*Sorry mods for posting this so soon after my other post. My bad!
You all loved the trousers so much, I wanted to show you what triggered those! There’s a story behind it. You also get to see my unfinished gallery wall, on the other side of the office. This is my usual spot, but the husband was playing clarinet here, so I had to move to the other side.
About a year ago, I fell in love with a multicolour Barbour trench coat (you can see it in my mood board). I believe the original retail price was around £500 (outlet price ~£300). They didn’t have my size anyway and it was completely sold out everywhere.
A few months later, in May, I was browsing the remnants section of my favourite online fabric shop. Remnants are my favourite thing in the world, after my husband and dog (not necessarily in that order 😂). I just love buying remnants, often with zero plans, and very tiny amounts that you’d wonder what the hell I’m gonna be able to make with it. But my passion is to mix fabrics together. There’s so much joy in making unusual combos or putting fabrics together in satisfying ways. When I saw they had a bunch of remnants from Atelier Brunette, I had to get them all. As you can see in the planning, they were different fabric types, so I wasn’t even sure if they’d work together. Some were also very small remnants.
But I’m a woman with a plan! When I saw them, I knew immediately that they make the perfect trench I had been thinking about. It was a challenge to cut all pattern pieces from these remnants. Took serious planning and pattern Tetris.
The pattern is the Taylor Trench by the (now extinct) Rebecca page. I made it twice before and loved it. A floral version for me and a leopard one for my mom. There are A LOT of pattern pieces!
I made decisions that go against all sewing advice, but I don’t care. Some pieces were cut on the cross grain. It was a strategic decision. I regret nothing! I also decided to go with the coat length rather than trench length by the knee. This was so I could have enough fabric for the hood. I wanted this trench to be good for the rain (I live in Wales, UK, after all), since some of the fabric is water resistant (for the rest I used a spray). I added a photo of the bits that were left once I cut everything.
The colours and what pieces ended up being made in each, were purely a decision based on the size of each remnant. Hence the careful consideration and time taken. I tracked the expenses and also the time for this make, and I thought it was interesting that the overall cost, with labour, is more or less the retail price.
“Now, what does this have to do with trousers?”, you’re wondering after the long post… the fabric I used for the trousers is the same used for the sleeves of the coat. As I was making the sleeves and added the loops for the tabs, I was pressing it and thought to myself “this fabric is so soft and the colour is so lush. This would make some really nice trousers”. In true ADHD fashion, this was all I could think about for days, so I tracked some fabric down and found Minerva had some. So that’s how the trousers happened.
I still have a little bit left from the trousers (I carefully plan my cutting to save as much fabric as possible), so be warned that there might be a third garment coming 😂
One important thing I learned from making this, is how fabric choice affects fit, especially in more tailored garments. I had made this pattern before and it fit well, but I made it in a fabric that had a looser weave. These fabrics I used for this all had a very tight weave, because they were waxed and water resistant. This most definitely affected the fit, because they have less give. I ended up letting the seams out a little bit in places (thank goodness was for large seam allowances). It’s still a little more on the tight side, but perfect for spring and early autumn. Wearable for winter…
Fabric details: a mix of waxed cotton, gabardine and poplin. All from Atelier Brunette.
Buttons from eBay
Lining is vintage and was a gift