I do so love having unblogged garments to pack for a holiday! I made these Nina Lee Portobello Trousers a few weeks before heading off for a long weekend in Porto, but altered them the day we left. I spent the morning sewing and generally enjoying myself, so ended up getting dressed in all of ten minutes before flying out of the door, with make-up applied en route, and hair left to fend for itself (i.e. stick out in multiple directions).
These trousers are an example of something I’m trying to get better at – going back and altering ‘completed’ garments if there’s something that is preventing me from wearing them. I made these trousers without alteration initially and wore them to work a few times, but found the crotch very low on me, resulting in lots of excess fabric at the back. I also hadn’t reduced the length of the trousers enough, meaning I had to wear them with heels (I normally wear flats) to prevent them touching the floor. Phil tactfully called them Hammer Pants and requested a rendition of the U Can’t Touch This dance; I of course obliged (not pretty).
On my next version I’ll have a proper look at how the crotch curve fits me, but as an easy fix I removed the waistband and removed a couple of inches at the waist. This worked to raise the crotch and also shorten the length. They are currently back on my alterations pile as the waistband is now too loose, meaning they don’t sit on my natural waist as intended, but I’m looking forward to tweaking and then getting lots of wear out of them. I really love this style of high waisted and wide legged trousers, and the fabric is a lovely drapey wool from Barry’s Fabrics.
My current approach to those garments which do need minor alterations is to have a visible pile in my sewing room. Previously I’ve left garments in the wardrobe until I’m ready to alter them and the result is that they are out of sight and out of mind. For example, I’ve been meaning to make a couple of small alterations (reducing the length and replacing the buttons) to a Southport Dress since I made it in 2015 and finally got around to it once it was sat looking at me everyday. Sadly not in time for summer!
I’ve done so little sewing lately that I’m desperate to catch up with lots of exciting recent pattern releases, and Nina’s most recent pattern the beautiful Kew Dress is right at the top of that list. Like these trousers, I think Kew Version 1 will be perfect for the office.
