Trend Patterns TPC10 Wide Leg Flares

I'm talking adjustments (there were many), muslins (I did two) and finishing the hem by hand (which took a looooonnng time) in the post! Read it in full here.

The 'legs for days' illusion

Thanks Minerva Crafts for providing the fabric for this project!

Trend Patterns TPC12

I bought the TPC12 from Trend's stall at last year's Knitting and Stitching Show in London because I really liked the unusual design, but in the immediate, it was mainly to add to my decorative collection of Trend Patterns that sits on a shelf. I also picked up a rich blue denim from Cloth House with the pattern in mind, but felt like I needed to try out a (hopefully wearable) muslin before taking the plunge, as it was quite an investment piece! Including the pattern in my #2019makenine has been a good incentive to get to work with it.

My Cloth House denim and stash corduroy

The pattern requirements state 2.3m, though as with the other Trend Patterns I've tried, the yardage is only given for the largest size. I managed to squeeze my pair out of 1.6m of this orange/red corduroy from B&M in Leeds which had been in my stash for a while. It really was a squeeze and I have learned a thing or two about nap as a result... mainly that corduroy is napped. Sooo the pile runs in different directions on some of the pieces - yep I'm looking at the lower leg piece below the random flap - but oh well! I'd say it would fit more comfortably from 2m in future!
In terms of sizing, my 72cm waist put me just outside of the finished garment measurements of the size 10, but I decided to risk it anyway having found my last Trend make (this TPC16 dress) too big at a size 12. I could have graded down a bit at the hips, but I didn't fancy messing with that shaping!

The trousers were one of the most involved and engaging projects I've made in a long time! The weird construction details, alongside the new-to-me technique of a concealed button fly, meant that I had to put a lot of trust in the pattern instructions. Whilst instructions from Trend often assume some previous knowledge and could be a bit more descriptive in parts, I found these ones to be pretty great! My only comment is that it's sometimes a bit difficult to tell the right side from the wrong side in the construction photographs as the demo garment is plain white!

So lets look at the details...

Leg flap

The Leg Flap: completely pointless yet totally necessary? It serves no real purpose other than looking sort of fun. There's the option to topstitch around it and the front seams of the leg too, but I skipped this as it wouldn't really be visible on the corduroy. It probably wouldn't be impossible to hack this into a real pocket - something to consider for next time!

Leg vents

The Leg Vents: the easiest to make and maybe the coolest trouser addition you could ask for! It's actually a bit cold for such levels of ankle flashing at the minute, but I'd seriously consider applying a similar hack to other trousers in future.

Closure details

The Concealed Button Fly: I hadn't realised the fly had a button closure until I'd fully committed to the project, and I might have let it put me off had I have known (I imagine you could swap this out for a zip, but as a warning, you'd need a big ol' zip the crotch is longgg). This was my first attempt at a concealed button fly and it wasn't nearly as difficult as I imagined. I was worried that this sort of closure might look bulky, but it lays really flat and the finish is super professional. I took my time with the button holes and made sure to use plenty of fray check. The only thing I changed was using hook and bar fasteners for the outside tab rather than another button.

The pattern doesn't highlight the need to attach the fly together at the bottom so it lumped up a bit strange when sitting, but a few hand stitches sorted this out.

Back view

Having been worried about the waist measurement originally, I actually found that they came up a bit big. I adjusted them for a closer fit by unpicking the waistband and back to take a 2cm seam allowance (rather than the regular 1cm) along the centre back. The resulting fit is much better, though in future I think I'd take a bit more out of the bum and could shave a bit of volume from the hips. It's worth mentioning that the waistband itself is curved, which supports the depth of it and really improves how it hugs the body - now I finally get why sewists love a curved waistband!

Trend Patterns TPC16

Styled with boots, bag and jacket

I really like Trends' aesthetic and they go some way to filling a huge gap in the sewing market for patterns that are edgy, fashion-forward and most importantly, actually wearable. Ironically, it's that fashion-forwardness that actually delayed me from sewing up this pattern, which has been in my stash since it was released. Whilst Trend's samples and lookbooks are pretty awe inspiring, I couldn't imagine how this dress would look in anything other than that shiny silver foil - I haven't seen any other makers try this one, so maybe I'm not alone in thinking this?

Side tie detail

It was a throwaway comment from my boyfriend about making more 'edgy' clothes that finally prompted me to go on a more purposeful hunt for suitable fabric. The pattern requirements state 3m of fabric 'with a good bias' or jersey, like one of the versions on their website, which was made without fastenings. I'm always a bit hesitant as to how one pattern can successfully translate to such totally different fabrics, so I went with a woven textured gingham check from Abakhan.

Cutting layout for the HUGE pieces

I still wasn't 100% sure it was 'the one', but it was the best I could find, and at only £4.75p/m it was pretty affordable. Trend only state fabric requirements for the upper size in their range, so I bought 2.5m, which just accommodated cutting the size 12. Be warned that the PDF is a massive 68 pages. Sticking it together and cutting it out took a full day and my whole floor space, twice over.
The pattern instructions forewarn makers that the dress follows an 'odd order' of construction in comparison to a usual dress, but for the most part, I found them fine to follow. Having made the Frilled Hem Top, I knew the patterns assumed a little bit of prior knowledge, but the photographs to support the written instructions are pretty helpful. I only got really confused with the instructions for 'bagging out'/attaching the facing to the armholes and ended up in a bit of a death loop twist before unpicking and starting again.

The difficult thing about the 'odd order' of construction is that you can't try the dress on to gauge the fit until really near the end of the make (you close the side of the dress with the drawstring channel at the very end). When it came to sewing the drawstring channel in place, I knew the dress would be HUGE. Weirdly the shoulders don't sit symmetrically, and the drafting of the armhole on the drawstring side doesn't take into account that the channel adds a good couple of inches to the width of the dress. This meant it was not only really big on one side, but had a huge gaping armhole too.

Finished drawstring channel

Thinking that the project was going to be a huge fail inspired the following and fairly reckless series of adjustments - I'd invested too much time in it by this point for it to never be worn! I unpicked the drawstring channel and took about 4" out of that side of the dress. When I tried the dress on again, it was still way too big, but I could see the potential in it. I wish I'd have took pictures to show the before adjustments vs after, but when you're really in the zone of wanting the project to work, it can totally plummet your mood when things don't go to plan - bad-fit selfies were the last thing on my mind!

Back view, which for once I actually love!

After this, I took a couple of cm out of each armhole. I sewed and re-sewed the zip in 3 separate times, on each go taking a bit more fabric out. I took around 3" out of the zip side-seam in total, with an extra chunk out of the underarm to reduce some armhole gape/get a closer fit at the bust. The fit still isn't 'perfect' and I definitely took some of my adjustments a little too far - I could've done with leaving a bit more width through the hip/middle - but I'm really pleased that I was somehow determined enough to rescue it from near-disaster.

Despite all the stress of the make, I feel lots of positive things about the finished dress - proud that I managed it, impressed by the skill I put into making it, excited to wear it! I love the finished thing and it does feel sort of 'edgy', particularly when worn with my Ida Clutch, boots and leather jacket as seen in some of these pictures. The drawstring is an amazing feature - I used cord rather than creating my own ties - and it totally transforms it from something that looks just plain weird on the hanger to a cool and unusual garment to wear. I never really say or think this about my makes either, but it even looks great from behind.

A bit of a saga getting there, but a finally well fitting TPC16

I can't say that I'll be in a hurry to sew the Side Drawstring Dress again, but it does make for a nice addition to the wardrobe, and it will definitely transition well into autumn. I wouldn't not recommend this pattern, but all I can say is be prepared to make adjustments, or if you can bear the thought of doing all that cutting twice (I can't!) then without a doubt, make a muslin!

Trend Patterns Frilled Hem Top

I bought the Frilled Hem Top and Asymetric Hem Dress patterns in a Trend Patterns sale quite a while ago, and ordered the Trench Jacket in the most recent bank holiday sale. I'm not in the habit of collecting patterns in such a way, but the packaging is so aesthetically pleasing that they've been doubling up as sewing space decoration while they sit in the queue. They're pricier than the brands I usually go for, but the styles are (what I'd consider to be) super fashionable and the drafting is adventurous and unusual - I'd liken them most closely to DP Studio after making their Knit Asymmetric Dress.

Just look at the beautiful packaging!

I've been waiting for the perfect fabric to inspire me to make the Frilled Hem Top and was thrilled to finally come across these contrasting checks on a recent trip to Fabworks. I'm not really sure what sort of fabric is is - probably polyester - but they're really light and drapey and very nearly a little see-through.

Worn with this pleather Sew DIY Nita Wrap Skirt

The pattern requires 1.9m of fabric (140cm wide) in total. I bought 1.5m of my main fabric and 1m of the white contrast check for the frill. The frill panel was much longer than I realised, so I had to cut it on the cross grain (my fabric was 150cm wide), but if you want a contrasting frill and don't mind doing this, then you could actually get away with buying just 0.5m. I traced a size 12 and started the semi-painful process of trying to keep the checked fabric straight while pinning and cutting.

Monochrome on monochrome (on monochrome)

The making process was hugely enjoyable and just the right amount of challenging,  I love interesting construction methods and piecing together unusual pattern pieces, and the Frilled Hem Top had plenty of this. I particularly liked adding the frill to the bottom panel. It's absolutely huge and must have took me about an hour alone to gather and pin it in place.

After joining the front to the lower back panel and frill

The instructions are good and the photographs are especially helpful, but it's not your typical top with a front, back and side seams, so naturally there were a few points where I got a little confused. All I can say is that the notches/pattern markings are absolutely essential, so if you're confused about which pieces you're joining where, use these as a guide because they're spot on.

Back view - slightly squiffy zip/checks

Update: full back view of top

I completed the Frilled Hem Top in one intense day of sewing, though future versions would probably be quicker now I'm familiar with the pattern. My only disappointment is with the zip insertion, or more accurately, my slightly dodgy fabric cutting which has made my zip look a bit off. Apart from this, I'm really happy with how professional the finish is.

Side view!

I'm so pleased that this pattern turned out well and I couldn't recommend it more! It's well drafted, unusual in style (without being too 'out-there') and interesting to wear. I've been wearing mine both loose and tucked in at the back to emphasize the diagonal fall of the frill from back to front. I'm still on the hunt for the perfect bottoms to wear it with - I'm thinking a shorter skirt or maybe it's time to make the leap into jeans sewing...?

Snaps taken by my mum outside the ExCeL @ GBSB Live!

I'm sure I'll be making another version, but again it will be a case of waiting for the perfect fabric to come along - I think anything heavier would result in too much bulk, so I'll be on the look out for lightweight drapey fabrics. I'd like to try one with short sleeves as I've been wearing mine rolled up anyway. In the meantime, the pattern will be decorating my sewing space in pride of place.

Now sticking with Trend Patterns, should I make the TPC8 Trench Jacket or TPC2 Asymmetric Hem Dress next?