Jutlands and sandals.

While waiting for some haberdashery to sew from my new Merchant and Mills Workbook (which is gorgeous, by the way) I thought I would make my husband a pair of 3/4 length 'shorts' for the summer holidays.  I had had my eye on the Thread Theory patterns for a while, thinking they would be ideal for the men in my life, so I chose the Jutland Pants, not fully realising what I was taking on.

I had a denim fabric in my stash from minervacrafts that I thought would be good.  It does have some stretch in it, not sure if that's good or not, time will tell.

Jutland 3/4's with cotton bamboo shirt
(kwik Sew pattern)

There are two versions of the pattern.  Version 1 is a classic casual trouser with curved front pockets and single welt back pockets.  I chose Version 2 which is described as a more rugged work style trouser with curved front pocket, patch pockets on the back, cargo pockets on the leg and optional knee and hem reinforcement.  Let me tell you - these are the business!

When I said I didn't mean quite what I was taking on, what I meant was that there are a lot of details and parts to these trousers, considering I set out to make shorts.

The curved pockets are french seamed, I used a bamboo cotton, which is lovely, but kind of wish I'd used something heavier now for durability.

I used topstitching thread for the first time, thankfully with no real problems.  Minervacrafts has an amazing array of colours.  I also used Gutterman Jean thread for extra strength which has a few colours of blue woven through so it blends in nicely to the denim.

Also, joy of joy, I learnt a new technique, that of flat fell seams.

What I learned was that you really need to be accurate with your 5/8 seam allowance, especially around areas where there are multiple layers, like the pockets, to ensure you have adequate for your little turn in on the flat fell.  Let's just say, I got better as I went along, the first one is not great, but sure it's all a learning curve.

He avoided the sandal/sock look!

I used some Liberty left over from his snazzyshirt just as a wee extra touch.  Those pockets took quite some time to make, but I really wanted them to be good, with the topstitching, pleat and flap.  I raised them by about 2 inches, comparing them to my husbands other shorts.

The other part that didn't go completely straightforward for me was the fly front and zipper.  I had only done one prior to this, the instructions were fine, it was just that I couldn't get my topstitching to go nice and straight and somehow broke a needle in the process, but the end result isn't too bad.

So, in conclusion, I feel that this pattern will be part of a core set of patterns for my man.  This is something I am striving to do for myself, think it's working better for him.  Maybe it's easier for men, there is so much choice for women, different silhouettes and so on.  This was a bigger project than I really meant to be doing (so many other things on my list) but it is a brilliant pattern, the instructions are good, the fit is great also.  Lots of different options, to me they are a classic, along the lines of the Toast men's trousers or Old-town.co.uk collection.  It has also made me appreciate how much work goes into a pair of tailored trousers or jeans.  It was good to have an unexpected challenge, I might even consider a pair of tailored trousers or jeans for myself now.

Now back to my Merchant and Mills Workbook!