Tweed Trousers

Burda 04-2011-104



Well hello there again. I have been sewing blog friends and family, but I have not had an Internet connection because our new provider had some problems establishing a connection.

It was good to be without the Internet - the amount of time I waste on it was highlighted by its absence when I couldn't. I must be more judicious in the future. Exposure to more things just creates a desire to possess more things. It's no wonder I have a long sewing list and a pile of fabric calling me to action. Every time I log on, I see something I must sew! An idea I must explore! A technique to be tried! And no time to do it.

We have just had the final of Project Runway season 8 here, and I know most people reading this probably watched it about a year ago but we are very far behind with TV down under.

I was really inspired by it, despite its controversial conclusion, because the designers were so true to their aesthetic and it really came as an expression and commitment to their taste and creativity.

The challenge for me as a dedicated home sewer is to create clothes that really explore my own aesthetic, which is loosely called "nana chic" - a little old fashioned, a little ugly. I love that look. It's funny and it's intriguing.

The trousers are a wool tweed, which I think you'll agree is a very nana fabric. They are too scratchy even when fully lined. I will buy some fabric conditioner next time I'm at the supermarket to see if I can tame the fibres. I had a lot of trouble constructing the front welt pockets. I read and reread and triple read and read back to front and in the mirror and still it didn't make any sense. The confusion came from the different words used to translate the different German technical terms. This pattern has obviously been flogged before (and let's face it Burda recycle their patterns frequently, very "green" of them) and so an older term "piping line" is used on the pattern, but in the magazine they use the word "welt" - so all the lines that are supposed to match up don't correspond from pattern to instructions.

Here is a construction photo to help anyone wishing to make these trousers. You sew the welt on upside down, 2 cms from the folded edge, and sew the pocket on upside down along the top edge. Then you cut down the middle and turn them both inside. Clear as mud?




4 attempts later I got what they were on about, and produced a good welt. I have a theory that the 'goats and sheep' distinction for home sewers could be welt pockets. Any reasonable sewer can produce a good welt, but only a great sewer can produce a great welt. Mine are pretty good, but there's a grand canyon between pretty good and great.




I like the cut of the trousers and am happy with them but I have struggled to style them - they seem to make everything very formal, despite the absurdity of my accessories.

The belt too silly for most tastes as it was reduced to a quarter of its original price:



And this delightful hand crocheted butterfly form Variety Handcrafts in Princess Street, Dunedin. Isn't it lovely that there are still some shops that sell this kind of stuff?



Any ideas how to funk up this look? Just a little mind, we don't want to cross the line into good taste territory.