, even if it ends up being a mash up of patterns. But I will make jeans again, and I'll wear the hell out of these Safrans in the meantime!

Completed: Emerson Pants

Hi! Yes, I really am back again so soon! I have 2 days of sewing goodness to thank for that.

On Sunday, a few of us met up for a chilled afternoon of sewing, chat, lunch and cake at The Stitchery in Glasgow. Sorry to everyone that we didn't invite - it wasn't meant as a cliquey get together or anything like that. It just started from an IG chat between Jen, Kathryn and I, which grew organically until we had 10 people, the max that The Stitchery could cater for. I probably don't need to explain this, but I didn't want anyone to think they had been deliberately excluded. There's nothing worse than that feeling! :( While it was great to catch up, the best part of the day was getting to finally meet Kathryn, a fellow Scot who lives in London, who has been a blog-and-Instagram friend for a few years now. Obviously she is lovely!!!! I also finally met Amy, another Instagram friend, but one who lives about 15 minutes away from me.

Anyway, I got 5 hours of pretty much non-stop sewing, which gave me a good start on this pattern and I followed it immediately with a child-free day off work, which allowed me to get this finished off. Feast or famine over here, I tell you!



The pattern is the True Bias Emerson Pants, and I really wish I'd made these at the beginning of the summer. I couldn't, of course, because she only released the pattern at the end of July, but I'd had a pretty clear idea all summer of making trousers like these. I had even bought the fabric - a medium weight chambray from The Sweet Mercerie. It's the same fabric I used in this dress. I liked the fabric so much, I bought more. I still have 1.5m left.

Even in a mid weight fabric, these are not the most seasonally appropriate for late Sept in Scotland, but I decided to treat these as a wearable muslin, with the hope that they will be wearable for our just-booked trip to Santander in Northern Spain in October. I can't vouch yet for the Spanish wearability but so far they are ticking all boxes boxes for Scottish wearability, as long as I don't mind having cold ankles. :)



I almost made these exactly as the pattern - a novelty for me these days, it seems. I would have done, but when I tried them on, I liked the length as it was. I did like it at the drafted length, but I preferrred them slightly longer, so I drafted another hem facing. Trousers like these need a deep hem, I think, so I just made the hem facing the width of the instructed hem - 2 inches. Next time, I'll add 2 inches to the pattern length.

My plan was to have contrasting top/edge stitching on these, and I even chose a kind of beigy gold thread. And then I forgot. Too much chatting.


Do I need to say how much I love these? They have an elasticated back waistband, so are very comfortable, but I think the flat waistband on the front makes them more flattering. I love the pleats, I love the wide leg, I love the length. And P likes them because, and I quote "cute bum". :)

Love the pleats!

The fit isn't quite right. I always have issues with my calves in trousers. I thought with wide legs, this wouldn't be an issue, but you can see from some of the photos above that side seams don't hang perpendicular to the ground - they shift forwards. And in the photo with my back to the camera you can see something happening. Not sure if that's my thighs or my calves to be honest. If you have any ideas, feel free to chip in. It doesn't hugely bother me, but it would be nice to know how to fix it.

So, yeah, the fit isn't perfect, but I don't really care! I love them and I have already cut out a second pair.

Completed: Alexandria Trousers

I actually made these back in October, and wrote this post around then, but, as with the jumpsuit, it's taken ages to get round to taking photos. It was also the first Named pattern I made, hence my detail over the pattern layout, instructions etc. Can't be bothered to re-write this though.

I had planned on making these trousers for ages. I bought both the fabric and the pattern back in the summer and just never quite got round to them. I've seen so many versions of both this and similar patterns, and they just look so cool and easy to wear. I also thought they'd be easier to fit, since they have an elasticated waist and are meant to be oversized.

But being totally honest, now I've made them, I just don't know. They do look cool on other people, but on me, I'm not so sure. It might just be that basically I made summer trousers in October. It might be that I have no idea what to wear them with. It also might be because I normally live in skinny jeans and skinny/fitted trousers, so this is just so different it feels odd.

But lets start with the positives, shall we? I love the fabric, which is a polyester from John Lewis (I think it was this). It is drapey but with a lovely weight and the colour is a rich navy with a slight sheen. It is a bit staticky, but it's otherwise a good choice for this style. It wasn't too slippery to cut or sew, but it did fray badly.

The pattern too, was a good experience. This is the Named Alexandria Peg Trousers. I bought the PDF, so seam allowances were included (they aren't on the printed versions). The pattern includes trouser and shorts versions and if you wanted to make both, you would need to trace them, or print twice but I have no intentions of making the shorts, so just cut straight into the PDF. Only 2 sizes are nested on the PDF - there are about 4 PDFs in total covering all the sizes. This was fine, but they weren't nested in such a way that I could cut between sizes. I wanted to cut the 38 based on my waist measurement, however I could have done with sizing down to the 36 at the hips - but the 36 was nested outside, not inside the 38, so it wasn't possible. I opted to cut the 38, figuring I could always take in the hips if necessary. The 36 would have been fine, but I was nervous that the tapered legs would be too narrow, and I was correct. Even with the 38, I had to decrease the SA from the knee to ankle to about 0.5cm (the given SA is 1cm, or 3/8").

The pattern went together no problem. It's beautifully drafted, even including things like tapering out the hem at the ankle, to account for the fact that the leg is tapered in. This means the hem circumference is the same size as the leg piece you are sewing it to (I haven't described that well at all, sorry!). The instructions are concise but thorough. There's not a huge amount of hand holding, but it explains each step adequately.

The pattern comes with patch pockets for the back, and also instructs you to sew in a drawstring. I omitted both of these.

You can see quite a lot of fabric at the front here. I look pregnant!

The pleats. I love the pleats, in theory at least. As I was sewing them, they looked so pretty and luscious in the sheeny navy polyester. Even hanging up, on the finished garment I love those pleats.

The back view. It's actually not nearly as unflattering as I was expecting!!! :)

And so to the negatives. Although I love the pleats, they do create a lot of volume. And I mean a lot. When I sit down, there is just SO. MUCH. FABRIC. I did plan to take the trousers in at the hips, but the excess fabric is at the front, not the sides, and I just don't know how to remove it from there. Really, I should have cut the 36 and just graded out from the knees. I should have made a muslin.

Elastic waists. There have been 2 things I've made this year that I didn't love. These trousers and the Ilsley skirt. What do they both have in common? Elasticated waists. I've never had a problem with gathering at my waist, so I didn't really worry too much about the elastic, but I'm thinking gathering with a fixed waistband is different. With the elastic, it never seems to sit quite in the right place on my waist. With the skirt, it's not too much of an issue, but with trousers, it obviously affects the crotch. Lower on my waist seems more flattering, but then I have a kind of harem pants thing going on. Higher makes the crotch much more flattering, but not the waist.

I do wonder if with a "proper" waistband, and the removal of the gathers, the pleats might work better? Even a half fixed, elasticated at the back? But I have no idea how to reduce the volume in the front of the trousers to do this. I guess I could slash and overlap the pattern in a few places? In truth thought, that's probably a pattern adjustment too far for me, from a confidence, ability and time point of view. It would be simpler to just buy another pattern.

Really then, the positives outweigh the negatives, in volume at least. However, it is telling that I haven't yet worn these. I am the sort of person who makes/buys something and wears it as soon as is humanely possible. If I don't do that (and it's not because it's just not appropriate e.g. a ball gown), it's usually because I'm not that certain about it. I'm just not sure I feel confident enough to pull them off.

What's interesting though, is that I think in these photos they look great. I feel uncomfortable wearing them, but even as I was shooting the photos I was thinking how they looked quite nice. I had to struggle to find a photo that sufficiently captured the excess fabric. And they look OK with this top and these ankle boots too, although Small Boy did ask where my socks were. As an aside, I asked him his opinion on the trousers. He said "Good, but they don't go all the way down"!

I did see these recently, which are very similar, and which look nice, although I haven't tried them on. I also like the name! :)

Helena Crepe Trouser by Whistles

What do you think? Would you wear these? Do you think they are just too summery? What would you wear them with?

Completed: Ultimate Trousers

I did it. I made a pair of trousers, and I am so damn pleased with them and myself!

I've wanted to make trousers for, well a couple of years now, but never plucked up the courage. Finally, I bought the Sew Over It Ultimate Trouser pattern earlier this year when it was on offer. It seemed like a good place to start, and there are so many gorgeous pairs out there in the blogosphere. Given that they only have 4 pattern pieces, they aren't too intimidating. Really the only thing that scared me was the fit. I knew that, unlike on other garments, if the fit wasn't right on trousers I would never wear them. Me Made May finally gave me the push to get going.

There were kind of 2 stages to making these. Firstly I muslined them. According to my measurements I cut a 12 at the waist grading to a 10 at the hips and legs. The muslin was huge. I took out about 1.5cmfrom the waist (on each side), grading to about 1cm at the hips and thighs to nothing at the knees. This solved most of the issues. The fit around my bum and legs was good, however there was still a bit of excess fabric at the crotch.

This is after I pinned out the excess. The back looks OK but you can see the "frown lines" at the crotch at the front.

I had posted some of my fitting photos to Instagram, and at this stage the feedback seemed pretty good, plus I got it into my head that I could get these finished to wear on holiday. So I ploughed ahead and cut into my fashion fabric. After I sewed them all together and inserting the zip (several times), I tried them on, and they looked awful. They were still too large and I thought they looked like clown trousers. I called it quits, put them in the cupboard and went on holiday.

Once back, last week I had to force myself to go back to them. I knew if I started on another project they'd never see the light of day again. So, I started by taking in the excess at the sides again - this time taking about an extra 1cm off the side - I only took this off the right side though, as I couldn't bear the thought of unpicking and redoing the zip. I think that part of the problem might have been that I didn't maintain the 1.5cm SA when adding the zip - somehow, at some point it went off track. But it's not just down to that. Perhaps I just didn't copy my previous adjustments onto the paper correctly? In order to further tweak the fit, I took the front and back darts in a smidgen (about 3mm on each dart). I then confronted the crotch issue.

Altered side seam, plus altered back dart

I did a bit of reading around the subject but just could not figure out the problem - did I have too much of a crotch curve or too little? - so I decided to approach it systematically. I started by straightening out the curve, which effectively added more fabric to the area. This didn't look any worse, but it didn't look any better either.

The next day, I did the opposite and scooped more out of the original curve. This looked better. I scooped a little more, and did a happy dance. It looked so much better! You can see below the different stitching lines I tried.

The red line is the original stitching line. On the right is the straighter curve I took. The far right is the curve I was happiest with.

In all honesty, it still feels like there is a bit of excess there. I don't know if there truly is, or if I'm just too used to skinny skinny jeans and stretch fabrics. Of course I need ease to be able to sit down. However if I am to do any further alterations here, I think I will need to do them to the pattern piece, so I have left these trousers as is.

After I added the waist facing, suddenly there appeared to be gaping at the back. I don't really understand this, as it did look fine before I added the facing. So, with the facing intact, I took them in at the CB seam. I did this by unpicking the stitching holding the waist to the facing, and the underfacing, just for a couple of inches - enough to release the CB seam allowances, I then took the CB seam in by about 1cm and did the same for the facing. This isn't too precise, but it more or less works. I then resewed the seams I'd unpicked. It still feels like it's gaping a bit, but actually the trousers are very comfortable to wear so I may leave it as is for any future versions.

Finally, there are still some further adjustments necessary to make them truly perfect. I can see that the side seams, particularly on my right leg, are pulling to the back, and the hem is skewed. I don't know how to describe it but you can see it in the photo below. Basically my leg isn't in the middle of the trouser, and the trouser hugs my leg at the front and sticks out at the back? There must be a technical term for this. Anyway, my gut feel is that I need to do some sort of full calf adjustment here to make this sit better. The leg isn't too tight, but clearly the distribution between the front and back pattern pieces are off. However if I'm completely wrong on this, feel free to jump in.

You can see a slight excess of fabric at the crotch. It also looks like there is some twisting on my left leg. I'm not sure if that's really there, or is just how I'm standing here.

Some excess fabric under the bum, but I think that's just "sitting down ease", right?

And in order to make them perfect for me, I need to add pockets. Casual trousers without pockets are not practical.

The fabric is a linen look cotton from Remnant Kings (this is the navy, it also comes in beige and grey). I love the slightly slubby look to the fabric, which I think lends itself to a casual trouser. The polka dots make them a bit more interesting, however I am finding myself struggling for solid tops to wear with them. And after a second day of wear, the fabric has bagged out a bit.

All in all though, I am delighted with these. I love them. I am super proud of the fit I have achieved - for the first time ever, I have supremely comfortable trousers that do not need fiddled with, and pulled up all the time. I am really pleased with my pattern matching. I am happy with my invisible zip. I am just overjoyed that I have finally crossed that imaginary trouser boundary, because do you know what? It wasn't actually that difficult! And now I have all sorts of trouser pattern researching to do, and a million different variations to come up with, because I have absolutely been bitten by the trouser bug. And I want more!