The One with the Pants

Hi lovely ladies and gents!

A lot is happening on and around my sewing table. I am finishing off two Duffle Coats. I am sure you can all guess which ones.

But I would also like to start planning my next project: the trousers!

*tududuuuuuuuuh*

It is always an interesting topic for me as I have never found a pattern that works for me. Trousers are even hard to find in stores and this is due to my body proportions. I tend to accumulate volume in the lower stomach area. It makes it very hard to find flattering pants. So far, the only thing that works is jeans. This works especially if they are pretty snug.

If you google: "body shape fit trousers", you end up with the same things over and over again: what shape are you? I have never figured out which shape I was.

Am I a hourglass? With bust and hips larger than the waist? Yes, but no, the stomach area is not proportional…

Am I a pear? With hips measurements proportionally larger than the rest? Yes, but no, the width is not due to the hips and my shoulders are quite large…

Am I an apple? With a stomach proportionally larger? Yes, but no, I do have a waist and a generous bust.

Of course, it is not necessary to be classified in one of the categories, but without classification, it is quite hard to find a recommendation... When I was smaller, I was a clear hourglass. But I just tend to store the fatty cells below the navel. And this is not fun to fit on pants patterns!

I found this article quite fun and interesting. I am more related to the third shape below.

In the past, I have tried a few basic patterns but I was never happy about the overall look. The only pattern that works for me is the Juniper from Colette, but still, this is a lesser evil. The profile view is very flattering. I love the way that the waistline stays put. The hips also look very nice. The front view is ok but you can see the trouble area. It kind of looks like I have pouch with baby kangaroos. But this pattern minimises the effect. I am not sure how I feel about the legs width. I sometimes love it because it is very comfortable and feels ladylike. I sometimes hate it because I feel like I am mounted on two pipes.

On another note, I quite like this version of the Juniper. I used an old fabric from my Grandma’s stash. And of course, I had to use pink buttons!

Now! I decided that if this pattern almost works, there must be some other ones! This is also the reason why I want to experiment! To me, the safest way to go is to try a jeans pattern because I know that it usually works for me. I had been looking for one for a while and I was never satisfied until I saw the plus size version from the February edition of Burda. It is quite simple and has a nice and subtle bootleg.

I am going to draw out the pattern a size smaller than mine to make sure it is snug enough. I guess that it will pass or fail the muslin test! I will of course let you know how it went. I am very curious.

Does anyone of you have the same issue?

Do you have a “go to” pattern to recommend?