Lepidoptera rotations (and DIY trousers)

Trousers – handmade by me | Lace top – Dorothy Perkins | Ballet pumps – Butterfly Twists

…aka Butterfly Twists!

Sorry, the title of this post is a geek joke but I couldn’t resist (the lepdioptera is the order of insects that contains butterflies). Butterfly Twists is a footwear company specialising in folding ballet pumps and boots that can be tucked into a handbag to save you from high heels. I was lucky enough to win a pair in a recent giveaway of Sherin’s, and they are super comfy. What with the ballerina print on the trousers and the ballet pumps, I couldn’t resist busting out a few silly one-leg poses!

I’ve been wanting to have a go at making trousers for ages. Skirts are very easy, simple dresses are also a reasonably straightforward dressmaking challenge. When it comes to running up a garment I like to freestyle; I pick a fabric, get a rough idea of what and how to make it I want in my head, and then go for it. This approach has resulted in several dresses and a multitude of skirts. But is it possible to freestyle a pair of trousers? They tend to be a bit more fiddly, requiring a degree of precision and infinitely more pattern pieces than a skirt. Nonetheless, I thought I would have a go. I dug out the ballerina print fabric that had been knocking around my stash for a while (I do love printed trousers), used a really simple pair of PJ trousers to make a pattern, and got to work.

This is my “standing on the patio wearing pyjama trousers” look. These trousers do still look a bit pyjama-ish; I’m thinking of tailoring the legs a bit more so that I don’t look quite so much like the student I used to be, off down to Tesco in my jammies. However, on a day like today a pair of loose cotton trousers are definitely a winner!

Do you have a project in mind that you haven’t had the nerve to start yet? This weekend, go for it, I dare you . I plan on enjoying a lot of barbeque food and motorsport this weekend (Indy 500, Monaco Grand Prix, and Motorsport at Crystal Palace). What will you be up to? xx