Doctor T Designs

This is my third piece from my Sew Geeky fall plans, and is also part of my direct interpretation of a screen costume from The Magicians. I’m really excited about this piece because with a wig and few accessories I now have a passable cosplay of the librarian’s costume from the show.  It’s not totally screen accurate, but as a starting point, it’s not bad.

This is a pattern I bought specifically because I wanted to do a cosplay of the librarian’s costume, and I thought the trousers would be a good starting point.  They certainly have enough volume to work with, and I think with slightly different pleating and fabrication, as well as a thicker waistband, it would be pretty on point:

 

 

Here is my official pattern review:

Pattern Description:  Top, tunic, shorts, and trouser pattern.  I made View D, the trousers.

Pattern Sizing:  Vogue sizes XSM-M and L-XXL.  I used the size L, but I had to make some adjustments for fit, and it is still very generously sized.  I would recommend going down a size because I had to take quite a bit out of the waistband, and you may not want as much volume on the trousers as I did.

Were the instructions easy to follow?  The instructions were ok.  I followed the general construction order and general techniques, but I also used different finishes for the edges and hems.

Did it look like the photo/drawing when you were done with it?  I think this pattern is actually much more voluminous than the drawing indicates.  If you want a slimmer leg as shown, I would recommend going down a size.

What did you particularly like/dislike about this pattern?  I bought this pattern because I thought it would be a good starting point for a costume I want to make.  For that, I wanted the most voluminous trousers I could find, so in that sense, this is a great pattern for my purposes.  I enjoy having side seam pockets, and I like having a fly front, and back darts.  If I had made this pattern with a different purpose in mind, I think I would have been a little disappointed with how big these pants are – they have a lot more volume than the envelope indicates.  Also, I was worried that the waist would be too small based on the measurements given on the garment pieces, but I ended up having to take the waist in by 2 inches.  I don’t know that those really qualify as “dislikes;” I did get what I wanted from the pattern, but I think it is worth cautioning against in a review.

Fabric used:  I used a gray master fabric from the Michael Levine Loft.  I expect it is a suiting with some sort of poly/cotton or poly/rayon blend.  It does wrinkle a fair bit, and based on the hand I expect it might be cotton/poly, but I’m not entirely sure.  I STRONGLY RECOMMEND using fabric with a lot of drape for this pattern; stiff fabric is going to look insane on the pants.  This is not a great pattern if you want a firmer trouser with crisp pleats.    

Pattern alterations or design changes you made:  I added 1-5/8″ to the hem because I thought it would be too short (based on measuring the inseam), but then ended up with a 3″ hem because it was so long.  I was ok with that though because I think having more fabric at the hem does help it to drape a bit more easily.  I also had to take 2″ out of the center back.  I had fit the waistband and it seemed fine at first, but after adding the waistband to the trouser leg, the weight of the fabric pulled down the waistband, and the only way to get it to sit properly was to take it in at the center back, so my waistband now has a center back seam.  As far as finishing goes, I changed the waist band finishing to one using bias tape, and I used a blind hem instead of a topstitched hem.  I also left off the button and sewed on a trouser hook instead, because I wanted a cleaner look on the front.  Otherwise I made it as drafted.

Would you sew this again?  Would you recommend it to others?  Sort of and maybe?  Now that I have the fit somewhat addressed, I plan on using this pattern as a starting point to make some more screen-accurate trousers for the costume I was replicating, so I will be using the pattern again, but with even more modifications.  As far as recommending it… I’m not so sure.  I think the pants have way more volume than advertised, and I really think going down a size would help with that.  However, I think there are other similar trouser patterns that may give a more flattering fit to someone who is just looking for a nice wide legged trouser with a pleat.

Conclusion:  I’m happy with the pattern, as it suited my purpose to have a “wearable muslin” first attempt trouser for my cosplay plans.  I think I worked out some important fit issues, which was the goal with this project.  I also think it fits into my Sew Geeky fall plans well, so I can’t really complain on that front either.  I’m not sure that I would return to this pattern for anything outside of the costuming though.  I enjoy wide-legged pants, but these are not my favorite variation of the style.  Overall, I think this pattern suited my needs, and I’m happy with the result, but I’m not sure I’ll ever consider this to be a TNT wardrobe staple sort of pattern.

I felt this was a pretty fitting post for Halloween because it is ultimately destined to be a costume!  And, finally, because when one has swooshy pants, they must swoosh: