Finished: Summery 1940s Slacks - Simplicity 3688

Oh, how long I have been wanting to sew a pair of high waisted trousers! I had the very famous repro Simplicity 3688 lying around for almost a year now, but for some reason I was too scared to sew them up. Pants always seem to be prone to fitting issues and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to fix them if they did come up.

The time I felt ready finally arrived and I quickly sewed up a muslin which seemed to fit me perfectly. One of the main things I was excited about was wearing these pants with the 1940s blouses I have sewn so far. While nearly complete, I tried on the slacks with one of said blouses. Something looked very off. The pleats that shape the waist of the blouse were sticking out quite far above the waistband. Making the pants and blouse look ridiculous together. I also noticed the waistband did not seem to be sitting as high on my torso as it does on most other ladies, yet it sits at my natural waistline. I was completely puzzled until I finally realized what was going on: I have a long torso! Or maybe not a long torso but at least a lower than usual waistline. I can't believe I never noticed that before.




I_have a 25,5" waist and 37" hip, and after measuring the pattern pieces decided to trace size 10 (25"waist) for the waist and size 12 (36" hip) for the rest of the trousers. The fit was pretty good on me, so I'd say this pattern has about 0,5" to 1" too much ease. Not too bad.




The original waistband was quite narrow so I added 1/2 to make it wider. I also added 1/2" to the length. These pants are pretty short!





All in all I think the trousers from Simplicity 3688 are an okay pattern. Very easy and straight forward to sew and definitely a good start if you are looking to sew your first pair of trousers. If you are on the skinny side like me, and want pretty wide slacks I definitely recommend tracing a least one size bigger for the legs.

Changes to make next time:
- Straighten side seams from waist to hip (they are a little too curvy)
- Lower the back crotch slightly
- Widen the legs
- Lengthen to add cuffs (optional)
- Add pockets, either in the side seams or patch pockets (optional)

I have actually acquired two 1940s patterns for trousers since I've sewn these so I am going to give those a try for the next pair. And I'm a little behind on my blogging; I've already finished two blouses since I started these slacks!