Non-Euclidean trousers (243/365)

[white_hart]

I've made lots of pairs of elastic-waisted trousers over the last few years. This week, I made my first pair without elastic.



These are the Harper trousers from Wendy Ward's Sewing Basics for Every Body. It's a unisex pattern for traditional pleat-front menswear-style trousers, which appealed to me a lot, though I suspect that being a unisex pattern may account for the fact that they're tight on the upper hips and loose at the waist. I also found that the waistband was mysteriously a good two inches shorter than the waist of the trousers, so I had to cut the piece in half and add an extra bit at the back. I thought that maybe I'd made a mistake tracing the pattern (one of the worst things with patterns from books is that you end up having to trace off multi-sized patterns from sheets with several patterns overlaid on each other), as the notches lined up around three-quarters of the trousers and the difference all seemed to be in the right front, but when I checked back my pattern piece seemed to be symmetrical and my fronts are the same size, so I can only conclude that I have somehow managed to make non-Euclidean trousers.

Anyway, overall I'm quite pleased with these, though I'm not sure I will actually use the pattern again.

Comments

[rachelmanija]

Hahaha. Those colors look great on you.

[white_hart]

Thank you!

[oracne]

The color is terrific!

[white_hart]

One of the nicest things about making trousers is being able to have colourful trousers rather than being limited by what's in the shops (almost entirely black, grey and navy, with maybe some khaki/olive green).

[hilarita]

The colour is great! Can't really tell about the fit, but obviously you need to wear the non-Euclidean trousers to the next convention in the Radisson non-Euclidean...

[white_hart]

I definitely should!

[strange_complex]

That colour is gorgeous! And I'm just impressed you made them at all from over here. It certainly sounds like you learnt new things which have boosted your sewing skills in the process.

[white_hart]

I learnt a lot, and will definitely be able to apply it to other patterns even if I don't make these again. (And I still might!)

[sartorias]

Wow, those colors are glorious! And the pants look comfortable and smart.

[white_hart]

Thank you!

[antisoppist]

An excellent purple. I'm still on a quest for a trouser pattern that I can make fit as I've made two pairs this year both of which had lots of weird spare fabric in the crotch when I sit down and I can't work out where to adapt to get rid of it. I binned both. Then I made elasticated pyjama bottoms and they fit perfectly. What is the fabric doing in the elasticated ones that darts and pleats and a waistband are stopping it doing?

[white_hart]

I suppose that because elasticated waist are gathered all the way round you don't have to worry about placement in relation to where you actually go in and out as you do with darts and pleats. I'm glad I started with fully elasticated trousers, I think!

[(Anonymous)]

I had a really good Vogue trouser pattern with welt pockets that I used a lot in my twenties but don't know where it went. It worked really well! Of course it is possible that in my twenties I was a slightly different shape.

[antisoppist]

Sorry log-in fail! That was me.

[white_hart]

I'm going to try the Pietra trousers next, which I think was one of your fails, but I used their pattern for my boiler suit and that fits well so I hope the trousers will too.

[cmcmck]

The non-Euclidian trousers might be a good name for a band! :o)

[white_hart]

It might!

[chiasmata]

Oooh, I love those!

[white_hart]

Thank you!

[sfred]

In my experience (which is limited because of this), waistbands are a Right Pain and always need Sorting Out, one way or another.

I have just given in and bought a couple of pairs of shorts, because I don't think I can make them for myself before the previous shorts become unwearably worn.

[sfred]

P.S. As I said elsewhere, your trousers are beautiful.

[white_hart]

Waistbands are definitely a pain!

[crinolinerobot]

The look really good, but the waistband shortness must've been really annoying.