Sew wide-leg linen trousers with pockets

Wide-leg linen trousers with an elastic waist need no zip, no fly and no waistband: a front and a back leg each cut twice, four pocket bags and a length of 3 cm (1 1/4 in) elastic. Sew the pockets into the side seams, close the side seams and inseams, join the legs at the crotch, fold down a casing for the elastic and hem. Plan on about 2.3 m (2 1/2 yd) of linen for a full-length pair and a relaxed day of sewing.

Which linen works best for wide-leg trousers?

Choose a midweight linen of about 160–220 gsm (roughly 5–6 1/2 oz per square yard). Lighter linen is lovely for shirts but can be see-through in trousers; hold a single layer up to the light before you buy. Washed or softened linen drapes more and creases more gently than a crisp, unwashed one, and a linen-viscose blend creases even less.

Prewash linen the way you will wash the trousers, twice if you can: it can shrink a few percent on the first wash, more in a dryer. The post on sewing with linen covers pressing and seam finishes in detail.

How much linen do you need?

Trouser legs are long and the back leg is wide at the crotch, so the front and back are usually cut one above the other rather than side by side. For a full-length pair at an average size, that means about two leg lengths of fabric: around 2.3 m (2 1/2 yd) of 140–150 cm (55–60 in) linen. A cropped culotte length needs about 1.9 m (2 1/8 yd). On 110 cm (45 in) fabric the figure is similar for small and medium sizes, but larger sizes may need an extra length. The four pocket bags fit in the leftovers, or you can cut them from a lighter cotton to reduce bulk at the hips.

What makes a trouser leg "wide"?

The leg style is set by the circumference at the knee and at the hem. Here is how the styles compare at an average size (a hip around 97 cm or 38 in) in a relaxed fit:

Length matters as much as width for a wide leg. A full length that almost reaches the floor reads as elegant; an ankle length, about 6 cm (2 3/8 in) shorter, is easier with sneakers; a cropped culotte stops at mid-calf. Wear the shoes you plan to wear when you mark the hem.

How long should the elastic be?

Cut the elastic at about 92 % of your waist minus 2 cm, plus 3 cm (1 1/4 in) of overlap. For a 72 cm (28 1/4 in) waist, that is 64 cm plus the overlap: 67 cm (26 3/8 in). Linen is heavier than lawn, so a wider elastic of 3–4 cm (1 1/4–1 1/2 in) holds it better than a narrow one. The casing allowance is the elastic width plus 1 cm. The elastic length calculator gives the figure for other waists.

How do you sew wide-leg trousers, step by step?

1. Cut and mark. Cut two front legs and two back legs as mirrored pairs, and four pocket bags. Mark the notches: one on the front crotch, two on the back. Chalk an F and a B on the wrong side of each leg.
2. Pockets. Sew a pocket bag to the side edge of each front and back leg between the pocket notches, right sides together, about 1 cm (3/8 in) from the edge. Press the bags outward; understitching the front bags stops them from rolling out. The in-seam pocket guide shows each move.
3. Side seams. Sew each front to its back along the side, pivoting around the pocket bags. Press the pockets toward the front.
4. Inseams. Sew each leg's inside leg seam from hem to crotch.
5. Crotch seam. Turn one leg right side out and slip it into the other, so the right sides face. Match the inseams at the crotch point first, then the notches, and sew the whole crotch curve in one pass. Sew a second row 3 mm (1/8 in) inside the first along the lower curve, then trim there.
6. Finish the seams. Linen frays, so serge or zigzag every allowance.
7. Casing. Fold the waist allowance to the inside and stitch it down, leaving a 5 cm (2 in) gap at the center back. Thread the elastic, overlap and zigzag the ends, then close the gap.
8. Hem. Try the trousers on with your shoes, then press up a double-fold hem on the 2.5 cm (1 in) allowance and stitch.
9. Press with steam, and with a pressing cloth on darker linen to avoid shine.

How do you tell the front leg from the back?

The back leg has a longer, deeper crotch extension, a center back that rises about 3 cm (1 1/4 in) higher than the front for room over the seat, and double notches. Sewing two fronts together is the classic mistake: the result looks fine on the table and pulls uncomfortably as soon as you sit. Keep your chalk letters visible until the crotch seam is sewn.

Can Sewly draft trousers from your measurements?

The crotch is where store-bought trousers most often fail. Sewly's pull-on trousers pattern drafts it from your own crotch depth, measured seated from the waist down to the chair, with the rise and the back extension calculated from your hip. Take that measurement carefully with the body measurement guide; the leg style, length, fit, elastic width and pockets are all options that redraw the pattern instantly.