As we pointed out in our cut-on waistband tutorial, zippers weren't around yet during the Victorian era, so trousers buttoned up the front instead; the modern "zipper fly" more or less evolved out of the button-fly, so the two are fairly similar in their construction.
Also, the fly construction for trousers with a cut-on waistband and those with a sew-on waistband are very similar - the primary difference being that the fly for trousers with a sew-on waistband is slightly shorter because it will get sewn into the waistband seam, and that will affect the spacing of the buttons.
Trim the seam allowances to ⅛" or ¼", notching as necessary along the lower curve.
Baste or sew the fly closed along the centermost (raw/open) edges and serge.
If you were "period-tailoring" your trousers, you would reinforce your left fly (piece I1) with linen/canvas.
However, in our opinion, simply reinforcing the left fly with a fusible interfacing works just fine.
Sew two of the left flies (piece I1) together along the top and centermost edges (the centermost edge of the left fly is the straighter of the two longer edges - the opposite of the right fly).
TIP: Use white or lighter interfacings for lighter fabrics, and darker interfacings for darker fabrics. You don't want the mismatched interfacing to be distracting once the buttonholes are slashed/chiseled!
Trim the seam allowances, clipping as necessary around the lower curve.
Turn the left fly outward and press.
Then baste or sew the left fly closed along the outer (raw/open) edges and serge.
Determine your button/buttonhole placement, attach your buttons, then sew and slash your buttonholes.
We intentionally did not include button positioning on our pattern so you'd be free to choose the size and positioning of your buttons, and to avoid confusing the matter with any lengthening/shortening of the fly in regard to fitting.
(I, for instance, need to extend the trousers upward 1 ½" at the upper fitting line because I'm taller than average and have a long pelvis, as you'll see later in our
"Tips for Achieving an Ideal Fit.")
I like to use four ¾" buttons, position the top button 1 ⅝" from the top of the fly (measured from center), and then in 2" increments beneath that, with all of them ¾" inside the right fly seam line.
I vertically position my buttonholes likewise, of course, with the centermost edges (or keyholes!) of the buttonholes ¾" from the edge of the left fly.
That said, ½" or ⅝" buttons will also work fine, but I wouldn't go any bigger than that. Also know that metal buttons, while they can be awesome looking (especially for steampunk), can make the fly kind of heavy and cause that area of the trousers to drape oddly.
Sew the remaining, third left fly (piece I1) to the left trousers at the center front, with top and center front edges flush and right sides together, leaving the bottommost ⅝" free.
(If the little curve at the bottom of the fly doesn't align with the trousers' lower front curve, you can either ease it in or simply trim it off. It doesn't matter.)
Sew the right fly assembly to the right trousers at the center front, with top and center front edges flush and right sides together, leaving the bottommost ⅝" free.
Sew the trousers' fronts closed along the lower center, stopping at the point where the left fly "shield" and the right fly were left free (and not catching them in the stitching).
As always, every effort should be made to match stripes and plaids at the seam line!
Turn the trousers around so you're looking at the inner front.
Position the left fly assembly so its upper and centermost edges are flush with those of the trousers, and tailor-baste it securely into place.
Topstitch the left fly into place along the outer edge, through all layers. (This can be done from the inside or outside, but we like to do it from the inside and simply stitch again over the previous stitch line we made when basting/sewing the left fly assembly closed.)
Hand-baste the bottom few inches of the fly area through all layers (catching the right fly, left fly, and trousers).
From the right side, topstitch through all layers along the lowermost few inches of the fly area, securing the right and left flies to the trousers.
To do this, you have several options, but our favorite two are:
1 - Using the previous stitch line as a guide, make a bar tack slightly below the lowermost button, stitch downward over the previous stitch line, and make another bar tack at the bottom of the fly opening.
OR
2 - Stitch over the bottommost couple inches or so of the previous stitch line, but also work upward and outward again to "enclose" the entire lower fly area.
TIP: If you have one, use a quilting/even-feed walking foot for this! You'll be sewing through quite a few layers.
If you wish to install belt loops (also called "belt carriers") onto your trousers, begin by cutting a long strip of fabric for the loops (piece Y).
Depending on the number of loops you want and your preferred method of turning them, one strip of fabric (cut from piece Y) may not be enough. We recommend cutting two (or even three!) just in case.
NOTE: Our method for cutting and making belt loops is basically the same as done previously with the button tabs on the back pockets, but in the interest of thoroughness, we'll demonstrate the process here as well in case you skipped that particular step.
TIP: With stripes or plaids, cut your belt loops vertically centered over a stripe or the portion of the plaid pattern you wish to be visible on the finished belt loop.
Fold your belt loop in half the long way, right sides together (but don't press.)
Sew the strip of fabric closed with ⅜" seam allowance (essentially sewing halfway down the center).
Cut your strip of fabric into the individual belt loops - each should be at least 3 ½" long. As you may recall from our back button tab tutorial, I actually like to cut mine a bit longer (4") so I can sew them closed for easier turning later.
Repeat as needed for the remaining belt loops. (We recommend either using 5 or 7, total.)
TIP: If you cut three of the belt loop strips (piece Y), you'll have enough for all 7 belt loops AND both back button tabs!
At this point, you can trim the seam allowance and attempt to turn it if you wish, by whatever method you choose.
You may wish to try something like the Dritz Clip 'N Turn (see right), but I've always found that to be frustratingly difficult.
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Instead, I prefer to cut my belt loops ½" taller and sew them closed at the top, ¼" from the top edge, as well.
Then I trim the seam allowances down to ⅛" across the side and the top.
Then I use a little miracle gadget called the Dritz quick turn (see below) to turn the closed loop. It's much easier!
Once turned, clip the uppermost ¼" edge off of the top of the belt loop and press it flat so the stripe runs exactly down the center. (If you're making plaid trousers, you'll need to clip ¼" off the top and the bottom of the button tab so the plaid patterns will match later.)
Repeat for the other belt loops.
Position the belt loops around the top of the trousers 2 ½" from each center front, over each side seam, halfway between each side seam and the center back, and over the center back.
Baste or sew the belt loops to the trousers.
TIP: For stripes (and possibly even plaids), position the belt loops so the stripe or plaid pattern flows continuously up the trousers and onto the belt loop!
We've included three wraparound sew-on waistband options with our Victorian trousers pattern: a waistband that meets at the center front (with no overlap), a waistband that overlaps the front by 2", and a waistband that overlaps the front by 3".
Decide which design you wish to incorporate into your trousers and join the two pieces of the waistband (piece V) together before cutting! (There is no seam allowance! It was just too big to fit on the sheet so we had to divide it.)
Cut the waistband and waistband facing on the crossgrain.
For stripes, try to cut the waistband and waistband facing so that the seam lines are exactly on stripes (or in an aesthetically-pleasing position in relation to the stripes).
For plaids, cut the waistband and waistband facing so that the plaid patterns will flow continuously from the trousers over the seam line and onto the waistband. (If your plaid is different vertically than horizontally, you may wish to cut your waistband on the grain, rather than the crossgrain.)
Serge the edges of your waistband and waistband facing if you haven't already.
Stabilize your waistband, waistband facing, or both with fusible interfacing (trimmed away from the seam allowances to avoid creating bulk underneath the seams).
(If you find the notion of fusible interfacing distasteful, you can substitute linen/canvas or hair canvas.)
Sew the waistband to the top of the trousers. If you're attaching belt loops, catch them in the seam.
(Note that the waistband should overlap the edge of the right fly by ⅝", and the left front by ⅝" + whatever overlap you chose. In other words, for a waistband that meets at the center front, it should overlap the center front by ⅝"; for a 2" overlap, it should overlap by 2 ⅝", and for a 3" overlap, it should overlap by 3 ⅝".)
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| No overlap |
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| 3" overlap |
As always, every effort should be made to properly align plaid patterns at the seam line!
Press the waistband (and seam allowances) upward.
At this point, it should be apparent as to why the waistband is cut on the crossgrain (if it wasn't already).
Clip the trousers/waistband seam allowances to the stitch line on the outside of the left and right flies.
Reduce some bulk by cutting out the pocketing and belt loops in the trousers/waistband seam allowance.
Press the trousers/waistband seam allowances open around the entire trousers except above the flies.
Topstitch the belt loops again securely ¼" below the trousers/waistband seam line.
Press the belt loops upward.
Note how the belt loop above is positioned it the stripe flows continuously from the trousers onto the loop!
At this point, you can either trim the belt loop down to size and baste it to the top of the waistband (to be sewn into the waistband/waistband facing seam later), or you can trim it down to size, fold the top ¼" or so under, fold the top ¼" under again, and topstitch it to the finished waistband. We prefer the former, but it's your choice!
Sew the front and back waistband "curtains" (pieces E and N, respectively) together along the side and press the seam allowances open.
Sew the right and left waistband "curtain" assemblies together along the center back and press the seam allowances open.
(Remember how in
our "Required Materials/Accessories/Notions/etc." section we mentioned that you can have some fun with this; as you can see, I used a lightweight cotton fabric with a sheet music print for my trousers' curtains, since I'm a composer and wanted to add a personal touch to my trousers.)
In fact, I'm so obsessive and dedicated that I precisely cut and aligned my "curtains" so the five lines on the music staff exactly matched at the seam lines!
(Obviously, you can decide for yourself how far you want to go with this ...)
Position the waistband "curtain" assembly underneath the waistband facing so the right edge of the "curtains" is 2 ⅜" inside the edge of the waistband facing, and the left edge of the "curtains" is flush with the left edge of the waistband facing (minus the distance of your waistband's overlap, if any).
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| No overlap |
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| With overlap |
NOTE: While looking down on your waistband facing/"curtain" assembly, your right and left sides will be "backwards!" In other words, "right" is photo-left and "left" is photo-right, until the waistband facing/"curtain" assembly is attached.
Trim 1 ¾" off of the left edge of your waistband "curtains."
(I like to serge the new left front edge of the "curtains," or you just leave it be if you don't feel like it.)
Sew the waistband "curtain" assembly to the waistband facing, leaving the outermost ⅝" on each end of the waistband "curtain" assembly free.
Press the seam allowances open.
Press the outermost ⅝" ends of the "curtains" under (the bit you left free on the ends).
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| Left front |
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| Left front edge of "curtains" pressed under |
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| Right front |
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| Right from edge of "curtains" pressed under |
Sew the waistband/"curtain" assembly to the trousers' waistband along the top and centermost edges (also, the lower left edge for waistband overlap options), catching the belt loops if you want your belt loops sewn into the seam (which is what we prefer). If you prefer to topstitch the tops of your belt loops into place later, simply pull them out of the way for now.
Trim the seam allowances at the center and corners.
TIP: It will be easier to sew the waistband closed at the center front if you cut out some of the bulk at the top of the left and right flies! (See above.)
Trim the waistband facing seam allowance to ¼".
Turn the waistband facing under, poking out the corners as sharply as possible, and press.
TIP: Press the upper waistband/waistband facing seam allowances open as far as possible before pressing the waistband facing assembly under! This will help the upper edge press downward as crisply and consistently as possible.
Using your zipper/piping foot, sew the waistband "curtains'" seam allowance to the trousers seam allowance close to the previous stitch line. (Both the trousers/waistband and waistband facing/"curtains" seam allowances were pressed open previously, so this should be easy.)
Press the "curtains" back downward into the trousers.
Slip-stitch the lower edges of the waistband facing and the outer edges of the waistband "curtains" to the flies at the center front.
If you chose to topstitch the tops of your belt loops to the trousers' waistband instead of sewing them into the waistband/waistband facing seam at the top, it's time to do so now.
First, trim your belt loops so they only overhang the top of the trousers by ⅝". (You really only need ½", but I like to have a little bit of extra ease to accommodate potentially thick belts.)
Press the top of the belt loops under ¼", then press them under ¼" again and topstitch them securely into place.
At the top of the fly, you have two options regarding the top button: it can be visible on the outside, or it can be hidden like the rest of the buttons.
If you wish for the button to be visible, sew a buttonhole onto the left waistband at the center, and sew the button to the right waistband.
If you wish for the button to be hidden, sew a buttonhole onto the right waistband at the center, and hand-sew the button to the underside of the left waistband.
If you wish to have the option of wearing your trousers with suspenders, attach the suspender buttons to either the inside or outside of your trousers' waistband.
These should be positioned approximately 4" apart, with the centermost buttons being approximately 4" from center, and the back buttons equidistant from the center back seam.
(If your trousers have belt loops, we recommend attaching the suspenders buttons to the inside of the waistband, so the buttons don't get in the way of a belt.)
And finally, if your waistband has an overlap, attach a trouser-style hook-and-eye closure to the overlap.
