Butterick 6028 Katherine Tilton slouchy pants

I have generally stayed away from making pants because they are time consuming, and I can often get a better fit, and better fabric with ready to wear pants.  Pants are generally the supporting character in an outfit, so I put more attention into the tops.  However, I've been really excited by the trend that I've been seeing of printed pants, and the cover of this  Butterick 6028  had a really lovely fabric choice, so I thought that I'd give it a try.   

Important!  There is a pattern error with this pattern, so if you are making these, please read to the end to save yourself much frustration!

The fabric that I used is a canvas print by Marc Jacobs that Fabricmartfabrics.com had for quite some time.  It is a cross between an animal print, and a digital print.  The fabric quality if superb, and I like that it is in neutral shades, so I can pair it with any top that I want.

 Here are the neat things in this pattern:

1.  Elasticized back waist, faced front waist.
2.  Nice big pockets.  

3.  Side back piece curves around to the front ankle.  This isn't shown in the line drawing, but it's definitely a feature.

4.  Back seams for additional back interest.

5.  Loose through hip and thigh, tapering to slim ankles.  Very comfortable to wear and sit in.  This is my other kitty, FRED!


I found that this pants pattern has a significant construction error in it, but if you can get past that, you can get a pretty cool looking pair of pants!  The construction error involves the zipper in the front.  They give you instructions based on how you might typically make a pair of pants with a traditional waistband.  However, the pattern is for a faced waist, with no separate waistband.  It's not a huge deal to change this if you are experienced, but if you are a new sewer, it could really mess up the project.   What you need to do is put the zipper top about 2 inches below the top of the pant piece, then continue with the instructions for zipper insertion.  You'll need to shorten the zipper to make this work.  Otherwise you end up with bulky zipper teeth in the faced area where you want to put the hook and eyes. 

Also, I found that the facings are not the right length, so I would recommend adding an inch or so to the length of the facing piece, to give you that little bit extra that you'll need, especially on the left.

In addition to the change in the facings, here are the standard pants alterations that I make to fit me:
1.  Added 1-1/2" to leg length.
2.  Shortened front crotch length by 1-1/2"
3.  Lengthened back crotch length by 1-1/2".

The first fabrics recommended on the envelope are stretch twill or poplin.  However, these pants are loose fitting, so no stretch is required.  You can easily go down a size with this pattern to start with.  I know that the slouchy look isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I really like it!  I will certainly be making more of these, now that I have done this test run.  When I make them again, I'll jot down the instruction changes that I make to make construction go more smoothly.

Happy Sewing!

Ann