pants! we all need them. – kelly hogaboom

Before I changed my Juki needle and thread to those appropriate for the Bemberg rayon of the jacket lining, I decided to construct the pants from Burda 9671. Compared to the structure and more formal details of the jacket, these are a breeze; topstitched patch pockets, no lining, and only a simple yoke and fly front.

Lots of tailors tacks: pocket placement and center-front, mostly.

Pockets – kids need them! I applied all the pockets of both the jacket and pants on the cross-grain, to provide subtle design interest:

I cut and applied the pockets and back yoke at the cross-grain for subtle design interest. — Underlining is a must for this lightweight linen - especially when adding pockets.

My favorite pants for children use a flat, fly-front, and are coupled with some elastic in the back waistband. Kids grow and move a lot – the flat-front is stylish and removes bunk at the waist and hip, but the back elastic provides longer wear.

I owe much of my enjoyment in sewing a fly-front zipper to Sandra Betzina’s video tutorial, hosted by Threads magazine. When putting a zipper in pants, I do as she suggests and ignore the directions entirely in favor of her approach – which has never left me astray. The only thing you need for your pants is a fly extension on both left and right side; anything 1.25″ or wider will do.

People are intimidated by sewing zippers; with the right directions, it is actually very easy.

I rarely buy new zippers; you can always find wonderful colors and types in local thrift stores. You can also tear out zippers from worn-out pants – the sturdy twill construction of the tape wears very well!

In applying the waistband I do the following: interface the waistband piece, finish the raw edge of the wrong side of the waistband (I used red bias tape), sew the waistband at the waist edge, right-sides together, trim and grade, flip, press, hammer out the bulk at the facings, and topstitch:

In applying a waistband, stitch slowly to prevent problems.

Turning under the WS edge of waistband; a treatment you will see in RTW slacks as well.

In background you can see the bake yoke of pants; in foreground, front pocket.

Finally, it was time to construct the buttonhole and sew on the button. I have used a handful of buttonhole methods in my time, but for machine buttonholes my favorite has been my 1950 Singer Centennial 201-2 and its attachment:

Technology nearly 60 years old - and it works wonderfully!

Finally, the belt carriers are made, stitched to the front of the pants, then hand-stitched at the back (this latter detail I decided on in favor of the pattern’s instructions to machine stitch from the public side of the waistband):

A few extra minutes handsewing results in a sturdy, lovely-looking belt carrier detail.

Next up: finishing the coat lining and coat details!