I have been slowly putting together a work wardrobe but I had yet to add pants to my collection. I saw several cute versions of the Sew Over It Ultimate Trouser on Instagram so I thought I would give it a try.
The Low Down
The Ultimate Trouser is meant to be simple pattern for advanced beginners. There are only four pattern pieces and an invisible zipper. It is a slim-fitting trouser that hits the ankle although you can make it shorter or longer depending on your taste.
Materials
- Your choice of woven cotton, corduroy, wool crepe, or denim
- 9” invisible zipper
Purchased from
DTLA
The Process
The Ultimate Trouser is meant to be sewn up pretty quickly. I was intending on sewing this up over the week before I had major surgery but life had other plans. Instead I sewed this up over several weeks as I wasn’t physically capable of sewing for a good portion of November.
It was a pretty simple pattern and the directions were just adequate. Based on the measurements I sewed this up in a UK size 10 – this ended up being way too small for me to my surprise. I ended up having to undo the center and side seams and use the seam allowance to make the appropriate adjustment. This also threw off my invisible zipper installation which did not turn out so well. I also chose fabric based on the recommendation which means there was no stretch so even though they fit when I sit down my body is very constricted by the fabric. One source of disappointment was the pant hem. I need to work on my technique or something because they truly give away that they are handmade. They also do not taper below the calf to the ankle as nicely as all the images on their website which just makes it feel like a standard men’s trouser to me.
All in all they look nice on the hanger and they look okay on but they are not nice to wear. I made a few style adjustments in my photos so that they are wearable but I’m not really sure when I’ll be able to wear these as I can’t imagine wearing these for hours at work.
I’m not sure if I will give these another try but I think I would like to use fabric that has a little stretch instead. I definitely wish they would list an appropriate stretch fabric in their recommended fabrics. It also really bothers me that they do not taper correctly.
Hiccups
- Wrong size
- My invisible zipper isn’t invisible enough
Recommendations
- Double or even triple check your measurements
- Leave enough seam allowance in case you have to make adjustments
- Try a fabric with some stretch for a more comfortable fit
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Happy Sewing!