Do you make sewing plans? Mine are always super loose, ideas on a postcard if you will. For 2021 I have decided that this is the year of fashion, starting with these Just Patterns Tatjana trousers in wool. Basically, I mean I’m going to try my best to get dressed properly and wear and make clothes that are designed to be for exiting the house. Even if I’m not leaving the house!
2021 is the year of less loungewear
My mister will tell you that I am typically the queen of loungewear (“house clothes” as he terms it). Especially in the colder weather. I really only like to get dressed when I leave the house! But for the foreseeable future, since we’re continuing to be home a lot, and I’m working from home, there’s less moments than usual for me to go out.
So that would mean I’m wearing loungewear all day long, and I have stopped feeling ok about that. The other day I was in a hoodie and leggings for most of the day and I got changed at 9 pm to go and spend time with my sewing machine. Call me totally mad, but I felt better about it!
I won’t rule out making sweaters and things which could double as loungewear, but I’ll be trying my hardest to wear it with things to make an acceptable “out of house” outfit. And on my blog / IG, hopefully I’ll be showing a few more outfit repeats as I figure out how to mix and match?
Just Patterns Tatjana trousers – wool version
My first version of the Tatjana trousers was in Tencel™. If you’re curious the pics and details are here. I really like these so I was curious to see how they would be in wool. As I type I have a third pair in the making, in corduroy!
Fabric choice
I searched a long time for wool that was the right weight, blend, and with a nice neutral-ish colour. A blend was my preference to lessen the scratch factor. This deadstock wool blend (this is 50% wool / 40% cotton / 10% polyester) from Meter Meter came up. When it arrived I promptly found myself in a sewing panic – I thought I’d ordered 1.5m but turns out I ordered only 1m! After a calming cuppa and a chat with sewing buddies, I measured the piece and it was more like 107cm. I put it in the wool cycle of the sewing machine and hoped for the best.
Shrinkage was 5cm and it shrunk to 102cm. But there was zero shrinkage across the width which remained 150cm wide. So luckily I was able to get all 4 leg pieces out of one width of fabric after playing some tetris and cutting on a single layer. The leg was shorter than I’d like and I thought in the worse case I could put in a hem facing.
Pattern and construction modifications
These were purely due to lack of fabric:
- No back welt pockets
- No pocket facings
- Waistband cut on the cross-grain
- Hem allowance is a very un-elegant 1.5cm instead of 5cm.
- Waistband of 4cm instead of 5cm.
By the end of it, there was basically just a few odd-shaped scraps left. No room for error or re-cutting! Happily, this is a TNT so it came together pretty fast. Before I forget – let me mention I like to tuck my tops in. If you’re not into that, then you might want to split the waistband in two, add seam allowance, and use something else for the inside so the wool doesn’t scratch your waist.
The binding is leftover scraps from a silk top, and the pockets are from the offcuts of the Fibre Mood Holly dress. It’s viscose so not stable like cotton but I like that they are nice and thin. Red zip from my stash. It actually all looks rather colourful inside – for a closer look, check out my 15-second video Instagram reel here.
Styling the Tatjana trousers in wool
When I first put on the trousers I thought I might have been going a bit too retro. But when I look in my cupboard I found a lot of options which would go nicely with it. 4 out of 7 are me-made, 2 are second hand and 1 very old RTW.
I’m happy to report these are currently my favourite winter trousers, mostly due to the wool! For extra warmth, I wear tights underneath and it doesn’t feel restrictive. I also had fun testing out some outfits (even if the raspberry top is not seasonally appropriate. So here are some more photos to finish off. And yes, I was pretty tired when I was taking photos. Lockdown is getting the better of me and my energy levels are not super high at the moment.
Till next time,
Kate xx
5 comments
I think you look stunning in each pair but the wool are outstanding.
Great job!
Aw that’s really kind! The wool is my favourite too!
They look great and very versatile!
They look really great, you did an awesome job. Would you say this pattern could work for an advanced beginner sewist??
I really love the pattern
Hi Leigha, thanks for your comment. For this pattern I’d say it’s helpful to have made a pair of trousers before. You could also leave off for example the welt pockets to simplify it. But really, if you just go slowly then everything is achievable if you put your mind to it! (I’d suggest making a toile first)