North Point Trousers

In my opinion, everybody needs a pair of classic tailored formal occasion or work appropriate pair of trousers in their wardrobe.  There isn't always time to make or buy a pair when needed so having them there, ready in case, seems logical to me!  With that, I introduce you to my newest pair! A pinstripe version make with the new North Point Trousers pattern from Itch to Stitch. Complete with all the necessary features including, single welt back pockets, slanted front pockets, zipper fly and hooks, belt loops and blind hems, they're the perfect pattern in my opinion for the job!

I'm not going to lie, these took a while to make! There are 29 pages to print and assemble (although they're trim pages and line up so well, that it's really not a chore at all!) and then the cutting of the fabric before embarking on a 79 step construction BUT I believe it is totally worth it for the quality, finish and fit of the final trousers. 

If you've been following my Instagram account (@memadesarah) you might have seen this photo which I posted not long ago of me using traditional tailors tacks, you probably won't be surprised to see why I chose to use them now you've seen what I was making! It just felt wrong to me to use a disappearing marker on what is such a classic and traditional make but that doesn't mean you can't to speed things up a bit! 

I found this lovely pinstripe fabric on the clearance racks at my local fabric shop and just knew it would make a great pair of North Points, it's a viscose/cotton/elastane mix and was a bargain at just £4.99 a metre! I bought 1.5m and even after wash/dry shrinkage I still had a little leftover at the end. 

The pattern also calls for some lining fabric and I had just the right amount of cotton poplin leftover from my Chai Shirtdress (did I forget to blog that make?! I'll get it up soon!) for the lining and the bias tape needed so it was perfect to add a little hidden prettiness, yes I know noone will ever see it but I will and feel happier knowing it's prettier inside!

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I love the look of the pinstripes and knew it would mean extra time pattern matching to give a high end feel but again, to me that was worth it.  There are fabric cutting layouts included if your fabric is plain or a pattern you don't want/need to match which again would save time.

I have done several zipper flys now in lots of different patterns but I'd never sewn one using the method within these instructions, I wish I had though! It was super straightforward and much easier than all the other methods I've used before with an impressive 15 illustrated steps dedicated to this alone as well as a photo tutorial on the ITS blog here if you need another angle or real photos to help you visualise better!

As is always recommended, I made a muslin for these before diving straight in with me 'real' pair.  The muslin is a simplified version involving only the pattern pieces which affect fit. There are even instructions included in the pattern for which pieces to use and how to sew and fit your muslin so no guesswork needed there either!

My muslin fit well without adjustments so I went ahead with my real pair.  Although I'd tested the fabric for stretch percentages against my muslin fabric and it was the same, the lycra in the muslin fabric must have been weaker than that in my final fabric as the finals fit closer than the muslin version did, not uncomfortably so though and I'm still super happy with the final fit.

Through my own fault of missing a single *very important* part of step 32, I initially made the welt pocket wrong and had to seam rip, fusible interface the hole together and start again.  When I followed the instructions correctly, they went together, as expected without a hitch and I think they look great.  I have a few pull wrinkles on the side backs which I need to look at before making another but if my next fabric has just a touch more stretch I am confident it will be fine as it. 

For these photos I have paired my North Points with my Beausoleil top (what, I didn't blog about that either?!) and my Paro Cardigan, both are also Itch to Stitch patterns and if you buy either or both at the same time, you'll grab an extra, automatic, discount in the cart 

The North Points are on release sale until Tuesday 12th September, click HERE for the pattern listing and HERE for the release blog with more inspiration from other testers in a variety of fabric in all sizes.

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Vienna Tank by Itch to Stitch 

​Affiliate links are included throughout this post marked with GREEN TEXT it costs you nothing extra but means I get a few cents if you buy the pattern after clicking through.  I would love it if you could use them if this post has inspired you but feel free to navigate there yourself if you prefer! All opinions expressed on my blog are entirely my own. Thanks, Sarah