Sometimes a pattern comes along that really surprises you. This was the case with Minerva’s new Amber Culottes that I was lucky enough to pattern test. When I first saw the pattern, I liked it, but I didn’t envisage falling in love with it the way I have. Now I’ve made it I can’t believe how comfortable the culottes are to wear and I can’t wait to get started on another pair. I know this is going to become a staple in my wardrobe.
The Culottes give you the best of both worlds, the appearance of a chic A-Line skirt but with the practicality of a trouser. This is a real blessing in a chair as sometimes it’s quite difficult not to have a wardrobe malfunction in a skirt on a windy day!
The comfort factor comes from the elastic waistband and stretch fabric, so definitely secret pyjama territory. The just below the knee hem looks longer in my chair but I find this length really flattering for a summers day when I still want to feel cool but I don’t want to go out somewhere in my shorts. Equally it will be perfect for winter with a pair of tights underneath.
The pattern is designed for medium-weight knit fabrics, so this gives the legs a real flowy feel, I imagine if I was walking about then they would be swishing around as I moved. The pattern covers hip measurement from 34 1/4” to 62” so a fabulous size range and due to the relaxed fit it is very unlikely you’ll need to make any fit adjustments, (a very big advantage if you are just starting out on your sewing journey).
The culottes are really quick and satisfying make having just two pattern pieces. Definitely a great one for a beginner making trousers for the first time, but equally satisfying for those of us that are a little more experienced. Who doesn’t love a quick make after all? As with all Minerva Exclusive patterns the instructions are really well written with accompanying detailed diagrams and a sew along video if you want further guidance.
My fabric for the culottes was a medium weight viscose jersey from Minerva’s core range. This is such a beautiful soft jersey with excellent drape and doesn’t curl up too badly at the edges the way some jerseys do. I was offered a selection of fabrics to choose from for this make in return for testing out the pattern.
After first laundering my fabric my hubby very kindly cut out the pattern for me using a rotary cutter. This is his chosen tool for cutting out jersey fabric.
I use fabric clips to hold the pieces together and then sewed the seams on my overlocker. I used a zig zag stitch on my normal sewing machine with a jersey needle for enclosing the elastic and then hemmed the legs using my cover stitch machine. You could very easily sew the whole project with a standard sewing machine.
The whole project comes together so quickly it’s a real joy to sew. Having never been a big culottes person previously, I’m definitely a convert, so thank you Minerva for introducing me to them and definitely changing my ideas around the perfect trouser.
(Image description: there are six photos taken from different angles of Yvonne sat in her wheelchair in her garden. She is wearing navy blue culottes)
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