Da’ Butt

Reference

Here it is, as promised.

I have been asked why I am sewing pants. Well, as far as sewing garments in general, I one day dream of making shirts and jackets out of my own handwoven material. But I am sewing pants for an entirely different reason.

I have a big ass. And large thighs. I have always had a hard time getting pants that fit because of this. So this that in mind, I have tried making a pair of pants from Burda pattern 7841.

And yes, I know that I need to press the pants. That will happen before the first official wearing.

The following is my review that I have posted on Pattern Review.

Pattern Description: Men’s dress pants with slash front pocket

Pattern Sizing: Men’s sizes: 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 (this is hip measurement in cm)

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, for the most part.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Not really. I read through them several times, and it just felt like there were steps missing. I used the Cabrera’s Classic Tailoring Techniques: A Construction Guide for Men’s Wear along with the instructions. For the construction of the fly and the pockets, I followed Cabrera. For the rest, I followed the Burda instructions.

It would also be good if the instructions said what interfacing was needed and the pieces that needed to be cut from it at the very beginning of the instructions, rather than mixed within the construction steps.

What did you particularly like  or dislike about the pattern? Besides disliking the instructions, I think the waistband and the belt loops need to be wider. My dress belts barely make it through the belt loops. At least I know that the waistband won’t be rolling over.

I would also like deeper pockets. I think the pockets on this pattern are pretty shallow, especially for slant front pockets.

With all of that said, I do like the styling and the fact that they do not look like old man pants.

Fabric Used: I used a Zegna cotton that I got at Michael’s Fabrics for the fashion fabric. The pocketing is Salesia pocketing that I got from B. Black and Sons. I used Pro-Weft interfacing from Sew Exciting for the fly and waistband.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I followed Cabrera’s book for the pockets (modifying the pocket pieces from the pattern) and the fly. I also added a button loop on the rear welt pockets, as shown in Cabrera’s book. In the future, I would make a wider waistband and longer belt loops.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I may sew this again. I have some other pants patterns to try out first. I would recommend this for someone that is on the thinner side (which I don’t include myself in, just to be clear.)

Conclusion:For my first attempt at sewing any garment, I think the pants came out ok. These were to serve as a muslin to try out the pattern before I dive into my wools and wool blends. I may come back to this pattern, depending on how the Kwik Sew and Simplicity patterns turn out.

Ok, all that said, here are some more pics and a confession. Please, try to control yourselves, as you are about to get inside my pants!

As you see, the fit isn’t all that bad. There are parts of the seat that need to be let out and other parts that need to be taken in, but for a first time, I think I did ok. There are parts of the Cabrera book that cover fit, and I can make the adjustments based on that.

Don’t you feel privileged? I am pretty happy with how the fly came out. I will definitely follow the Cabrera’s instructions from now on, as I think it looks more professional than what the Burda instructions would have given me.

This was a combination of the Burda instructions for the welt and the Cabrera instructions for the actual pocket. I think I should have just gone with the Cabrera instructions, but I already had the Burda pieces cut out.

And here is the confession: I was trying to use pre-made waistband from B. Black and Sons and totally screwed it up, such that I had to cut the waistband pieces all over again. The problem. Once I sewed the pieces together, I didn’t pay attention to how I was trimming the excess away, and wound up making two waistband pieces for left side. I would have look really odd with only a waistband on one side of the pants! I gave up on the pre-made waistband this time and just followed the Burda instructions. Live and learn.

Oh, and Bogey is really interested in my pants. Just look at the admiration that he has for them. Ha!