Pattern Description:
Misses & Miss Petite Jacket, Pants, Skirt, Top & Dress
Pattern Sizing:
16-24. I sewed size 18 with alterations.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
yes, even if I made a major adjustment to the pattern, this did not change the overall appearance of the trousers
Were the instructions easy to follow?
yes
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like the fact that it is really quick to make these trousers, and they fit very well.
I don't like the way the crotch curve of the original pattern fits on me (too long at the front), that's why I made the alterations described in this review.
Fabric Used:
Cotton, a special one looking like linen.
Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
It is the third time I sew the trousers from this pattern: you can find previous reviews here and here
When I sewed it for the first time, I had that nice striped cotton that I wanted to use to make a comfortable garment to use during Summer time and this pattern provided exactly what I wanted.
The second time I made it with a lilac crepe backed satin fabric to get something a little bit more sophisticated to wear in more formal occasions: at this time I realized that the crotch curve had to be altered to get a more accurate fit expecially in the front part. I also like to wear trousers a little more below than the point where this model sits.
I found this cotton looking like linen at fabric store and I thought it was great to use with with Simplicity 4273 pattern to make trousers to wear at the office, but I really wanted to make the adjustments at the crotch curve and at the waist.
What I did was redrafting from scratch the pattern on my mesurements and then compare the original pattern from Simplicity with the self-drafted one.
In my case the crotch curve had to be redrawn both on front and back pieces and since I wanted the trousers to stay lower than the original pattern, I had to enlarge the yoke front and back pieces too.
I also topstitched the inner leg seams, the crotch seam and the yoke to get a more refined appearence.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes and yes again!!!
As I mentrioned before, it is the third time I sew these throusers: I like this pattern very much and the altered version I sewed this time even more. I think I am going to sew it again since this style is one I really for trousers I can wear everyday to go to work or during spare time.
Conclusion:
I really recommend to draft a pattern on real mesurements before sewing any trousers and to compare the crotch curve of the commercial pattern with the one drafted by you: it really improves the fit.
You can find a good method explained here: Leena's Pattern Making
The following is a picture of the final garment:
trousers
and a closer detail of topstitching:
yoke
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Edit on 13/9/2009
Here follow pictures of a lightweight denim version I've just finished:
Denim trousers
and a closer detail of topstitching:
yoke
