husband is off waiting with Clara and calling me; haven’t I finished taking pictures yet?
Hmmm, I know how this seems; I’ve only just written a post where I say how I am busily focused on solely making things for other people, as Christmas gifts and then here I am popping up with more things made for ME… haha, well there is a perfectly reasonable explanation, and that is that I actually made these trousers a few months ago and am only just now getting around to taking some pictures and writing about them. See? Perfectly reasonable!
Pattern; so this is the newly released Sasha trouser pattern, by Closet Case patterns, named for the impossibly chic Sasha of secondo piano… Heather contacted me asking if I would again be willing to test the new pattern for her… would I?! well yes, of course! I actually love testing patterns, I can feel like I’m doing something useful and productive and actually even helpful? one can only hope… Instead of the embarrassing truth that I’m clutching at any old excuse to nip into the sewing room and selfishly indulge in my favourite hobby once more, hehehe.
Fabrics; a blue stretch denim, thickish; and a thinner, maybe a bit too thin? grey-green stretch gabardine, both from Fabulous Fabrics. Yes, two pairs! actually the blue pair is really the first pair I made and is an earlier version of the pattern, the grey pair is my second pair and is the final version of the pattern how it’s been released out into the wild. I really love my blue pair though so I’m still going to wear them 🙂
Pockets: the blue are in blue linen, a leftover scrap from my stash that was initially a toss out from my friend L; and the grey are in some the leftover floral from this shirt I made for Craig last year, and also some StarWars fabric leftover from when Cassie made some boxer shorts for her boyfriend. Love me some crazy pockets!!!
Thoughts; so what to say? what you see is what you get here… this is a very nice pattern for a pair of very nice, sleek and elegant, slightly tapered, slightly low-waisted trousers. One of my favourite features is that smart flat front which I always think of as vaguely menswear-inspired, rightly or wrongly; and I absolutely LOVE the menswear look on women.
Lately I’ve kinda been in the habit of having my trousers a little more high-waisted, but I do think this lower-waisted look does sit and look better when one has a little bit of a tummy.
The trousers are satisfyingly equipped with a plethora of pockets; four, in fact. Two welt pockets on the back, I have to say these are super well-engineered, and intricately explained in the instructions. I can see the sample ones have button closure under the welt, which mine don’t have so I think this must have been an add-on after the testing process.
And two slanted hip pockets, I absolutely adore these, they’re totally perfect. Toss in the un-topstitched waistband/belt loops and hidden button and hook/eye closure, and it all adds up to quite a tailored and “formal” looking pair of trousers, perfectly suitable for business or office wear.
I mean, not that I’m an expert on office wear; but you know. In my sadly inexpert opinion, I think these would make great work pants.
just imagine I’m walking into an important office building in the city instead of a blank wall…
Also, they’re stretchy so they are also perfectly comfy and fine for doing a spot of gardening… We went down to our beach block to prepare it for bush fire season and the weather was a little cold… and none of my other “gardening” duds that I’d taken down were actually warm enough so I ended up wearing these all weekend. They were awesome. So comfortable! And practical! Hardy! I wore them to scramble about on all fours most of the weekend, pulling weeds, raking, and loading the wheelbarrow. And going to the rubbish tip! I lead such an exciting life!
obviously you can wear them to the beach too.
All details:
Trousers; the Sasha trousers by Closet Case patterns, stretch denim and stretch gabardine (pattern 1, below)
White blouse with lace; my own design from heavily modifying NewLook 6483, details here (3)
Ivory/caramel clogs; made by me, details here
Brown blouse; MN 2004 (Sudley) by Megan Nielsen patterns with my own modifications, details here (4)
Cream, cowl-neck tee; the loose-draped top from Japanese pattern book “drape drape” by Hisako Sato, details here (2)
Tan low-heeled shoes; made by me, details here
Black high heeled clogs; Dimattino, from Zomp shoes
below; I’m also carrying my Kelly raincoat
1,2,3,4
These look wonderful!
thank you Irene!
I love these so much. They look amazing on you. Another pattern I want to add to my wish list. Thank you for sharing.
thank you so much Lynne!
I love the look of these! I’m really enjoying making pants for myself now, especially since I seem hard to fit/hard to please when it comes to finding them in the stores…nor do I like the price! I definitely want to give these a try.
thanks Shirley! It’s a good pattern in that it makes pants-making pretty easy, all the steps are explained in great detail 🙂
These are gorgeous! Both pairs 🙂
thank you! 🙂 xx
It’s funny how all of a sudden you can really get a pattern! Seeing these Sashas on you a light bulb went off – that magical blend of feminine and masculine in a pant Heather Lou has perfectly captured in this pattern and of course she chose the perfect model to show that off 🙂 I’m probably going to get this pattern too – not only because I love the shape but I know Heather does amazing sew-a-longs so how can I possibly go wrong? (oh well I’m sure I’ll find a way 🙂 )
thank you Kathleen! Even if there’s no sew-along I think you’d have no problem with making them successfully… the instructions are very thorough and everything is explained very well 🙂
Looking good. I will take a look at this pattern because I am too short waisted for high-waisted trousers and these look perfect. So I caught you with the knicker photo, you were my inspiration to try making them, it has taken a year of experimenting!.. thanks for stopping by my blog. Jo xx
thank you so much Jo! and thanks for stopping in at MY blog 😀 xx
Wohoo, what a great fit! Perfect trousers, definitely. The blue color is very pretty.
thank you Kathrin! I have a sneaking preference for the blue ones too 😉
a good trouser pattern is always so useful and a nice canvas to change up and make different variations. I’m so glad you show the back and side view as I have been playing around with various patterns for making pants and jeans lately and always try to reduce the wrinkles at the back and upper thigh. But of course the body is 3 dimensional and it is not possible to remove all in a fitted pant. I think department stores, catalogs, websites do a terrible disservice when they show the back of pants or jeans on a model with absolutely no creases or pulling. that is probably photo editing and gives people unrealistic impression of how pants should be. What do you think?
I agree, Beth! Apart from in a very skinny jean or stretchy jeggings or something there’s bound to be “something” happening at the back of the leg! if not when you stand perfectly straight and still for a picture then when you walk, move around, sit down, get in and out of a car etc etc. The appearance of wrinkles sometimes depends on the fabric, how thin it is, and how it drapes too. When it comes to wrinkles, sometimes I think the preoccupation with eliminating any and all, sometimes to the point of OVER-fitting, is an occupational hazard in the sewing community!
Also forgot to say, the are really cute and love the blue color I think you will wear those a lot in the summer 🙂
Great post! Great trousers! I really, REALLY love them in blue denim. Yep…that’s a project going to the top of the list!
Ironically, I just took pics of my second test version at our beach yesterday. Although not technically freezing, it felt COLD, LOL. I wanna be on your beach!
thank you Sue!! Hehe, it’s super hot here at the moment, WAY too hot for trousers! I’m going to have to wait a few months before I can wear them again probably 🙁
I have had my eye on this pattern since it was released but wasn’t sure whether I should go ahead and purchase it or adapt my Ginger pattern to suit. The jury is still out on that one but the fact remains I will be making some and yours have only confirmed the fact. This type of pants perfectly fits into my office environment which is more creative than corporate and as you point out, does double duty as weekend pants quite adequately.
thanks Andrea! It is a nice pattern, not nearly as fitted as the Ginger jeans… more of a trouser than a jean really. I’m really liking that little bit of extra ease in trousers now, feels more current 🙂
Love this post. Your trousers look amazing on you – I especially love the formality of the gabardine ones. I have been waffling about getting these because I’m still nervous about sewing trousers. But I have loved the ones I’ve seen, and now that I’ve seen yours I really think I have to get them.
thank you so much Emi! For a first pair of trousers these would be a good choice; the instructions are super detailed and it’s all very well explained 🙂
I wondered if you had tested these as I knew they would suit you brilliantly, and they certainly do! Both pairs are just gorgeous.
thank you so much Sue! xx
Love those pants on you. It’s clear that you enjoy contributing to the creative community of maker-addicts, so design testing would be right up your alley. You’d also make a fantastic design and/or sewing teacher if you wanted to.
That pocket design creates a nice support structure to the front, doesn’t it? I’d like to try it on my next pair. What advice would you have to anyone who wants to convert regular pockets into a front panel like that? I won’t be buying the Sasha pattern. I can’t wear low cut pants. And I can just tell I’d have to make major adjustments to the back for my shape.
Great seeing you back. I don’t know what you’re feeding Clara, but she has grown into a huge pup.
thank you Sankati! she is a big boof now, no doubt about that! I think the pockets are a pretty standard thing, probably appearing in a lot of different patterns if you wanted to adapt another trouser pattern. Just make sure the top edges are trued, and the pocket edge extends into the fly. You also need for the trousers to be roomy enough so you can actually put your hands into the pockets, of course!
Wonderful pants! The fit is incredible and I love the cheeky pocket fabric.
I totally agree on the impossibly chic – I wish I was 1/100th as cool!
thank you carol baby! I know, she is pretty cool huh, I guess a lot of us wish we could pull off those leather jeans with that much panache!
These are fantastic! Already bought and downloaded the pattern as they are perfect for work 🙂
that’s great Chloe… and thank you!
Love both versions of this pant on you! I may have to get this pattern.
thank you Tomasa! xx
Oh, I have been wanting to make the Sasha pants. They look great on you. I have been trying to wait to finish a longer term project. Sometimes it is hard to have “sewing patience”!
thank you Pencil girl! I know; the desire to sew slowly and carefully to make something really worthwhile, as opposed to the desire to have something NOW…. I know it well!
Yes chic as! Love your business casual gardening outfit! 😉
thanks Sarah! hehe, my lifestyle is super envy-inducing, huh?! 😉
Fabulous pair of tailored trews there Carolyn. If I’d bought this pattern rather than drafting my own I may not have had to redo the fly 3 ( yes 3) times! Heather Lou has done it again it seems, with a little help from her WA tester! Walking into offices – overrated apparently, not that I’d know!