next projects are go! just cut the patterns for the scalloped trousers (#17) and short skirt (#14) from the latest ottobre. it’s a bit of a squeeze but i can get them both out of my single yard of brown embroidered stretch cord. i’m a bit intimidated by the fabric (all those wales to line up, the stretch factor and the chances i’ll mush it with the iron) and by the zips, so i’m collecting hints and tips here.

sew news: stretch wovens
pressing cord

also mustn’t forget there are detailed zip instructions on the pattern sheet.

more images in the gallery.

despite the slight hitch these have been really fun. they came together quickly and - in the main - straightforwardly. i decided to flat fell the seams, which might have been a mistake - i had real problems working in such a small space down the side seams. maybe i could have joined the sides before the crotch and inseam, leaving the mistakes to where they didn’t show (though i think they’re probably better down the sides than centre front). on the up side it made for less time finishing and they’re lovely and tidy inside when you turn them up.

next time i’ll increase the side seam allowances as i squeezed them cos i was worried about sewing over the back pockets, so i didn’t really have enough to turn and they unravelled a bit in the wash. but i’ve tucked those up with a matching thread and they really don’t show on the outside. also had to do a bit of touching up round some of the corners which were showing frayed fringes where i trimmed too close.

the front pocket was a bit of a mindbender and i bodged it slightly, though it doesn’t show unless you look really close. the diagrams were no help at all so i blindly followed the written instructions and how i thought it should fit together and it worked in a fashion. i think the front’s so plain that it needs something to add a bit of interest which i’m not sure a simple flat pocket would do so well.

it was the fiddly details that really took the time - things like the impossibly tiny embellishments for the ends of the elastic. next time i’ll make the buttonholes a bit longer and the channel for the elastic wider too as threading it was a really tight squeeze. i’d also tuck the front strap loops further into the seam so there was just a minimal bit showing, i was a bit nervous about them disappearing altogether or sewing them into some seam or other but i think they’re too long as a result. i’d make the straps a bit shorter next time too. i put longer strips of velcro on to make them more adjustable but i may yet have to swap for poppers or buttons if madam houdini takes to fiddling with them.

the other thing i’d change next time is i’d add an inch or more to the top of the front bib. looking at the pictures it’s designed to hang quite low, with the pocket on the belly (hence the unfeasibly long straps), but i prefer dungies tucked up more under the chin.

and the good news is they only shrunk a wee bit in the wash, probably less than a full size (cut as 92, nearer 86 now). they actually fit a lot better now (lol, shrink to fit - should have got her to wear them in the bath :lol:) and i haven’t had to shorten the straps at all. i’ll just have to learn to love the low slung look. overall it’s a real cause for celebration as she’s never had a pair of rtw dungies that fit properly and i do so love her in them and will definitely make another pair. might even have to try my hand at enlarging the pattern once she outgrows the 92s.

more (rather murky) photos in the gallery.