Simple Sew Palazzo Pants updated

In 2019 I decided to try something different to dresses from the Simple Sew pattern collection for my blog post so I chose the wide-legged Palazzo pants. 

I always have a look at any posts or reviews about a particular Simple Sew pattern first to check if there are any pitfalls I should look out for which might influence my decision, or how I tackle making it, and the overall opinion of trousers was positive. I sorted out some fabric from deep in the stash, it’s a viscose from the now-defunct Adam Ross fabrics which has a good drapey quality, although I know it will crease so I’ll wear these permanently standing up! 

There are only 4 pattern pieces to the trousers-front/back/waistband/pocket- which makes them very simple to lay up and cut out, you could even leave out the pockets if you’re short on fabric but why would you leave out pockets?! 

I checked my measurements against the chart to decide my size, I also measured the pattern pieces to get some idea of the ease involved but I was optimistic they would be generally OK. If you’re very unsure, or between sizes, I’d suggest you make a toile that’s about mid-thigh in length to check the fit and comfort around your waist, hips and body length. Leave out the pockets at this stage, there are darts in the back and the front is flat, you could insert a zip in the back if it makes things easier to fit yourself but I didn’t bother. Always sew a toile as accurately as you would the garment itself because if you don’t bother cutting properly or following the seam allowances how will you know where the problems lie? That’s the whole point of a toile! Make any adjustments on the toile and transfer the changes to the pattern pieces. There are no lengthening/shortening lines marked on the midriff area of the pattern so I suggest, if you need to make either of these changes, drawing a line at a right angle to the grainline at a point midway between the waist and crotch level. Fold out or add in length through this line. There is a lengthening/shortening line for the leg length however.

It wouldn’t be a Simple Sew pattern if there weren’t some errors or anomalies to keep you on your toes and this is no different. On the back piece the pocket placement notches are only printed on size 8 and none of the others. Either transfer the markings to your size or remember to snip them when you’re cutting out the back.  

The notches don’t feature on all the size lines so transfer them across as required.

The lay plan for cutting out shows the main pieces interlocking, which is fine if you have plain or multi-directional fabric but don’t forget to keep the pieces running the same way if you have a distinct one-way print. Also, I didn’t cut out the waistband until I was happy with the fit of my trousers as it’s very shaped piece and if it’s too big or too small you’ll probably need to cut another. Don’t forget to make a snip for the centre point on the waistband, it could have done with a notch for the side seam position though as there isn’t one so it’s a bit of guesswork.

I’m not normally an advocate of overlocking the edges until they’re sewn up [because if you aren’t careful you can easily lose too much seam allowance in the trimming and when you join pieces together you could start to make the garment too small, plus your notches disappear] but, as many of the pieces here require the seams pressed open and flat, I overlocked most pieces first this time. 

You will find that for instructions 4 and 6 the words don’t match the diagrams but the drawings are correct 

Next the pockets go in (unless you wish to check the waist/hip fit first in which case tack or machine baste the side seams and leave the back open where the zip will be inserted in order to try the trousers on) The description for the pocket insertion is a bit vague, I’ve made a second pair since writing this piece originally and found it quite unsatisfactory which is why I have updated my advice.

Neaten the lower edge of the pocket bags first then pin to the trouser fronts matching the ‘opening’ notches. Next stitch in place from the waist to the bottom edge of the pocket bag using a 12mm seam allowance (see my notes on the photo above) Repeat with the trouser backs, then neaten the seam edges all the way down enclosing the pocket edges too. On the front only, understitch the pocket opening. Now you can pin the fronts to the backs and sew the side seams shut using a 1.5cms seam allowance, not forgetting to leave the pocket opening unstitched! Finally, carefully sew the bottom edge of each pocket bag closed otherwise your sweets will fall out inside your trouser leg!

After I’d assessed the waist size (comfortable to loose) and crotch length (comfortable) at this point I cut and interfaced the corresponding waistband [for some reason there were two waistbands printed out but I could find no discernible difference between them so just ignore one and cut a pair in fabric plus one interfacing] 

The reason the waistband goes on before the zip insertion is because the zip runs right up into the waistband to finish at the top, there’s no overlap allowed with button or hooks and eyes. You could use the overlap method if you prefer but you’ll need to add some extra length to the waistband on one end to allow for the overlap. 

The lack of indication of the side seams on the waistband means you’ll need to pin carefully to evenly absorb any fullness of the trousers to ensure a good smooth fit to the waistband. [the side seam is probably at the halfway point but not necessarily, especially if you’ve made any fit adjustments to the waist] 

With the benefit of hindsight I would make the waistband in two pieces, a front and two backs with the join at the side seam. This is for two reasons, first, it will allow you to make adjustments for fit more easily and, secondly, I’ve found the centre back has become slightly pointy and misshapen both times I’ve made these now. I believe this could be because the length and curve of the waistband means that it the centre back is very off grain, usually the centre back seam would be cut on the straight grain which gives it stability.

The instructions and illustrations for inserting the zip are reasonably clear however there seems to be a contradiction with an earlier instruction which tells you to sew up the back crotch seam. Illustrations 13-15 appear to have the CB seam unsewn and 16 tells you to sew it up after inserting the zip but previous diagram 6 tells you to sew it up! No wonder I got in a muddle!! My suggestion would be, if you’re using an invisible zip as suggested, leave the CB seam unsewn AND ignore instruction 11 to sew up the inseam until after you’ve inserted the zip. Alternatively, use your preferred method of inserting an invisible zip. Before sewing the waistband down I added two hanging tapes to each side seam so that I had an additional means to hang the trousers up if needs be.

On my second pair I’ve added a small button and loop inside the waistband because I found the zip a bit of a faff to do up without anything at the top of it.

you can also see here how the waistband rises to a slight point on each side in spite of it being fully interfaced. It isn’t the end of the world but I’m a bit cross it’s happened a second time, CBA to fiddle with it too much though…

Hopefully you’ve now arrived at a finished pair of trousers which simply need hemming. After checking the length wearing shoes (they come up pretty long) you could use the simple rolled hem finish as per the instructions or, as I did, leave a sizeable hem of about 5cms to give weight to the very flared leg width. I overlocked the edges to neaten and then used my blindhem stitch with the appropriate foot on the machine to finish [incidentally the photo is of a different project] I don’t use this technique often but it’s a good, and quick, finish on hems that don’t have too much, if any, curve. You could also slip hem by hand of course. 

Different project but still blind-hemming set up

The Palazzo pants are worth persevering with as they have a pleasing smooth fit over the waist and hips which is very comfortable and the leg is wide without being crazy-big. You could shorten them to culotte length very easily, they would work well in a variety of fabrics including linen, chambray or crepe, fabrics with a bit of drape and fluidity will look nicest as you don’t want to look like Coco the Clown!

I’ve made my second pair from a remnant of printed linen/viscose mix I bought from Lamazi recently.

I’m wearing them here with a top made from broderie anglaise that I found in a whole collection of fabric I was given by a friend. Her mother had been a wonderful dressmaker and I found the fabric pre-cut as this simple top which so I just sewed it up.

I’m wearing them here with one of my trusty Camber Set tops from Merchant & Mills

Same Camber, different trousers!

I cut this pair slightly shorter overall so that they aren’t so long if I wear them with flat shoes.

Overall I’m pleased with these trousers, they are a good fit and make a nice alternative to a skirt or close fitting trousers especially in warm weather.

I noticed that this particular post gets a huge amount of traffic so I hope this update clarifies any issues you might have had with the pattern. In fairness, it might have been updated and corrected since my copy was produced in which case you may be able to disregard some/all of what I’ve written!

Until next time, happy sewing

Sue