This has been an experimental project trying to create a pair of trousers designed solely for my seated figure. In the past I’ve always worried about how I’d look when I was transferring in and out of my wheelchair so tried to have the best of both worlds but this doesn’t really work as the two body shapes are so different. As I spend 99% of my time seated it makes sense to perfect a seated trouser pattern.
Previously I used to try to adapt a traditional pattern designed for a standing person and then adjusted it to fit my seated body. This time I was setting out to create a seated pattern from the offset.
I knew that I wanted an elasticated waistband and wouldn’t be wanting pockets as you can’t easily reach them sat in a chair (and they have a nasty habit of gaping anyway). I also knew I wanted to try for a smarter look as I often wear jeggings.
The pattern would need to have a raised back and a lower front to produce an even waistband when seated. The crotch would need to provide more room in the back and less in the front to fit my seated shape, and last but not least the legs would need to be lengthened and then adjusted so that they were longer in the front than the back to create the impression of an even hemline after they were bent over my knees.
Fabric
The fabric I’ve used is a lovely stretch woven viscose crepe from Minerva’s core range in a charcoal melange colourway. I was very kindly gifted this as part of their Ambassador programme. It is a good weight for a pair of everyday trousers, not too heavy and with just enough stretch to make it comfortable to wear. It does have a lovely drape to it and would also be ideal for a skirt or dress. I felt this fabric would give me the more formal look I wanted whilst still factoring in comfort with the stretch.
Pattern
As a starting point I got out a couple of my favourite patterns and analysed the shapes of each piece and then set about drawing up my own taking into account my specific requirements. In addition to my needs as a wheelchair user I also had to take into account my full tummy and sway back.
Preparation
I initially drew out my pattern on Swedish tissue paper and then after trying to fit it onto my seated dress form realised that I wasn’t going to get a true feel for how the garment would drape from the tissue paper so decided to go ahead and cut out the pattern and just tack the pieces together. I would normally have used a cheaper version of my actual fabric for this, but didn’t have anything that was anywhere near similar so left larger seam allowances so I could make adjustments if required.
The fabric test run really highlighted that I needed to reduce the amount of extra fabric in my lap. I had already made the adjustment to the paper pattern so that the front fit my tummy comfortably but then this left me with way too much fabric at the top of the hips so I decided to put in a couple of darts to resolve the problem.
I loved the result of these as it then fitted much more snugly and surprisingly didn’t look as odd as I imagined it would.
After much deliberation I decided to leave the excess fabric at the back of my knees as I was concerned how a comfortable a dart in this area would be, but I could always try this when I make them again in the future. I let out the seams in the front thigh area but will probably add more room when I make them next time as well.
Construction
I sewed the trousers using a standard sewing machine fitted with a microtex size 80/12 needle and finished the edges on my overlocker. Despite my concerns about using the overlocker I was really happy that the tummy darts didn’t feel uncomfortable at all and all the seams were comfy too.
For a first attempt I’m pretty happy with these and I’ve learnt a lot from making them. Next time though, I’d like to try a Ponte as I don’t think the drape of the viscose crepe was doing me any favours as it looked kind of weird at the bottom of my legs, these would probably have looked better with wider legs trousers, ( I purposely didn’t make wide leg trousers – the obvious choice for crepe, because I didn’t want them catching in my wheels). Next time I will also add even more length to the legs as despite being aware of this they do still seem to have come up shorter than I hoped.
(Image description: there are six images taken from different angles, showing Yvonne, sat in her wheelchair in her conservatory wearing a grey trousers with a multicoloured top.)
#MinervaBrandAmbassador, #MinervaMakes, #MinervaMakers, #SewnShownSeated, #SewingWithViscoseCrepe, #SewOver50March2024, #DisabledSewist, #MeMadeEveryDay, #WheelchairConsiderations, #SewingForASeatedFigure, #LearningAsYouGoAlong.
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