Side view - love the pockets!

So what did I do with my waistband?
After reading through the recommendations, I bought some petersham from my local haberdashery, Samuel Taylors. You can buy it in lots of different widths, so I could pick one that would perfectly slot inside my folded waistband (remember to take seam allowances into account too when picking your width). They also stocked fusible interfacing for folding waistbands so I bought some of that too.

Fusible folding waistband interfacing and petersham

I'd originally only intended to use the petersham, but as my fabric (a mid-weight crepe) had a bit more movement than what I'd used in the past, went for it and used the waistband interfacing too. Might have overdone it slightly there, but when the main aim of the game was to get a crisp waistband, I wasn't taking any chances.

Waistband with interfacing applied

Inserting the petersham before slipstitching the waistband closed

I usually avoid topstitching waistbands, because I hate going over the bulk, but it made for a really great finish, as well as keeping all the guts secure in place. I also used 2 hook and bar fastenings, which pull ever so slightly, but I really didn't want a button closure so it's something I can live with.

Topstitched and finished!

The verdict?
This waistband is solid. At the point of writing this, the trousers have seen a fair bit of wear, and the waistband has withstood plenty of sitting down and at least a couple of big meals. I'm amazed to see how crisp and tailored they still look.

In future, I'll probably just stick with the petersham and a topstitched finish for trousers and heavy-duty garments, but I was really impressed with the folding interfacing. I'd be likely to try that out again with lighter weight garments and skirt waistbands that don't require quite as much support.

Petersham where have you been all my (sewing) life?! I'm currently considering unpicking all other waistbands and giving them the petersham-treatment, but I might save that for another day. You can purchase the stuff online from Minerva and Sew Essential.

From the back

Thanks Chris for taking pictures :)

In all, I'm really pleased with the finished trousers. I really tapered both the outside and inside legs this time and they've turned out spot on. I still had trousers on the brain when I went to the most recent Hebden Bridge WI Rag Market and my fabric haul was full of trouser-appropriate fabrics (weirdly for me) in mostly spring like shades of pink, so I'm sure this pattern's not seen it's last use yet.

Hebden Bridge Rag market haul