Fibremood - Babette Trousers

Worn here with my TATBs Tabitha T-Shirt

Introduction

I recently resubscribed to Fibremood magazine as I was impressed with the selection on the most recent edition, number 13 which this pattern is from. I’m usually exclusively wearing skinny jeans but I loved the shape of the Babette trousers and thought they’d look wonderful in the summer worn with Birkenstocks, as I have them styled here.

Fabric & Notions

The fabric is Robert Kaufman Bleached Indigo Washed Denim 10oz from Sister Mintaka. I didn’t own any light wash denim and often found myself wishing I had some so this was the perfect opportunity to fill a hole in my wardrobe. This fabric is a beautiful quality, opaque, zero-stretch classic denim. It feels quite hard-wearing which is exactly the texture I wanted for this project. When making jeans I would recommend spending a little bit more to get high-quality fabric as it’s a hard-working garment and you want them to last.

I also bought the Kylie and the Machine jeans making kit with all the rivets, zip and button in gold. It also has the tools you need to install them so it couldn’t be simpler to use. However, after a couple wears the original button fell off and I replaced with another one from my stash. Even though the buttons look really nice I don’t think they have sufficient grip inside to hold them on which is really important in a high tension position.

Pattern

As I’ve already mentioned before I have a few bug bears when it comes to patterns from Fibremood (tracing out the patterns which are sometimes split between sheets, the numbering for the sizes is different from the instructions to the pattern sheet and seam allowances are not included) but I’ve made a few of their patterns now so I know what to expect. I always use the instructions which can be found on the website rather than the images in the magazine as these are much more thorough. However, I didn’t use their instructions for the zip fly because they were not clear enough and I used some others I’d used previously. I didn’t make any adjustments to the pattern and the fit is bang on. I would say this pattern is suitable for an intermediate sewer or a beginner who is looking to stretch themselves but just find some alternative instructions for the zip fly.

Summary

These are definitely more of a summer jean due to the cropped length and would look good with sandals or white trainers. I think if I made them again then I might increase the length of the rise as they feel a little snug but other than that they came out exactly as I thought they would and they’re a classic silhouette which could be easily made up in a linen or other woven fabric.