The Ultimate Trousers are slim-fitting, ankle-grazing trousers. They close with an invisible side seam zip, and the waistline is finished with a facing. Front and back darts provide shaping at the waist.
I'm much more commonly found in dresses and skirts (or sometimes culottes) than trousers, but I've been feeling recently like a couple of pairs of trousers could be a good addition to my wardrobe. Firstly, I think they'll be a good option for in betweeny weather when I don't want to be wearing tights, but it might be a bit cold for bare legs with dresses. And secondly, they're much more practical for breezy days (which are fairly common here on the coast) as there's no danger of the wind causing you to reveal more than intended!
As you'd expect from a Sew Over It pattern, the instructions are very detailed and thorough, and I didn't have any problems during the construction process. That said, this is a simple trouser pattern so there weren't any particularly tricky steps anyway.
The only slight complaint I'd make about that pattern is that there aren't any lengthen/shorten lines on the pattern pieces, but they're easy enough to add in (I lengthened mine by 4cm).
The tricky thing with this pattern is really going to be getting the right fit for you. I was unsure about which size to cut because the pattern envelope gives the finished waist measurements for the lower waist and says that this is approximately two inches below your navel, but the Sew Over It sewalong says that it's two inches below your natural waist. Now, maybe I'm odd (highly likely!), but my navel is below my natural waist. In search of advice, I read a few reviews online which differed wildly between saying that it's a good idea to go up a size to saying that the sizing is generous!
I decided to just go with what my measurements said, and made a toile of a 14. Sadly, that was way too small. I could pull them up (I basically made shorts, not full trousers), but there was no way I'd ever be able to do up a zip in them. Given how small they were, I didn't think going up to a 16 would be enough so I made a toile of an 18 instead. That seemed to fit OK, so I cut into my fabric.
I will say now that these are intended to be a wearable toile. The fit still isn't perfect but, having not worn trousers much for years, I wasn't sure whether I'd like wearing them or not so I didn't want to spend ages making fitting adjustments if I ended up not convinced by the final garment. I'm intending to wear these trousers for a bit and see how I feel about them and where I think I could do with some adjustments. Having worn them once, I'm already thinking about slimming the legs down a bit.
As this is a wearable toile, I used some cotton sateen that I bought really cheaply from someone's (I can't remember whose!) destash sale a while ago. I'm pretty sure I paid under £5 for 2m, so it was definitely a "low risk" fabric for me to use. And it means I now have the pinkest trousers in all the land!
So all in all, sewing these wasn't a problem at all. As for whether the project is a winner, I think only time will tell! I have wearable trousers at least, and I'll happily give wearing them a try. That's all I wanted from this pair, so in that respect they're a success. What do you think of my super pink trousers?!
