Ok to use summer weight 100% cotton for trousers for 4 year old?

[RememberToPlaywiththeKids]

Or will they be too uncomfortable? I have loads of gorgeous fabric and want to make some funky trousers for DD but I'm not sure if my fabric is too light? it's the stuff you would make a sumemr skirt out of....

the trousers are a bit baggy - Dortje trousers.

as you describe it, it should be fine

I had no idea what "dortje trousers" were, so out of curiousty googled, & found this.....lots look like the kind of lighterweight cloth you describe, so should reassure you :)
www.farbenmix.de/anleitungen/schnitte/hosedortje/BeispieleHoseDortje.htm

oh you're great thank you!!!!! You mustn't go away - I will be sewing until the baby pops out and will need frequent help all the time!!!!!

LOL :) ...I do tend to hang around this forum when I'm on, & theres plenty more with sewing skill that do so you'll be fine

back again....!

now then - these trousers - I am sorting the pattern pieces for age 3-4 (bit big on the hips but too short in the length) but with the length of the 5-6 year old size.

IO have laid a pair of trousers that fit DD well on top of the pieces because they look really wide to me and I'm not convinced she will wear big baggies.

So - I haven't added any seam allowance on to the pieces yet and they are still about 30% wider than DDs current trousers (though sewn up!).

How can I adapt them to make them a bit skinnier in the leg but keep as per the pattern for the bum bit but slightly smaller?

I was thinking about not adding a seam allowance but how do I calculate it all properly so i dont end up with trousers that are too tight??

or should i just go with it as it is?

Go with it as is,

it will be easier to run it in a bit when you've sewn the shell together than match up the adjusted pattern pieces.......

also paper rarely relates to the sewn cloth, so you might well find you don't need too

ah yes good point. thank you.

DD has chosen some material that is white with some drawings on it for her knee sections - I was hoping for something that will hide muck a bit better!!

btw - what seam allowance do you use yourself?

1cm is the standard seam allowance, though for some reason, some shop bought patterns have a 1/2inch......1cm/1/3of inch is much better to work with, but if your pattern IS 1/2 inch the garment will come up 1/4 bigger per seam than it says on chart, so keep that in mind

1/4 inch bigger...sorry brain shutting down.

& lol at the hiding muck....I think I'm glad mine is passed the pretty stage when it comes to washing her clothes...she's 8, & is all black grey & green these days....I do miss making the good stuff though :(

My next burning question - there is absolutely nothing about it in the book or on the pices BUT...

...layout and cutting of pieces for the trousers...

I need to cut out 2 pieces of front and back legs (obviously) and I'm doing one leg one colour and one in another.

Anyway. In material 'pink' I have placed it all on the fabric with right side up (all front and back pieces).

When laying out on to material 'turquoise', which way up should I have the fabric??

My hazy brain vaguely remembers needing one piece on fabric right way up and the other with it face down. Or have I messed up already??

p.s. oh and for this I have to add my own seam allowance as it's not included on the pieces (specifically says not!). I'm giving myself 1.5 cm but was taught 2.5cm but that is ridiculously ginormous! I think I'd prefer 1cm...

Definitely 1cm then, especially on trousers, otherwise you'll drive yourself trying to keep the shape/size correct around the crotch etc :)

& YES, you always need to follow the "grain line" ....there should be an arrow/line on all your pattern pieces....this needs to follow the selvedge/lengthwise direction of your cloth

are you able to answer my previous post about pieces and layout and right/wrong side of fabric?

tying myself in knots....

sorry, yes, i misunderstood you, thought you meant fabric direction

all pieces that make up legs/sleeves etc always come in pairs regardless of using a different print/cloth or not, so should always be opposites as far as right & wring side of cloth is concerned....

ie; front legs- right side of both prints/cloths should face each other when cutting 1 pair of that leg pattern piece together

ok, please can you spell it out for me??

pink leg:
Front piece - cut out with wrong side up (or paper piece face down??)
Back piece - cut out with right side up

Blue leg:
Front piece - cut out with wrong side up (or paper piece face down??)
Back piece - cut out with right side up

is that right??

sorry i mean is this right:

pink leg:
Front piece - cut out with wrong side up (or paper piece face down??)
Back piece - cut out with right side up

Blue leg:
Front piece - cut out with right side up
Back piece - cut out with wrong side up (or paper piece face down??)

so I have 2 front pieces one one way and one the other and same for the back pieces and that the whole of one leg will be pink and the whole of the other leg will be blue...

I think that sounds okay

maybe try getting a pair of DDs trousers out & keep handy as a reference, that might help you

basically front legs will be a mirror image of each other (bar colour blocking different fabrics & any other design feature such as single pockets) & back will legs the same

sorry can't explain it any better than that, so hope that makes sense to you :)