Refashioners navy trousers
Back in May, I entered The Refashioners 2023, an annual competition hosted by Portia Lawrie. The aim is to use textiles already in circulation, such as clothing or home decor items, to make something new and useful. I entered two projects, a set of reusable make up pads made from a wool blanket and material salvaged from a pair of pyjama bottoms, and these navy trousers. I was very lucky to win a new Pfaff Hobbylock for my efforts and have been very much enjoying my new machine over the past couple of months.
The fabric for these trousers came from a bridesmaids dress I wore to my bestie’s wedding, back in 2019. I was having such a great time on the day, I didn’t manage to get any full length photos of myself in the dress so hopefully the below image of me walking down the aisle, will give you an idea of the original look. It was a floor length navy dress, with a crew neck and bias bound neckline and armholes. The dress itself had minimal shaping beyond the bust darts, with waist definition provided by a fabric tie.
The original dress pattern was based on the Christine Haynes Lottie. I made two of them, whilst Victoria (the bride) made the third in a different style. The fabric was a lovely navy viscose, it had beautiful drape and was perfect for this floor length gown. The simple tie waist and binding facing for the neckline and armholes made it a breeze to put together and we all looked very lovely on the day, even if I have zero photographic evidence!
The beauty of the floor length original design, was it left me with plenty of fabric to play with. Originally I thought I would just cut the dress short, maybe knee length, and wear it as a summer dress. Once I stopped to think though, I realised I’m not much of a dress-wearer and it was less likely to get use in that form. Trousers would be much more useful.
Although the style of the original dress gave me what felt like plenty of fabric, when I laid out two leg pattern pieces I realised there was not a huge amount spare and I would have to be canny with my cutting. I picked a simple design of trouser, the Sew Over It Ultimate Trousers. This pattern has only 4 pattern pieces; front and back trouser legs and front and back waist facing. I figured worst case scenario, I could use a different fabric for the facing if I was running really short, since the facing is inside the trousers and not seen by anyone except me.
I managed to squeeze all the required pattern pieces from my original fabric, leaving a tiny pile of scraps and the waist tie. The tie has gone into my sewing box, since I’m sure I will find a use for it in the future. The trousers close with an invisible side zip, which is not something with which I have much experience. It’s not the most invisible of zip applications, but it does the job and no one will be looking that closely. I used remnant cotton, leftover from a thrifted M&S shirt instead of fusing, since I’ve run out of fusing and am trying to use up scraps instead. The trick with sew-in fusing I’ve realised from another project, is using a fabric that matches the washing instructions for your main project.
I have very much enjoyed these trousers this summer. The floaty, breezy fabric has been perfect for the warmer days and I love how the cuffs look with both sandals and trainers. My only point of contention has been the lack of pockets, I wish I’d put patch pockets on the butt but I didn’t have enough fabric left. The high waist style has been interesting to play with and I’ve been wearing these trousers with shorter, more cropped tops and tees. Overall, this has been a successful refashion and a great way to create a wearable garment from this memorable piece of fabric. Every time I wear them I think of my bestie’s wedding and it makes me smile!