Ultimate Trousers Sewalong No. 1: Gathering Your Supplies

We know a lot of people are scared of trousers but once you get going you'll find the construction is actually fairly simple. It's the fit you want to get right with trousers, and so in this sewalong we'll be showing you a few adjustments that can help you to get the perfect fit.

The Ultimate Trousers is a level 5 pattern, which means you should have a couple of simple dressmaking projects under your belt. We're going to be inserting an invisible zip, and attaching a waist facing, but other than that there are no tricky techniques for you to master.

We'll be guiding you every step of the way, but if you get stuck let us know. You can email us, or send us a message on Facebook or Twitter.

Choosing your fabric

Your options for the Ultimate Trousers are quite endless. If you're after a light summery pair you can go with cotton, or if you're getting ready for cooler weather you could try denim or wool. For a looser fit you could try crepe or even rayon. (Our teacher Dominique made herself a rayon pair and they are gorgeous.)

The pattern is designed for woven fabrics with no stretch but you can get away with a teensy bit of stretch. We've made a pair from our stretch cotton which has 3% elastane, and they are a dream to wear. We've created a section on our online shop specifically for trouser-appropriate fabric.

In terms of supplies, here's what you're going to need:



- Ultimate Trousers pattern (available from our shop or online here)
- fabric (see chart below for fabric requirements)
- 9" invisible zip
- invisible zip foot
- standard zip foot (optional)
- pins
- tape measure
- tailor's chalk or washable fabric pen
- scissors (fabric and paper)
- thread
- hand sewing needle
- iron
- sewing machine

The fabric requirements are as follows:

Fabric Requirements

Once you have collected all your supplies, it's a good idea to prewash your fabric. Fabric, especially fabric made from natural fibres like cotton, will shrink a certain amount the first time you wash it. As you can imagine, you want to shrink the fabric BEFORE you have sewn it - otherwise you could end up with a pair of trousers that no longer fit after the first wash. A nightmare, believe us. Chuck it in the wash when you get it home, and wash it on the same setting you plan to wash your finished trousers.

 
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