Cream Corduroy True Bias Lander Pants

I've made another pair of Lander Pants - woop! This was definitely the pattern of 2020 for me, not necessarily because I made lots of pairs but because I discovered how much I like it. I actually bought this pattern ages ago (I think it might have been on sale somewhere at some point?) but didn't get round to making it until last January, when I made a black denim pair. I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed wearing them and went on to make a gingham pair in the summer which I also love.

I knew that I wanted to make another pair, this time a pair which was long unlike the other two which are slightly cropped. I hadn't yet decided what kind of fabric to make them out of but my mum and I enjoyed a trip to Higgs & Higgs just before the second lockdown. It's such a nice fabric shop as it's essentially their warehouse which is open to the public, making it amazing to look round. I last went in 2018 (you can see what I bought here) and have wanted to go back since. I didn't buy as much this time, leaving with a grey rib to make my mum a top and cream corduroy to make myself a pair of Lander Pants.

I hadn't planned to make a pair of corduroy Landers but I had been toying with the idea of making some cream trousers. The fabric that I found was so lovely and made my plan fall into place, specifically to make a pair of long Lander Pants. Higgs & Higgs have quite a large selection of corduroy fabrics but there was very little of the colour I liked left on the roll. I've had a look on their website and can't find the fabric that I used, it looks a lot like this one but the two shades of cream in the shop were slightly different. There was only 1.3m left on the roll and they wouldn't be getting any more in as it was ex-designer. I really wasn't convinced I'd be able to get a pair of Lander Pants out of 1.3m if they were long and included the pockets, but after hesitating over the other shade of cream and also a tan colour I decided to try and make it fit. If there wasn't enough fabric, I'd make a pair of shorts instead.

But there was enough fabric! It was very, very just but I managed to squeeze all the pattern pieces on and even got pockets cut out too. There wasn't quite enough to make them full length so for the hem I literally pieced the scraps together to make a 2" deep strip that I then sewed around the bottom and turned up. I'm so pleased I went with the fabric I wanted as the colour is just right.

One of the things I really like about the shade of cream is how well it goes with the brass buttons. These are the same buttons that I used on my black Lander Pants, they're hammer in jeans buttons that I think complete the trousers perfectly. I considered using a tan coloured topstitch thread to match the buttons, but went for a matching cream in the end. I'm not displeased with the matching topstitching but I think a subtle contrast could have looked nice.

I was expecting to have to leave off the back pockets due to fabric shortage but just had enough fabric to add them in the end. I purposely chose to leave off the back pockets on my black and gingham Landers as I just didn't like the square look, but somehow felt like they were needed on the cream corduroy. I'm not sure why I felt like that, but I think they look nice!

In the interest of adding extra details, my favourite thing to do on makes, I added a leather patch to the waistband. I'm so pleased with it and definitely want to buy some more to add to future jeans. I got a pack of 3 when I went to Stoff & Still, used one on my mum's bag and one on these Landers leaving me the last one to add to my next pair of jeans. It's a lovely way of making them feel more professional too. 

The main reason that I love the True Bias Lander Pants is because the pattern fits me so well. I still stand by that but this pair sadly doesn't fit quite as well as my other two pairs. The issue this time is that they're just a bit big around the waist causing them to fall down slightly which I find really annoying. I made the same adjustments of taking them in at the side seams as I always do, so I think that the problem with these is that the fabric has stretched out slightly. The gingham Landers fit me perfectly thanks to the fact that they're made from a lightweight fabric with absolutely no stretch. Whilst the corduroy isn't really very stretchy, it does have a bit of stretch in it which is why they've turned out a little big. It's not a massive problem but it's a bit of a shame.

I really love the details on this pattern, especially the front pockets which I was really keen to add so luckily there was enough fabric. What I like about these pockets is that fact that they're different to most jeans pockets making the finished make more interesting.

I haven't been able to wear these out yet but I'm hoping to do so soon as I really like them and need to get used to wearing what is a slightly different style for me. When I first made the Lander Pants I really didn't want a pair of long wide-legged trousers. That was less than a year ago so it just goes to show how much taste changes!