I was looking at my JoAnn app the other day and saw I had a 60% off coupon. That is the best coupon I've seen since black friday last year (when I got all my holiday gift fabric) so I hastily went shopping. I got some black swimwear fabric, because it's been impossible to find a bikini top that's remotely supportive, and I got three yards of 100% linen in black.
I'm a big believer in linen for the summer months. I'm generally a fan of natural fibers; synthetics have their place, but summer clothing is not it. I have two pairs of elastic-waist linen trousers from Target - the older pair is patched and the newer pair is headed in the same direction - overworn! I don't think elastic waist is the best choice for summer either, it bunches the fabric in a place you're bound to get sweaty. By summer I mean temperatures that are not a surprise when they are 100°F for a week straight. I sweat A LOT in summer, from all over my body. My face, my scalp, any creases like behind the knees, even my upper chest and lower back will sweat when I'm not even doing anything. It's awful (and gross, sorry).
So linen pants are the bomb, elastic waists are the devil, and three yards of linen for $20 is rock and roll. I already had trouser patterns I wanted to try - Simplicity 3688 and 4044. Both are from the 1940s vintage reprint line, but 4044 had a faced waistline and 3688 had a regular waistband (like the one I put on my black and white skirt). One's waist is located at the lower edge of the 1.5" waistband in these S3688 trousers, so they're not truly high waisted.
Before cutting, I traced out the upper curves of the front piece and drafted a pocket. This took a couple of hours as I had to think out every step - like the pattern has seam allowances but if you draw any new edges you need to add them. I roughly measured the pocket dimensions on other trousers. What I did NOT do, is consider the side zipper, and paid for it later.
Do yourself a favor and ADD EXTRA SEAM ALLOWANCE for the zipper area, it makes it a lot easier to work with. you can add it all the way down the pattern piece or just for the area the zipper will sit. Either way it makes setting in a zip much easier to physically install in the seam allowance. And if you hate zippers (or... want to be more historically accurate... I thought this was a 40s pattern) you can add a button allowance instead. This is covered in the Reader's Digest sewing book. I may do this when I remake these trousers.
Construction went uneventfully until I got to the waistband. At first it looked like the waistband I cut would in no way fit around my waist, especially with a button lap. So I recut it in a better size and it turns out it's a little too big (like my black and white skirt!). Ugh. Then I notice I put the zipper lap on the wrong side (which would explain why the diagrams looked wrong). The lap part goes over, so it needs to be on the buttonhole side, which also goes over. So I reinstalled the zipper.
My final result is curved front pockets with a plain finish, with bar tacks. A centered zipper, pickstiched. I find the darts on these trousers completely adequate. I believe they flatter my rear and when I mentioned it, my husband emphatically agreed.
These trousers are 40s in the regard they have a deep crotch. Or maybe it's just me. If I were to redo this pattern in a more modern silhouette or a heavier fabric, I will remove one inch from the crotch depth (front and back). These are summer trousers and I want them as loose as possible, so I'm OK with the roomy fit.
I think the Chinese linen fabric from JoAnns is adequate, for the sale price anyway, and I look forward to making more things with linen. It takes a very high iron temperature, you can starch it to death if you have a complicated bit of stitching, and it also happily bunches up and crushes if that's what you want too. This particular linen is quite heavy, certainly a bottomweight, but I imagine it is a pleasure to work with in any weight.
I do want to make up a pair of tap pants (loose underwear shorts, or "divided slip") as it would be quite comfortable with a 40s trouser, not to mention historically accurate. Furthermore I find woven fabrics are superior in summer as they breathe much more readly than a clingy knit. Every pair of underwear I have is a stretchy knit, so I'd like to see if some silk drawers improve ventilation. I may use this pattern as a jumping off point for drawers.
Overall I think these trousers came out well. I want to remake them in a different fabric with some minor adjustments, and I think I learned some things while making them. I want to wear them which means they are a rousing success!
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