Linen Trousers with Wide Loops
Full-length women's trousers with straight wide legs and pressed creases, a waist finished with shaped facings and wide belt loops instead of a waistband, front pockets with lined bags, a decorative zip in a slanted false welt on each front, and a fly zip with one button.
When To Wear
- In summer, for the office or the city, with a blouse or a loose shirt.
- On holiday and for warm-weather travel, with flat shoes or sandals.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Straight, wide legs from hip to hem.
Length: Full length, hem turned up 3 cm and topstitched.
Waist: No separate waistband: the upper edge is finished with interfaced front and back facings in two layers, understitched 0.2 cm from the seam. The wide belt loops are cut from one strip, topstitched 0.3 cm from the edges and sewn into the facing seam at the bottom and onto the facing at the top.
Closure: Centre front zip, 20 cm, with cut-on fly facings, an interfaced fly shield and a topstitched fly on the right front; one button and buttonhole at the waist.
Pockets: Front pockets with the opening at the upper edge of the front, faced with a lining pocket bag and topstitched, and a side front panel bar-tacked at the waist for 3 cm. Above them, a slanted false welt opening on each front with a decorative zip set under its edges, teeth visible, edgestitched 0.2 cm.
Back: Plain back with a centre back seam stitched twice along the seat.
Legs: Creases pressed on the front and back halves; side seams and inseams pressed towards the back.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. A fly zip with fly shield, a welt opening with a zip set under it, faced pockets and a two-layer faced waist with belt loops.
Fabric Recommendations
Linen blend fabrics.
Additional Supplies
- Zip, 20 cm (fly)
- 2 decorative zips
- 1 button
- Lining fabric for the pocket bags
- Fusible interfacing (waist facings, fly shield, pocket opening allowances)
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Side Front Panel – 2 pieces
- Front Half – 2 pieces
- Back Half – 2 pieces
- Front Right Facing – 2 pieces
- Front Left Facing – 2 pieces
- Button Catch – 1 piece
- Back Facing – 2 pieces
- Belt-Loop – 1 piece (one strip, cut into loops after sewing)
- From lining fabric:
- Front Pocket Bag – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing: Front Right Facing, Front Left Facing, Back Facing, Button Catch, and the pocket opening allowances.
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the back and front facings, the button catch, and the pocket opening allowances.
- Press the creases on the front and back halves.
- Mark the zipper pocket on the front half. Place the welt facing on the front, right sides together, and pin along the marked pocket opening line. From the wrong side, stitch along the marked lines, forming a rectangle. Cut through the facing and the front along the pocket opening, making diagonal cuts into the corners 1-1.5 cm from each end. Turn the facing to the wrong side through the opening, straighten the edges and press the opening. Place the decorative zipper under the edges of the opening so that the teeth are visible. Edgestitch around the opening 0.2 cm from the edge. Baste the false-pocket backing to the facing allowances, trim the excess fabric and stitch the backing to the facing allowances. Remove the basting and overlock the outer edges of the facing and backing together.
- Face the upper (pocket) edge of the front half with the front pocket bag and topstitch. Place the side front panel on the pocket bag, stitch the edges together and overlock them. Bar tack the side front panel to the front half at the upper edge, 3 cm long.
- Stitch and overlock the side seams of the trousers. Press the side seams towards the back half.
- Overlock the front crotch and center back edges and the lower edges of the trouser legs. Stitch and overlock the inseams. Press the inseams towards the back half. Stitch the front crotch seam and the center back seam up to the zipper notch. Stitch a second row along the seat seam next to the first.
- Fold the button catch in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch the short lower edge. Turn it right side out and press. Overlock the long raw edges and press.
- Press the cut-on fly facings to the wrong side. Stitch the zipper under the edge of the left closure allowance, close to the edge, together with the button catch. Stitch the free zipper tape to the cut-on fly facing of the right half. Topstitch the fly on the right front half, catching the facing.
- Overlock the long edges of the belt-loop strip, press them under and topstitch 0.3 cm from the edges. Press, then cut into loops.
- Stitch the side seams of the outer front and back facings and press them open. Mark the belt loop positions and stitch the loops to the lower edge of the outer facings. Stitch the outer facings to the upper edge of the trousers and press the seam towards the facings.
- Overlock the lower edge of the inner facings. Place the inner facings on the outer facings, right sides together, and stitch along the upper edge. Understitch the seam allowance onto the inner facings 0.2 cm from the seam, stopping 3 cm from each end. Stitch the ends of the facings, trim the excess and turn out the corners.
- Stitch the inner facings in the ditch of the outer facing seam and press. Turn under the upper ends of the belt loops and topstitch them onto the facings.
- Press the hem allowance to the wrong side and topstitch.
- Work a buttonhole on the right side of the waist facing and sew the button on the left side.
