I made myself a wearable muslin of Burdastyle 08/2013 #118 pants. I needed new dress pants and want to make a pair that actually fits.

Notes after the jump...


Materials:

• Polyester twill (not sure - I found it at a used store for $4)
• Cotton print (for pocket lining)
• Thread
• Interfacing
• Buttons 

I had all of the materials in my stash, so I didn't have to run to the store to buy anything. I'm using some found polyester twill for the main fabric. I want to get the pattern right before using my nice wool fabric I have waiting to be made into pants.


Pattern

Burdastyle 08/2013 #118


This is a nice, clean looking pant. It's the kind of look I like for dress pants and easy to change, should I want to.

This is the same pattern I used to make my jeans.

Alterations

The Burdastyle patterns are close to my measurements, so I only had to make some fitting adjustments. My measurements are 30" waist and 39" hips, which would be a size 42. But, that runs a little big, so a size 40 works better instead of 42.

As I found with the many shirts and jackets I have made, I need to do a swayback adjustment. The front waist dipped down a lot and the back rose up really high. This gave the waistband a really tilted look. To fix this for my muslin, I raised the waistband 1/2" in the front and lowered it 1/2" in the back. I also let out the centre back seam slightly. Before I make my final pants, I will probably make a proper swayback adjustment to my patter and make  another muslin.

Another alteration was taking in the leg width. The pants are way too wide and I like a slimmer look. I took in about 4" on each leg near the bottom. Yet, they are still quite wide. For my next pair, I think I will straighten the leg a little more. I think I made them a little too flared.

What I Learned

I got more practice doing a fly front. I am really proud with how my zipper looks.

I also got to learn how to use a buttonholer. My husband found this 1948 Singer buttonholer for me and it works great with my sewing machine. It's so fast to use it and the results are great. Now, I'm really want to make something with more buttonholes just so I can play with it.



I also got more practice with welt pockets. Still not 100% perfect, but It's getting there.


Overall, I'm really happy with the pants. They are so comfortable! I can't believe how nice it feels to wear something that fits, even though it's made of some really cheap polyester fabric.

It's nice and sunny out, so I'm extra sqwinty