I have yet to get a good picture of myself wearing these, but I’ve made two pair of HotPatterns Weekender Utility Cargo Pants now, and really like them. I definitely plan to make more.
Things I like:
- The cut-on waistband reduces bulk and stiffness around the waist, which is both comfortable and flattering
- The princess seams made it easy to adjust to get a good fit for my shape, plus they add visually interesting vertical lines
- All the pockets! So many pockets! I particularly like the front hip pockets, which function as both pocket and beltloop.
Things I liked less:
- The rise is super high on these. Like, I have a generous badonkadonk and a swayback, and I’m always adding to the back rise of trousers, but these I actually shortened a bit. (On the other hand, it’s easier to draw a line on your muslin where you want to cut it off, than it is to add fabric and hope it’s enough)
- The beltloops are a little short, and the waist facing is a little narrow, so I can’t wear as wide a belt as I’d like. Next time around, I’ll add about a half inch of width to the facing and length to the beltloops.
Things to watch out for in construction:
- The cut-on waistband changes the method for inserting and finishing the fly. If you follow the instructions, as I did the second time, it comes out looking super professional. Do follow the instructions! Do not, as I did the first time, think, “that’s really odd. why would she want me to do that? I’m not going to do that,” and go your own way.
Details: - Size range
- 6 – 26 roughly corresponding to ready-to-wear. A 26 is B52″/W44″/H54″
- What size did you make?
- I started with a 26, and customized quite a bit.
- What are your measurements, height, and body type?
- I’m a 5’3″ rectangle I guess; my hips and bust aren’t that much bigger than my waist. 50B/47W/54H.
- What adjustments did you make and how long did they take?
- I lowered the waist a bit in back and significantly in front.
- Added a couple inches to the front waist by angling out the princess seams; subtracted a couple inches from the back waist by angling them in
- Replaced the crotch shape with the custom shape I’ve come to prefer
- This didn’t take me all that long because I’ve adjusted other HotPatterns trousers before and I knew what I was doing.
- What fabric did you use?
- The first pair (black) is a cotton/lycra twill; the second (blue) is a cotton/tencel blend.
- What was the construction process like? Did the instructions make sense to you?
- I’ve complained about the sparseness of HotPatterns instructions before, but they’ve come a long way and the instructions on this pattern were super straightforward and clear, with helpful illustrations where I most needed them – once I got around to reading them.
- Construction was straighforward, albeit a bit finicky with all that topstitching and so many pockets to make sure are the same on both sides
- How do you like the pattern’s fit? Do you think the design works well for your particular body shape?
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- I really like how I got the fit adjusted to my shape, the princess seams really helped match the garment’s contour to my body’s contour. Because of this easy customizability, I would recommend this design for pretty much any shape.
- There are some who might say it’s not flattering to put bulky cargo pockets on my big fat butt and thighs, and to them I say, I like pockets and also:
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- Will you make the pattern again? If so, what fit or design changes will you make?
- I definitely plan to make it again, and again. I want to try dressing it up, by using a wool blend suiting and leaving off the pockets. I want to badass it up by using pleather. To start with.
Pattern Rating
Size Range (1-5) – 3 – from my perspective as a plus-size sewist, a 26 isn’t very big
Instructions (1-5) – 4.5 – clear and simple, but probably not suitable for the absolute beginner
Construction Process (1-5) – 5 – These went together exactly as expected and described.
Final Fit (1-5) – 5 – The princess seams helped me to get a really nice fit.
Overall Rating (1-5) – 4 – A good trouser, easily adaptable for many figure types, and quite fashionable right now.
Sew L33t 