Utility Pants With Flapped Patch Pockets
Women's full-length straight cargo trousers with a back yoke, front patch pockets with slanted openings, large tucked patch pockets with buttoned flaps over the side seams and flapped back patch pockets. Zip fly, waistband with five belt loops.
When To Wear
- For everyday wear in autumn and winter, made up in wide-wale corduroy.
- In denim with shirts, sweaters and flat boots or trainers.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Straight leg.
Length: Full length; hem turned up and stitched.
Closure: Zip fly with a separate fly shield, left front over right; one 20 mm shank button and buttonhole at the left end of the waistband.
Pockets: Front patch pockets with slanted openings, caught into the waist and side seams. Over each side seam, a large patch pocket with two tucks topstitched 3 mm from the folds and a flap fastened with two buttons, one on the front and one on the back. Two back patch pockets with flaps, each fastened with one button. All pockets and flaps topstitched close to the edge and 0.75 cm from it.
Back: Yoke topstitched close to the seam and 0.75 cm from it; side seams topstitched on the back the same way.
Waist: Straight waistband interfaced on half its width and topstitched all round; five belt loops, at the front pockets, at the side seams and above the centre back seam.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. A zip fly with a fly shield, six patch pockets with tucks and flaps, double topstitching on heavy fabric.
Fabric Recommendations
Dense cotton fabrics such as denim, or corduroy; the sample is made in wide-wale cotton corduroy.
Additional Supplies
- 10 cm of fusible interfacing, 140 cm wide (half the width of the waistband)
- Matching zip, 16 cm
- 1 shank button, 20 mm diameter
- 6 buttons, 15 mm diameter
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Back Patch Pocket – 2 pieces
- Front Patch Pocket – 2 pieces
- Belt-Loop – 1 piece (strip, cut into 5 belt loops)
- Patch Pocket – 2 pieces
- Front Half – 2 pieces
- Button Catch – 1 piece
- Back Half – 2 pieces
- Yoke – 2 pieces
- Patch Pocket Flap – 4 pieces
- Back Patch Pocket Flap – 4 pieces
- Waistband – 1 piece
- From fusible interfacing:
- Waistband – 1 piece (half the waistband width)
Sewing Instructions
- Reinforce half the width of the waistband with fusible interfacing (Heat-activated interfacings are ironed onto the wrong side of the piece with a hot iron).
- Stitch the yokes to the back halves. Turn seam allowances upwards, topstitch the yokes along the stitching lines close to the seam and at a distance of 0.75 cm.
- Front patch pocket: Press the hem of the slanted pocket opening edge inwards, turn under the raw edge and stitch along the edge. Press the outer raw edges of the front patch pocket inwards and topstitch them onto the front halves along the marking lines. Topstitch the pockets along the edges, close to the edge and at a distance of 0.75 cm. Baste the pockets to the waist and side edges of the trousers.
- Place the matching pocket flap pieces (patch pocket flaps and back patch pocket flaps) right sides together, stitch along the outer edges, turn right side out, press and topstitch close to the edge and 0.75 cm from the edge. Make the buttonholes as marked.
- Back patch pocket: Press the hem of the upper pocket edge inwards, turn under the raw edge and stitch along the edge. Press the outer raw edges of the back patch pocket inwards and topstitch them onto the back halves along the marking lines. Topstitch the pockets along the edges, close to the edge and at a distance of 0.75 cm.
- Place the back patch pocket flap, turned upwards, on the right side of the trousers and stitch. Turn the flap downwards, press and topstitch close to the edge and at a distance of 0.75 cm.
- Stitch the side seams. Topstitch the back halves along the side seams close to the seam and at a distance of 0.75 cm.
- Form the two tucks on each patch pocket according to the markings, press and topstitch 3 mm from the folds. Press the hem of the upper pocket edge inwards, turn under the raw edge and stitch along the edge, catching the tucks. Press the outer raw edges of the patch pocket inwards, place the pocket over the side seam according to the markings and stitch - first topstitch the side raw edges of the pocket without catching the tucks, then the lower raw edge.
- Place the patch pocket flap, turned upwards, on the right side of the trousers and stitch. Turn the flap downwards, press and topstitch close to the edge and at a distance of 0.75 cm.
- Stitch the crotch seam of the front halves (up to the zipper opening) and of the back halves.
- Fly zipper with button catch: Press the cut-on fly facings to the wrong side: on the left along the center front line, on the right 1 cm short of the center front line (= underlap allowance). Pin the zipper, face up, to the right edge of the opening, place the button catch, folded in half wrong sides together, on top with raw edges aligned, and stitch through all layers; fold the button catch out and edgestitch along the zipper. Pin the opening closed, matching the center front lines. Stitch the free zipper tape to the left fly facing only, without catching the trouser front. Overlock the seam allowances and, from the wrong side, stitch a securing zigzag along the lower edges of the fly facing and button catch. Topstitch the left front along the fly as marked, catching the fly facing.
- Stitch the inseams and overlock the seam allowances.
- On the belt-loop strip, press 1 cm along both long edges to the wrong side, fold the strip in half lengthwise, press, stitch the long edges together and topstitch along the fold. Cut the strip into 5 equal belt loops. Baste the belt loops to the upper edge of the trousers: at the front near the pockets, at the side seams, and at the back above the center seam.
- Waistband: Fold the waistband in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch the ends; turn right side out and press. Place the interfaced half of the waistband on the waist edge of the trousers, right sides together, and stitch. Fold the waistband up, press the open edge under and stitch it down from the right side, continuing the topstitching around the entire waistband. Turn the belt loops upwards, turn under and topstitch at the upper edge of the waistband.
- Press the hem of the trouser bottom inwards, turn under the raw edges and stitch along the edge. Make a buttonhole on the left end of the waistband; sew on the shank button and the flap buttons.
