One of the areas of my homemade wardrobe that’s always been a bit lacking is trousers. I absolutely love the Friday Pattern Company Joan Trousers but haven’t been keen on the others I’ve made. I snapped up the By Hand London Jackie trousers as soon as the pattern was released, but felt I needed a trouser-making stepping stone before I tackled them. The Untitled Thoughts Chandler pants are described as “perfect for those just delving into the world of sewing trousers” but they’d be a lovely quick sew for a more experienced sewist.
As someone who’s worked (partly) from home for a couple of years, I’ve become a big fan of #SecretPyjamas, AKA clothes that look smart enough to leave the house in but are super comfy. I definitely feel more productive when I’m fully dressed and I’m not someone who stays in their actual pyjamas, even at the weekend. I planned this project a couple of months ago, but conveniently, many more of you are now in need of some comfy working from home outfits! These definitely fit the bill.
I really enjoyed choosing fabric for this project as trouser sewing is so new to me. I maintain that fabric shopping and sewing are two totally separate hobbies! The suggestions are quite broad and the pattern recommends linen, rayon challis, crepe, lawn, silk charmeuse, voile, double gauze, chambray, tropical weight wool, cotton poplin or silk noil. I didn’t want to wait for summer to wear these and decided to go for a medium/heavyweight fabric. I had fallen in love with Brittany’s leopard print version but wasn’t sure how well they’d work in my wardrobe as I have mostly patterned tops. I spotted Harriet’s navy leopard jacquard stretch cotton crepe and knew it would be perfect! The pattern doesn’t call for the fabric to have any stretch, but I prefer my trews with a bit of give (Read: room for cake).
I hadn’t used – or even heard of – jacquard cotton crepe before, but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for it now! It has a lovely weight and feels really luxurious. I love that the fabric looks different depending on the light. It’s quite subtle inside, but really comes into its own in daylight. Natural light really picks up the glossy areas of the print and makes the leopard print design sing! This fabric also comes in a lovely rich red and a stunning mustard shade.
Sew Me Sunshine have loads of fabrics which would work well for this pattern, including a huge range of linens and linen-blends. If you’re looking for something super lightweight for summer, how about a double gauze, cotton poplin or viscose challis? Harriet is currently working from her garden studio and only has some of her stock with her and listed online. Just drop her a message if you’re after something particular as she may have it at her main studio.
As with all of Untitled Thought’s patterns, there’s lot of options for the Chandler trousers. You can choose from a darted or pleated front, shorts or trousers and optional belt loops and/or a faux fly. I went for the pleated front, full-length and no belt loops or faux fly.
I wasn’t going to toile as they have an elastic waistband at the back which makes them pretty easy to fit, but after seeing Rumana’s adjustments, I figured it couldn’t hurt. I toiled the short length as the legs have a lot of ease, and didn’t bother sewing functional pockets. They fitted perfectly! The only adjustment I made was to slightly narrow the back waistband piece as I felt the original was a bit wide for me. I also used a narrower elastic.
Caption: I finished these off on my loaned Juki DX5 sewing machine, which made light work of the waistband layers.
These were an enjoyable and simple sew and would be a great first trouser project. I love the way the pleats are topstitched - it gives a really clean finish and helps “boingier” fabrics stay in place! The way the elastic waistband is encased in the front waistband facing is also very pleasing.
As always, the finishing touch was one of my “contains cat hair” labels which you can buy here. I also sell a dog version! As the back waistband was gathered, I attached it to the flat front waistband instead.
I absolutely love these and know I’ll get a lot of wear out of them. They’re the perfect combination of stylish and comfy and could be dressed up or down. They’d look great with a silky blouse and heels (when we can leave the house again!) but they’re equally cute with a tee and slippers.
