Completed - Sasha Trousers by Closet Case Patterns
I have
sewn many a pair of trouser-style pants, or muslins of trousers. Despite what I consider success at fitting
jeans patterns (Closet Case Ginger, Deer and Doe Safran), I’ve never been able
to really adjust the fit of trousers to the point where I was really happy and I ended up with pants that I would actually wear on the regular. I started to wonder if the issue
wasn’t the difference between a fly-front jean and a side- or back-zip trouser
that was somehow in play. Maybe it’s real
or maybe I just made it up, but when Closet Case released the front-fly Sasha
trouser I picked up the pattern to see if I couldn’t get a fit I was happy
with.
I cut
these out after Thanksgiving (thick with sweet potatoes), and was in-between sizes so I sized up, given the
wide range of stretch in stretch wovens. So I cut a 14 hip graded to a 10 waist
(my Ginger jeans are a 12 hip graded to an 8 waist). I wanted a sleek pant so I went with View B,
no pockets. My fabric was a nice stretch
twill by '7 for All Mankind' that I bought from Califabrics.com.
These were
really easy to assemble, and quick (especially if you make the version without welt pockets) and I basted the outside leg seams to check the fit. I ended up sewing the outer leg with a 3/4" seam allowance instead of 5/8". I also had to take a 1" wedge out of the center back even with grading sizes. (And, I can't find my trouser hooks. They are somewhere in this apartment, so for now it just has the hidden button closure.)
I'm pretty happy with the result - I still may have some minor crotch issues? They seem more noticeable in photos then when I look in the mirror. Maybe the "cameltoe adjustment". I'm sorry if this just got too personal! I don't think the crotch is too short, but I"m open to suggestions.
I also need to tweak the fit of the leg below the knee. I think I need to grade back down to an 8 below the hip. The legs seem a little too wide? I know it's a trouser not a skinny jean but the proportions seem just a little bit off. I actually think I could have sewn my usual Closet Case sizing, which is a 12 graded to an 8, and will probably go with that next time.
Minor adjustments aside, these are definitely my most successful non-jean trousers to date. I'm very
excited that Papercut Patterns reissued their formerly-known-as Peter and the
Wolf (side-zip) trousers as a fly-front Otsu jean. Next up on my pants making
itinerary!