fancy pants - recutting wool cashmere trousers

My ruthless 'use it or lose it' continues, which is just as well as these trousers have been in my wardrobe an-embarrassingly-long-time, and on a to-do list for the same length..... Some years ago, I did a wardrobe clear-out, and sold some dresses on ebay, and ended up buying some cashmere jumpers (we had just moved to a freezing house, and these wool/cashmere burberry trousers).  I probably shouldn't have as a strange vanity got the better of me,  but I did, and I really should have known they would not fit right and they didn't.  And for some or other reason, I could not/would not give them away, resell or donate......

The trousers fitted at the hips but huge on the waist, and while I loved the wide leg, I looked 'a-bit-of-a-pudding' in them.  I took them in at the back to wear around the house and see how much I liked them.  I was rather nervous of re-cutting them - in case I would render them unwearable, but I had to bite the bullet sometime, so  I took the trousers apart, and to keep an eye on the location of the grain, I basted the crease and lightly pressed it out, and half way thru taking them apart, I was thinking I should have just given them away as I was still having a lot of work to do.  As it turned out, I was wrong.

I had got this Clare Shaeffer pattern especially as I figured such a swanky fabric needed the Shaeffer touch (I bought it on etsy after reading Lynn's post), and I also had the Balmain pattern out to see what the detailing would be.  The Balmain was quickly put back when I measured the leg width (same as trousers).  The trousers were taken apart, pattern laid on top..... and no way was it going to work

Balmain vs Shaeffer

Shaeffer pattern

Plan B was to draft a trouser block and adapt to the Shaeffer..... and it was still not going to work, but the trouser block fitted on the trousers fine, so I laid the block over and chalked the seam allowances and widened the leg of the block on the fabric (I was getting a bit tired or tracing and figured I would just go for it).  Ultimately I did the simplest which was a basic re-cut using my pattern, and a resew in the same way of the originals.

It was a straightforward sew, but done over a few days which also allowed the wool fabric to rest in-between..  I was in two minds to replace the belt loops but decided to leave as is - as I thought them a bit fussy.  So five years on..............I have a rather nice pair of slacks! (and I know I will wear them lots as I have already....)





And I had to check the length of this sweater from last year with them as I have another sweater remake (blue) which I may do a similar job on.....