Red Tatjana Trousers

In my last blogpost on my Spring Summer Sewing plans you might have noticed that I’m planning to introduce some bright colors in my wardrobe. I don’t remember having ever had a pair of red pants, but I decided to make a pair and see how wearable and “matchable” they’ll be. My inspiration was this:

The pattern

I choose to try a pattern that caught my attention on Instagram: the Tatjana trousers from Just Patterns. I saw so many different versions this fall and winter and I really liked the tailored look. These pants are high waisted, with a straight leg, pleats and slant pockets on the front. The back has two welt pockets that can be closed with buttons. It’s a very classic pair of pants, versatile for winter (in a nice wool) or summer (linen/cotton). It’s available in a wide size range: french 34 – 56.

I decided to make mine in a viscose-linen blend that I bought on fabric.com. I knew i wanted a linen, but i liked the flowy look given by viscose. I used 1 1/2 yards of this fabric that is 57” and I made pockets and bias binding with leftover quilting cotton from my cherry shirt. I made a size 40 with minimal edits.

Edits and final result

The pattern fit pretty well out of the box, I just made one edit before cutting the fabric and a couple more when I tried them on. The pattern is drafted for a 5′ 5” height (165cm) and I’m 5’8”, so I decided to add 2″ to the length. I usually don’t lengthen pants because proportionally speaking my legs are shorter than my torso (for my height), but I wanted to be able to wear these with some espadrilles with a little bit of heel. In the end I think that the extra length was needed so I’m glad about the decision.

The other edit is related to the waist fit. I have a 29” waist and the size 40 is drafted to have a finished measure of 29 5/8”. When trying them on I decided to move the innermost pleats 3/8” towards the exterior side and to add 3/8” on each pleat (adding 3/4” in total to the front). I would have been able to close them anyway, but the pleats were pulling a bit on the waistline. The second edit was on the pocket finish. The pattern suggest a french seam to close the front pockets, but my quilting cotton was a little bit too thick and I could see the pocket line from the outside. I then decided to cut the french seam with pinking shears (see pictures below). They might not be as nice inside, but now I can’t see the pocket line from the outside. I decided for the same finish also for the back pockets. Finally I really took my time to make bias binding and I’m really happy about how they look inside!

I think that this pattern could look very nice both at a midi length (coulotte), or shorts! So you might see them again very soon. I decided to buy another (maybe 2?) patterns from the same creator, I really recommend it!