These pants are one of those projects that have been on my mind for quite some time, but I’ve just never had all the right pieces at the right time! I’ve been holding on to this soft, lovely Tencel Twill for 2 or 3 years, waiting for the perfect pant pattern to come across my radar. I purchased the fabric after my first experience working with Tencel Twill as part of the StyleMaker Fabrics blog tour a couple of years ago, and falling in love with the substrate! I envisioned this fabric being used for a pair of pants that would look professional but still be comfortable and stylish enough to wear regularly. The need to track down a great pattern felt a little bit more urgent recently when I returned to work after maternity leave and found that many of my pre-baby pants don’t fit me quite yet – that baby weight doesn’t fall off as easily with baby number two, I’m learning!!
I’d never sewn with New Look patterns before, but I was excited when I was offered the chance to choose from a range of New Look patterns as part of the Minerva Ambassador program. This pattern includes the ingredients needed to sew up an entire outfit, but my eye was specifically drawn to the pants! The full-length pants looked like they would be perfect for this tencel twill I’ve been holding on to – wide without being lacking in shape, loose but still flattering. I had a feeling they’d be a great pairing with this soft, drapey twill fabric.
I’ve come to expect a certain (large!) amount of ease from traditional paper pattern companies, and typically end up having to size down one or two sizes from the size recommended by my measurements to get the fit I prefer. Having never sewn with New Look patterns, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the sizing ran much more true to size than I expected! I fell between two sizes, so chose the smaller of the two in anticipation of the sizing running slightly large. I am really happy with the fit!
Despite being a wide leg trouser, these have some nice shaping around the bum! They fit nicely through the waist and bum, and are a comfortable, breezy fit throughout the leg. I don’t feel baggy and shapeless in them, which I’ll be honest, I was a little worried about going into this. I did not adjust the length or hem allowances at all, and was really pleased to find that these are the perfect length on my 5’8” frame! I often find that I need to add a little additional length to pants patterns, whether by taking a smaller hem allowance or truly adding length to the pattern. I found that these are perfect with flats, as I’m wearing in these photos, and also look great with a bit of a heel.
The construction of these pants was straightforward, and honestly pretty simple! The pattern consists of the main pants pieces, the waistband pieces cut in both fabric and interfacing, and an invisible zip of the left side of the pants. I will note that I wish the zipper was on my right side – for some reason, I feel super clumsy using the left side zipper! I was able to sew these up over the course of a couple of weeks in little bits here and there, when the baby and the three year old gave me a few minutes to run into the sewing room!
I’m so pleased with how these New Look Trousers turned out. They certainly filled a gap in my wardrobe, and I’m excited to feel like I have at least one option when I don’t want to wear scrubs to work! These are incredibly flowy and comfortable, and I’ve also enjoyed just lounging around in them with a casual sweater on the weekends. My only complaint is the wrinkles – no fault of the pattern, but it is definitely a bummer that these whisker wrinkles show up after sitting for even 5 minutes. But hey, that’s life. I’ll be wearing these often, wrinkles and all! If you’re looking to fill a similar space in your wardrobe, but feel a little wary about sewing pants, I do recommend this pattern. The end result is a nice looking garment that does not require extensive fitting adjustments, as some other shapes of pants might. This is a great confidence booster – proof you CAN make pants!
Trousers: handmade by me
Pattern: New Look 6438 (View C)
Fabric: StyleMaker Fabrics – Tencel Twill (this particular fabric was purchased 2 or 3 years ago, but similar fabrics are linked!)
Key Ingredients:
Brother XR9500PRW Sewing Machine
Brother 1034D Overlocker
Dahle 36×48 Self-healing Cutting Mat
Prym Sewing Machine Needles
Gutermann Sew All Polyester Sewing Thread
Thanks for reading my thoughts on this pattern! The pattern used for this post was provided to me by Minerva in exchange for photos of my finished garments and a review of my experience with the pattern, to be posted on their website. The fabric was purchased by me. All words and opinions expressed throughout this post are my own, as always. Links provided throughout this post may be affiliate links – if you choose to purchase any products through these links, I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you. This simply helps me justify the costs of my sewing habit and the time it takes to share it with you!! Happy Sewing!
- XX Elizabeth
