Sewing 1940s Trousers from a Vintage Pattern + ADDING POCKETS!

Join me when I make a pair of high waisted 1940s Ladies' and Misses' Slacks from McCall's in 1942 (McCall's 4803)! I bought the pattern at a local antique & vintage sale and sadly the previous owner had cut & altered the original 1940s pattern and TAPERED the legs... 😩 Who does that!? 😧 😖
This meant I had to try to recreate the original 1940's wide-leg silhouette. I also wanted to add different pockets, in this case, diagonal side pockets to my trousers. I had to do a lot of pattern alteration & testing to get the perfect fit & shape for my pants. But hopefully, you will find this process helpful for when you need to alter your own patterns in the future!
Get the supplies:
▸ Tartan fabric from www.moodfabrics...
▸ Invisible zipper tinyurl.com/4cb...
▸ Skirt Hook & bar closure tinyurl.com/5jc...
▸ Origami print quilting cotton for the pockets from www.clubtissus...
▸ Bias binding - both store-bought bias tape in navy and me-made in the Origami-print tinyurl.com/yzp...
▸ McCall 4803 vintage pattern bought from a local antique & vintage sale - but sometimes you can find the pattern on Etsy: tidd.ly/3aea5Vk
Additional resources to successfully sew your own trousers:
▸ How to sew perfect darts every time • Sew perfect darts ever...
▸ How to sew the fly on trousers • How to Sew a Front Fly...
▸ How to make & attach belt loops • How to Make & Attach B...
▸ How to sew single welt pockets [coming soon]
A more detailed list of supplies + further resources on making great trousers can here found here: www.missmatti.c...
Check out 5 ways I styled the trousers in my look-book here: vm.tiktok.com/...
Evelyn Wood made a video on 5 ways to trace your vintage patterns to keep your originals intact • 5 METHODS TO TRACE A S...
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My name is Matilda. Some call me Matti and that’s how the name Miss Matti was born. I am a multi-passionate knitwear designer, that doesn't only love knitting, but sewing, painting, drawing comics, upcycling, and making things in general. I want to inspire you to create more, as well as living a life that is more sustainable both for yourself & the planet.
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#vintagesewing

[@missmatti]

Leave a comment and let me know if you want more detailed tutorials on how to add your own diagonal side pocket to any garment, make and attach your own bias tape, belt loops, attaching an invisible OR anything else from the video that you want me to go into in more detail! Also, if you have any good tips on pressing trousers so that the crease line stays intact for longer let me know! 🙏🏻😘

[@ForgetU]

I remember back it the 60's + 70's my Mother had a small stitch line to hold or create (simulate) a crease. If I remember right it was polyester material and it didn't hold a crease. I also think the crease was from crotch height to the bottom hem.

[@missmatti]

I think I’ve seen some of those! Hopefully someone can guide us to something that works haha 😅 I am considering otherwise asking if the dry cleaners can put it in for me!

[@ForgetU]

@@missmatti Well, I think you could mock it up and see if it will work for you.

[@trulyblessed.]

I’m just completely fascinated by your ability to alter patterns. I’m not nearly as skilled as you are and I continue to learn something new from each and every one of your videos. Thank you for continuing to post!!

[@missmatti]

Thank you so much! 🥰 I am so happy to hear that you are learning something new in every one of my videos - it is definitely my goal!

[@alexandrajarup292]

Beautiful trousers! Really interesting to see the whole process from start to finish, especially the tweaks you made to the pattern. I love the origami fabric. 🥰

[@missmatti]

Thank you so much! 🥰 The origami fabric is great isn't it? I wish I had ordered more!

[@MathildeHenriksen]

Your channel is amazing! And we almost have the same name 😍 I 100% agree with you about making the garment look beautiful both inside and outside. That is the biggest difference on quality clothing vs. cheap. I always check the insides when thrifting :)

[@missmatti]

Aw.. thank you! ❤️ Yes I know we almost have the same name too I saw the thumbnail for your video and then your name and I was like “I will definitely click she has almost my name!” (True story 😅) I do the same when buying clothes a habit I learnt from my mum 😉

[@MathildeHenriksen]

@@missmatti me too! 🥰 My mother is a professional semstress and designer, so she learned me everything I need to know about fabric and quality. But I didn't start sewing until just recently. However, I might have picked up a thing or two along the way from when I was a kid. But I've honestly learnt most of what I know through KZbin 😅

[@MathildeHenriksen]

When I get similar amount of subscribers as you, we should do a sewing collab. The Matild's 😎

[@missmatti]

Whenever you feel ready just let me know! I would love to do that 💖

[@MathildeHenriksen]

@@missmatti awesome! I will :D

[@Pke6853]

That is so annoying when people alter patterns. Worst of all when you buy a vintage garment and the previous owner alters it and has no clue what the hell they are doing. That really makes me mad. Thank you lovely job Cheers Tricia.

[@missmatti]

Glad you liked it! 😊 I totally hear you! A botched alteration is the worst discovery if you paid a pretty penny for a vintage piece (has happened to me as well). I do get people need to alter patterns or garments, but my general advice would be to try think about the life of the item after you are done with it.

[@TheRaclar]

What beautiful pants! I was especially impressed by the pattern matching of the plaid- It lines up perfectly! What was your strategy for that? Do you have any tips for pattern matching? Well done and thank you for the detailed informative video!

[@missmatti]

Glad to hear you found it informative! 🥰 There is SO MUCH to say about pattern matching. I might need to make a separate video and go in more detail about this. But I will give you some guidance until I get around to doing that: Inspect your pattern - where does the pattern repeat start and end? I found with many tartans/plaids it can look like they repeat sooner than they do because the stripes often alternate in color and design slightly. I then always cut single layer with the right side up. I picked a more dominant stripe of my pattern and put it at the centre of the leg, making sure it's razor straight and perfectly matched to the grain. Always use a part of the pattern as your 'anchor point'. Then I cut that first piece and removed the paper pattern, and then used the fabric piece as my pattern to cut my second piece making sure to put it right sides facing right sides so that it mirrors. Then it's time to consider your side seams before cutting the other side. Because they are less noticeable than the centre front or centre back - side seams are less important to match if you have a limited amount of material. Pattern match the stripes at the bum rather than on the sides for example as it will be more visible. Of course the crotch is a curved seam so your pattern repeat will be broken but I made sure the stripes would match up and look flattering. Ignore the seam allowance make sure it's the actual stitch line that matches up. To make sure my pattern pieces laid straight I checked that with my ruler. It's a lot of double checking and taking your time - but it's worth it!

[@ForgetU]

It's a McCalls' pattern not McCells'... A bit of my Mom showed up and told me to correct you. Haha (for the humor impaired). Kinda like the insert at 6:42. 10:19 the pattern update looked good, pockets are hard. They turned out looking great.

[@missmatti]

I am a bit confused haha..😅 I might have mispronounced it by mistake, but it might also just be my accent that makes it sound like I said that. However, if you meant it's McCall's pattern instead of McCall, apparently it used to be McCall before 1951 and then after that it changed to McCall's - super confusing I know! Anyway I am glad you enjoyed the video! 😄

[@ForgetU]

@@missmatti Thanks for the response, not really necessary. Me adding the "'s" was to show ownership. No big deal... probably accent. And I did enjoy the video, Most impressed how the pocket turned out.

[@missmatti]

Do not worry! It's been called McCall's with an s for 70 years now haha.. 😄And thank you! I am so pleased with the pockets still myself 😊

[@trulyblessed.]

Hi, Matti. I don’t understand why you decided to use the bias binding. What is the benefit of taking that approach vs using the approached suggested in the pattern instructions? I’m not familiar with creating bias binding and would appreciate a tutorial. Thanks.

[@missmatti]

It looks prettier! 😅 And it's a sturdy way to finish your seams. If I had gone for a method mentioned in the pattern I would have done the seam stitches turned and stitched option as my fabric would fray too much for the pinking shear method. Also I didn't want to hand sew overcast stitches to finish the seam edges - felt too time consuming! (But tbh probably would have taken me as long as making all that bias binding and attaching it looking back.) There are so many seam finishes I will definitely make sure to cover them in the future as well as how to make bias binding! 😊