Many of you ask me for advice to start making trousers and especially your first trousers. So I thought it was worth compiling a small (non-exhaustive) list of simple trouser patterns, varied models, accessible to beginner sewers, available in a wide range of sizes and whose making will be satisfying!

So let's discover these lovely patterns and these lovely creators!

The Philippe pattern by Coralie Bijasson

Philippe is a loose trouser with wide legs, easy to make and wear. It is a very comfortable model. There is no zip to install for an easier making. The waist is elasticated, the trousers have pockets on the sides.
It is available from size 34 to 48 which corresponds to a waist measurement between 60 and 88 cm; and a hip measurement between 86 and 114 cm. You will find it on the brand's website at the price of €8 for the PDF pattern and €12.5 for the printed pattern. For this model, prefer light and flowing fabrics but not transparent such as crepe, viscose or a cotton (plan for about 220 cm of fabric and a 3/4 cm wide elastic). You will find all the necessary supplies to sew Philippe in the shop.
The seam allowances (1 cm) are included in the pattern as well as the hem values.

Be careful, the trousers are deliberately long to suit all body shapes. You will therefore need to adjust the leg length if you are short.

The Pio trousers by Ready to sew

Pio is a high-waisted and elasticated trouser with a slightly carrot shape. It has two large front pockets and two patch pockets at the back. Its finished length falls on the ankle but it can also be worn rolled up.

Pio is available from size 32 to 58 which corresponds to a waist measurement between 61.5 and 124 cm; and a hip measurement between 89 and 151 cm. It is sold at the price of €10.20 in PDF format on the brand's website.

For the fabric, you will need between 160 and 230 cm of linen canvas, cotton/linen blend, cotton poplin, light denim,... and a 3 to 4 cm wide elastic.

The Jumpy trousers by Ready to sew

The second trouser from the brand Ready to sew that I wanted to present to you is Jumpy. It slips on like a wrap skirt over your swimsuit at the beach or with a little summer top. It ties at the front and requires no zip, elastic or button, it is the ideal trouser for sewing beginners.

It is a straight leg trouser that falls at the ankle or a rolled-up short at mid-thigh. It has Italian pockets and two back darts.

Jumpy is available from size 32 to 46 which corresponds to a waist measurement of 58 to 87 cm; and a hip measurement of 82 to 111 cm. It is sold at the price of €10.20 on the brand's website. The recommended fabrics are cotton poplin, chambray, linen and its blends. For these trousers, you cannot use stretch or too flowing fabrics. You will need about 115 cm of fabric for the short version and 200 cm for the trousers.

The Hector trousers by Petit Patron

The Hector trousers are designed to be your ally for summer holidays. They have been drawn with a loose cut to provide maximum comfort but without being hot. The waist is elasticated for maximum comfort and it is proposed to insert a tie to ensure that the trousers always stay in place. Explanatory tutorials also allow you to make the short version.

Hector is available from size 34 to 56 which corresponds to a waist measurement between 64 and 120 cm; and a hip measurement between 88 and 144 cm. It is sold at the price of €8.75 on the brand's website.

To make your trousers, you will need about 200 cm to 270 cm of fabric depending on your size, a bit of thin fusible interfacing and 4 cm wide elastic. Hector is sewn in a thin fabric such as poplin, viscose or crepe. I see it well in a Dashwood Studio viscose or Lise Tailor viscose that you will find in the shop.

The Fez trousers by La Maison Victor

Originally published in the 2018 issue 3, Fez is available on the Maison Victor website at the price of €5.85. It is graded from size 30 to 48.

I had made two versions of this pattern by modifying it somewhat to suit my desires. I had added contrasting piping along the side of the leg and had replaced the waistband with a lurex elastic, ... when you love sparkles...

You will find a nice selection of piping (lurex, neon, suede...) as well as lurex elastics in the shop

Find the full article by clicking here.

The Calder trousers by Patronnes

This model is well suited for sewing your first slightly more "dressy" trousers. Its closure with a loop allows a very simple sewing and a nice pleated finish on the sides, on a high waist.

Calder is available from size 34 to 48 (and up to 46 for the printed patterns) which corresponds to a waist measurement between 62 and 90 cm; and a hip measurement between 89 and 117 cm. Calder is sold at the price of €8.5 for the PDF pattern and €15.90 for the printed format on the brand's website.

The recommended fabrics to sew these trousers are soft fabrics for a nice drape such as: semi-thick cotton canvas, soft gabardine, flannel, velvet, soft denim for which you will need 220 to 230 cm depending on your size. You will also need 4 D-shaped rings to make the closure.

Finally, I could not fail to tell you about Emilie Pouillot-Ferrand’s great explanatory booklet for sewing your first tailored trousers. Admittedly, this sewing project is not suitable for beginners but what a joy to follow the explanations of this reference booklet.

The tailored trousers by Emilie Pouillot-Ferrand from Laplage editions

It is the first tailored trousers I sewed for myself and I had written an article about it which you can find by clicking here. Be lenient, it is one of my very first articles 😊.

I sewed it in a pretty cotton twill fabric to which I added a gold piping to mark the pocket openings. I had fun working on the facings with a pretty contrasting poplin. You will find in the shop perfect cotton twill fabrics for this project.

So now you have a range of accessible patterns, all that’s left is to choose and dare to start!

Get your needles ready!