Denim Flint Culottes

Not much can beat a garment that turns out perfectly. These denim culottes ended up exactly how I envisioned them and I am so happy with how they turned out! It was a project that was a joy the whole way through, from cutting the fabric to the very few fitting adjustments needed. 

A pair of denim culottes seems to me to be the perfect trouser for spring - now that I've made a pair I'm just left with having to wait for spring to actually come! I've wanted to make the Megan Nielsen Flint Pants ever since the pattern came out. Although my mind was brimming with ideas for a variety of variations a denim pair seemed like the perfect first pair. The wide legs meant that I wanted a fabric that was structured enough to hold it's shape but still lightweight enough to hang nicely. It's not often that the perfect fabric comes along but in this case it did: a cotton denim from Craft Cotton Co. For such a basic fabric the perfect denim isn't easy to find but this one honestly was just that. The perfect shade, the perfect weight and it was such a lovley fabric to work with. Using a stable cotton fabric is always a dream after sewing with unstable fabrics especially having a fabric that doesn't move when being cut out.

The main design feature of this pattern is actually really simple but completely ingenious. A tie closure and hidden buttonhole allow the trousers to be put on without the need for a zip and adds a lovely detail too. I like the pleats a lot too, they add a nice interest to waistband. One of the things that I like about using such a plain fabric is that these details show up really well.

I've never made a pair of trousers quite this wide before although I do like the look of them. It meant that I spent quite a long time at the hemming stage testing different legths before I found the right length, I think leaving them too long would have left me swamped in fabric.

The fit on these is great. The only adjustment I made was to lower the waistband by 2cm and on my next pair I'll adjust the crotch length on the pattern first to avoid having to do this. They came up really high waisted at first but this completely solved the problem and although they remain a little loose around the waist they're very comfortable and fit well in general. 

These trousers are pretty much my idea of a perfect pair of culottes. I loved sewing them and I'm sure that I will love wearing them too.