Summer trousers

The main bit of sewing I did for myself last summer was to make myself two new pairs of summer trousers. I didn’t really have pants that were both full length and would work with really hot weather. Although skirts and shorts often do the job, I found that I was really missing some long-trouser options, especially for work occasions.

I wanted something with a high waistline, wide leg, and at least vaguely vintage style. I also wanted something which wouldn’t be too tricky to make or fit, as my split skirts were the only real trousers I’d ever made. In the end, I picked the Eastbourne trousers by Scroop patterns. I’ve worked with their patterns before, and really like how thorough and clear the sewing instructions are. It also fit the bill in all the other boxes.

I knew I wanted a pair in linen fabric, as it’s both flowy and very comfy in hot weather. I also wanted something with a bit of ‘definition’, so not just a solid color. This can be tricky to find in linen though, the majority of easy-to-find linen tends to be the solid color. On top of that, I wanted something with a color, but which would work well with both white and black tops. I ended up fabric shopping when I was in London and able to visit Goldhawk road. Despite the number of fabric shops, I didn’t actually find what I was looking for until the very last store we visited. I’m very glad with the fabric I found though.

Additionally, I picked up a flower printed viscose which we found along the way. It has a beautiful drape, and I figured two pairs wouldn’t hurt. It’s a little lighter than the linen, and also a natural fibre, so feels really nice in summer as well.

The fabric shop. I got the green checkered fabric for the trousers, and the flowers in the foreground to make a skirt.
Starting the viscose flower version of the trousers

I didn’t take a lot of pictures of the making process (just the one of cutting the fabric shown above). I ended up grading between sizes for the hip/wais difference. After fitting a mock-up, I further graded between the bottom of the waistband and the top, as it was a bit too loose mostly at the top. I’m fairly pear-shaped, so this ended up working best to make up for the difference in hip-waist size for me.

I serged all the edges of both trousers, making full use of my new serger. Especially for modern, unlined projects like this it’s great to have the option to finish the edges in this way, so so far I’m happy with my investment in finally buying one.

Overall construction was straightforward and the instructions very clear to follow. It was one of the reasons I picked this pattern, and it didn’t dissapoint. Extra bonus are the very large pockets, which of course are essential.

For the linen version (which I made second) I needed a little bit more planning due to the pattern. I’m quite happy with how I managed to line up all of the stripes in the seams and the pleats at the top in the end.