Women's cargo pants

A nod to ’90s and ’00s shapes and pop culture, these amazing trousers will make a stylish and playful addition to your wardrobe! This pattern has cargo-style pleated pockets, a fly zip front and an elasticated waist. The project is more advanced because the pockets and waistband require precision and fly front zips are quite involved. The trousers need a material with some structure, but avoid a fabric that’s too heavyweight.

Materials

º 2.2 m (2½ yd) fabric, 150 cm (60 in.) wide, º 70 cm (27½ in.) medium-weight iron-on interfacing

º 18cm (7-in.) trouser zip º Elastic, 3 cm (1¼ in.) wide – approx. 10 cm (4 in.) less than your waist measurement

º 2 buttons for the pockets

º 1 trouser hook and bar

º Zip foot º Basic sewing kit (see page 10)

Difficulty level

Advanced

Fabric suggestions

Cotton twill, light- to medium-weight denim, light- to medium-weight corduroy. You could try something with some drape, too, such as a cotton viscose, or something with a tiny bit of stretch.

Design notes

Use a 1.5-cm (⅝-in.) seam allowance throughout, unless otherwise stated.

CUTTING GUIDE

1 Back – cut 2 2 Right front – cut 1 3 Left front – cut 1 4 Back waistband – cut 1 in fabric, 1 in interfacing 5 Right front waistband – cut 1 in fabric, 1 in interfacing 6 Left front waistband – cut 1 in fabric, 1 in interfacing 7 Patch pocket – cut 2 8 Pocket flap – cut 4 9 Pocket side panel – cut 2 10 Zip guard – cut 1 in fabric, 1 in interfacing 11 Fly facing – cut 1 in fabric, 1 in interfacing 12 Top pocket – cut 2

THE SEWING STARTS HERE

PREPARE THE PIECES

1 Following the manufacturer’s instructions, apply iron-on interfacing to the wrong side of the zip guard, the fly facing and all three waistband pieces.

2 Zigzag or overlock (serge) the side, inner leg and crotch seams of all four trouser leg pieces, as well as all edges of the top pocket, patch pocket and pocket side panels.

SEW THE FLY ZIP

3 Place your front leg pieces right sides together, at the centre front seam. Stitch from the crotch point up to the notch and backstitch.

4 Insert a fly zip into the centre front crotch seam (see page 28).

NOTE

These are women’s trousers, so the fly should fasten right over left as worn.

SEW THE SIDE SEAMS

5 Take one front leg piece and place it on top of the front, right sides together. Pin and stitch the side seam, then press the seam allowances