Sewing Instructions – Models 268 & 272 Trousers

Models 268 & 272 – Trousers (Z) ★★ Wide-leg trousers with hip yokes, a center front zipper fly, sharp creases and waist pleats. The same base pattern also makes 11 additional pants models from the binder. Please scroll down to find the model number of your pants pattern for additional instructions. Draft the pattern with the Lutterloh System from your hip measurement, then add seam allowances before cutting.

What you need

Item	Amount
Fabric for the trousers (Z), Model 268	185 x 150 cm – 2⅛ yd of 58/60″ wide fabric
Fabric for the trousers (Z), Model 272	180 x 150 cm – 2 yd of 58/60″ wide fabric
Trouser zipper	18–20 cm (7–8″) – better too long than too short
Fusible interfacing	for the waistband, the fly extensions and strips for the pocket openings (e.g. Pellon SF101 or similar)
Pocket lining	for the lining pocket bags
Button	1 flat button

Fabric recommendation: fluid woven fabrics with a medium to heavy drape.

• Summer: rayon challis / woven rayon (5.3–7.0 oz), Tencel / lyocell twill (6.5–8.3 oz), linen-rayon blend (5.9–7.7 oz), summer gabardine (6.2–8.0 oz), cupro / modal satin (4.7–6.2 oz).
• Winter: wool gabardine (8.3–11.2 oz), wool flannel (8.8–11.8 oz), wool blend (7.7–10.0 oz), fine-wale corduroy / baby corduroy (7.1–8.8 oz).

Seam allowances: ⅝″ (1.5 cm) on the seams, 1½″ (4 cm) at the hem.

Preparations: Interface the entire waistband and the fly extensions, and reinforce the pocket openings with interfacing strips. Mark the placement line on the hip yoke, the hem lines, the crease lines, the center front and the bottom of the fly on the front trousers with thread.

Pattern pieces: AZ = front trousers, BZ = back trousers, AK = hip yoke with grown-on pocket bag, ST = pocket bag, H = waistband.

Sewing steps

1. Finish the edges. Serge (or finish) all edges of the trouser pieces (AZ and BZ) all around. On the hip yoke, finish only the side seam edge.
2. Darts. Sew the darts in the back trousers and press them toward the center back.
3. Front crease and pleat. Press a sharp crease along the length of the front trousers. Then fold the pleat from the right side according to its markings. For Models 268 and 272, fold the pleat away from the center front toward the side seam. Secure the pleat in this position with a basting thread or catch stitch so it doesn't shift or get in the way while you sew. The thread is removed at the very end.
4. Lining pocket. Pin the lining pocket bag right sides together along the slanted pocket opening and stitch. Clip the seam allowances along the curves. Flip the pocket bag up and edgestitch it onto the seam allowances right next to the seam. Then turn the pocket bag to the inside around this edge and press the edge.
5. Hip yoke. Pin the front trousers, wrong side to right side, onto the hip yoke, placing the pocket opening exactly on the marked placement line. Pin in place.
6. Close the pocket bag. Inside the front trousers, the fabric pocket bag (part of the yoke) and the lining pocket bag now lie on top of each other. Pin them together smooth and even, and sew them together. If the edges don't match perfectly, simply trim them to align – they must lie flat and without tension. Serge (or finish) the edges all around, and baste the upper edge of the yoke to the upper waist edge of the trousers.
7. Back crease. Lay the trouser legs out so the front crease is aligned, then press the back crease. Use a pressing cloth, since you are pressing from the right side.
8. Sew the legs. Place one front leg right sides together with one back leg. Pin and stitch the side seams first and press the seam allowances open. Then close the inseams and press them open – a sleeve board makes this easy.
9. Crotch seam. Turn one leg right side out and leave the other wrong side out. Slide the right-side-out leg into the other one, matching them mirror-image. Pin the inseams together so they line up perfectly. Pin and stitch the front crotch seam up to the fly marking and the back crotch seam all the way to the upper edge. A heavy-duty triple stitch works well here. Press the crotch seam allowances open only along the back trousers, stopping just before the crotch curve.
10. Fly facings (overlap and underlap). On women's trousers the fly closes right over left. On both facings, iron a 1¼″ (3 cm) wide strip of interfacing right next to the center front line. Trim back the facing on the left edge by the width of the interfacing. Baste the facing of the right front leg down exactly along the marked center line – this edge is the overlap that covers the zipper. Baste the left facing down ¼″ (0.5 cm) away from the center line – this edge becomes the underlap. The seam allowance at the bottom of the fly will pull: clip into it there, stopping 0.5 cm before the seam line, so the underlap lies flat. Press both edges.
11. Zipper. Zipper tapes can shrink or distort when washed or ironed, so steam them with your iron before sewing, without touching the teeth.
    1. Baste the underlap onto the closed zipper, right next to the teeth. Move your needle to the left and stitch the underlap close to the folded edge and near the teeth.
    2. Close the fly, matching center front to center front, and baste or pin it.
    3. Pin the right facing to the other zipper tape and stitch it down without catching the front of the trousers.
    4. Topstitch the right overlap onto the front trousers – either from the right side along a marked line, or from the inside along the zipper tape (see video). Sew the curve at the bottom of the fly slowly with small stitches.
    5. Fly shield: cut a fabric strip 2⅜″ (6 cm) wide and 1¼″ (3 cm) longer than the fly opening and reinforce it with interfacing. Fold it in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch the short raw edge at the bottom, rounding the seam slightly. Trim the seam allowances along the curve, turn right side out, serge the long open edges together and press. Place the fly shield over the zipper so its finished edge lines up with the underlap edge and covers the zipper completely. Pin and stitch the aligned edges close to the fold, without catching the front of the trousers.
    6. On the right side, secure the rounded corner of the fly shield to the zipper tape and the overlap allowance with a short bartack, without catching the front of the trousers. Open the zipper again.
12. Waistband length. Upper waist edge from the right overlap to the end of the left underlap, plus 2 × ⅝″ seam allowance.
13. Attach the waistband. Serge the inner (lower) waistband edge or finish it with lining piping. Pin the unserged edge of the waistband right sides together to the waist edge, from the overlap to the end of the underlap – the seam allowances extend past both ends. Stitch. Trim the seam allowances to ⅜″ (1 cm) and cut away any excess material above this seam, such as the zipper tapes. Press the seam allowances up into the waistband. Fold the waistband right sides together along its crease and stitch the short ends. Trim the corners diagonally, turn right side out and shape the corners neatly. Turn the whole waistband right side out and place the inner edge over the waistband seam. From the right side, stitch in the ditch to secure the inner waistband – by machine (quick) or by hand with a prick stitch (finer, more high-end). Above the zipper tapes, fold the inner waistband slightly upward and sew it in place.
14. Button and buttonhole. Sew the buttonhole into the closure tab. Place the button at the shifted center front line and sew a flat button onto the underlap.
15. Hem. Press the 1½″ hem to the inside, baste and try on the trousers. Level out any unevenness and sew the hem by hand with a blind stitch.
16. Finish. Remove all basting and marking threads, including those from the pleats, and give everything a final press.

Tips

• Alternative: tab closure. The waistband shown in the sewing video has an extended tab on the overlap. It keeps the closure edges from gaping at the center front and works like a small belt.
• Zipper length. Use a zipper slightly longer than the fly opening. With the tapes extending past the upper waist edge, it is much easier to sew in, because the slider doesn't get in your way.

Pattern variations (same base)

These models use the same base pattern. Sew them like Models 268/272, with the changes below.

Model	Differences	Changed steps
13 + 31	Princess seam in the front trousers; hem slit in the princess seam	Step 3 – princess seam + hem slit (instead of the front crease): reinforce the slit allowances with interfacing. Place the front trousers (AZ) right sides together with the side front trousers (AZC) and stitch down to the marked slit, matching the A/A notches. Press the seam allowances open. Press the crease into the back trousers only – the front princess seam stays flat. Step 15 – hem: unfold the slit allowances, fold the hem up 1½″, press and blind-stitch it from the inside. Fold the slit allowances back in and blind-stitch them too.
47, 241 + 242	No creases; front trouser darts; 5 belt loops (HCC)	Step 2 – darts: sew the back darts (HZ) and press toward the center back; sew the front darts (AZ) and press toward the center front. Belt loops (after the waistband): for 5 loops of 2″ x 1¼″ finished, cut a strip about 18″ x 1½″ (fold-in included). Fold it in half lengthwise, stitch the long edges ¼″ from the fold and trim. Turn, press with the seam centered underneath, edgestitch both long edges and press. Cut into 5 pieces – each 2″ plus ⅝″ to fold under at each end (3¼″). Zigzag the raw ends. Place 2 on the front (above the creases or darts), 1 on each back above the darts and 1 at the center back. Pin each loop right sides together onto or just below the waistband, stitch ⅝″ from the end, flip it up, fold the remaining ⅝″ under, pin to the upper waistband edge and stitch.
69	No creases; deep pressed box pleat at the waistband; belt loops	Step 3 – box pleat: on the front trousers (AZ), line 20 marks the right pleat fold, line 31 the middle and line 32 the left pleat fold. Thread-baste these lines onto the right side. Always fold the pleats from the right side: bring both folds to the center so they meet edge to edge, pin and baste. Press along the markings; below this point the trousers open loosely. Sew the belt loops as for Model 47.
92 + 93	92: princess seam in the front trousers, box pleat at the waistband, hem slit in the princess seam. 93: princess seam in the front trousers, box pleat at the waistband.	Step 3 – princess seam / hem slit / box pleat (instead of the front crease): for Model 92, reinforce the slit allowances with interfacing. Stitch AZ and AZC right sides together down to the marked slit, matching the A/A notches, and press open. Crease the back trousers only. Box pleat: thread-baste the pleat markings onto the right side – line 20 is the first fold, the second line the second fold, with the princess seam between them. Bring both folds to the center and pin or baste.
193	No pleats	Step 3 – front crease: press a sharp crease along the length of the front trousers; skip the pleat.
212	Princess seam in the front trousers; no pleats; hem slits in the side seams	Step 3 – princess seam: stitch AZ and AZC right sides together, matching the A/A notches, and press open. Crease the back trousers only. Step 8 – legs: pin the side seams first. Stitch down to the slit marking and backstitch. Baste the slit closed with a long stitch (no backstitching), press the seams open and remove the basting from the slit. Then close the inseams and press them open.
224	No crease; no pleats	Skip steps 3 and 7.