Doctor T Designs

After my first attempt ended in total disaster, my second managed to avoid the fit issues of the first try (without any pattern alterations I might add – fabric choice is important!) and resulted in an almost awesome pair of pants.  Turns out I’m still not in love with the way the fabric is behaving, though this time it has much more to do with my main fabric.  Although it is soft, drapey, and has a lovely amount of stretch, it wrinkles if you just look at it funny.  I’ve been pressing it non-stop – it doesn’t ever get a really clean press, nor does it ever really un-wrinkle.  It’s problematic.  Especially because, barring the rumpled appearance of the fabric, I LOVE THESE PANTS.

Here is my official Pattern Review:

Pattern Description: Women’s wide trouser with dart shaping, slant pockets, and creased leg detail.  Burda would probably call them “Marlene Dietrich” pants.

Pattern Sizing: Burda sizes 36-44.  I made a straight size 44, though I tend to add 5/8″ seam allowance, but sew them at a 3/8″ seam, so I do fudge the sizing upwards a smidgen.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, except I got fed up at the fly front instructions.  I turned to YouTube because I just couldn’t be bothered to figure it out, especially when I could watch a 5 minute video that made more sense.  I’m sure the technique I used ended up being pretty similar to what Burda wanted me to do, and at this point I should be able to insert a zipper without help, but having the hand-holding of a YouTube video was really nice.  The rest of the instructions were fine.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the envelope once you were done with it?  Yes, I think so.  I wish I had used a fabric that would have pressed better, but, I do like the shape and fit of these pants.  Scratch that.  I LOVE the shape and fit of these pants.  So comfortable, and really flattering.  Otherwise they are very much like the photograph.

What did you particularly like or dislike about this pattern?  Likes: Love the wide-legged style.  And the pockets are great – the slant is just enough so they do not gap open (as I am finding to be a challenge on my other recent Burda makes) and have really deep pocket bags.  They are fairly high waisted, which is actually really comfortable, and the darts provide great shaping but also very sliming lines.  No dislikes for this pattern.  I just wish my fabric would take a press better and not wrinkle as much to show off the great lines of this design.

Fabric used: Stretch crepe from Michael Levine’s online selection.  I lined with a thin stretch lining from Jo-Ann.  The fabric is very soft, has a nice drape, and is really comfortable to wear, but, it wrinkles a bit much for the clean, pressed, tailored look I was hoping to achieve.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: None, except I had something like a 3″ hem, despite only adding 1.5″ for the hem.  And I hemmed it to be worn with heels.  This is intended to be one of those brushing the floor, just above the shoes sort of trousers, which I love, but I did have to hem it quite a bit more than I anticipated.

Would you sew it again?  Would you recommend it to others?  Definitely.  I want to make this again in a darker color, because I would wear that all the time.  I will also be more thoughtful about choosing fabrics in the future, and look for something that takes a really clean press to get those lovely creases in the front and back of the trouser.   This could become a much loved TNT trouser pattern, because the fit and style are phenomenal.

Conclusion: I’m in love with this pattern, even if I’m only mildly happy with these pants.  I love the style and the shape, but I’m on the fence with the fabric selection – white is hard to pull off, and I’m not sure that it quite works if I’m feeling totally rumpled every time I move in them.  I’ve been wanting to make white trousers for a while now, and I’m 80% happy with where these ended up.  I’ll have to be on the look out for a different type of fabric for use in the future to recreate this white version.  In the meantime I’ll have to hunt the stash to look for other fabrics I can use with this pattern, because it is amazing and I love it.