Hey look, here I am again – with another pair of polka dotted trousers! Are you surprised? Would you be surprised to know that I have another pair of dotty trousers sitting on my sewing table as we type speak? Do you think I have a problem? I’ve never considered myself a polka dot trouser kind of girl, but these sewing numbers don’t lie!
I confess – I actually bought this polka dot cotton sateen at the Mood Fabrics flagship store in New York, all the way back in March! (I just checked, and while it’s not available online – Mood Fabrics does have a lot of cool sateens in their online store. Check those babies out!) I had it earmarked for trousers, although I couldn’t tell you what pattern I was planning on using. I love this sateen because it’s just perfect for pants – a nice, solid weight, a good firm stretch, and that saturated navy color! With polka dots! My favorite!
I used the Ultimate Trousers pattern to make these lil guys up. It’s a very simple pattern – just a front, a back, and a couple facing pieces (that I turned into a waistband, as I’ve found that I don’t care for faced trousers!). Other than a simple change to the shape of the crotch curve, these required very little fitting. The sewing was also pretty easy – cotton sateen is very easy to work with and it doesn’t fray much, so the construction part is pretty straightforward. Just make sure you new a new needle (I use a 70/10 – which is standard for most of my projects, unless the fabric is a very heavy weight!) to prevent snagging and a press cloth when ironing, to prevent shine and the seams showing through to the right side 🙂
Another confession: I actually had a whole outfit planned for this post, top included, but I ended up getting pretty sick earlier this past week, which meant I spent way more time feeling sorry for myself in bed than I did putzing around the sewing room! As a result, I was only able to get these trousers finished up. Instead, I offer you my white button-down, which is an old Mood Sewing Network project from earlier this spring (remember my runway-inspired separates? Yep, that one!). I wear this shirt ALL THE TIME – it’s amazing how much of a closet staple a nice white button-down is for me (figures, right?). It’s so cool and comfortable in this summer heat, and I can’t wait to wear it under my handknit wool sweaters come fall and winter! With that being said, you can see how well this shirt has held up to frequent wear/laundering – it’s softened and relaxed and I think it looks pretty great! It’s actually not even ironed – I just wash it on cold and give it a couple good shakes before hanging it out to dry in the sun.
I think these will look pretty nice in cooler months, with awesome socks peeking out 🙂 I can also cuff them so they’re cropped, which is nice in the summer heat. Although pants-wearing in the summer pretty much never happens for me, so these will likely be worn mostly during the fall. It’s never too early to start sewing for the next season… right? 🙂
