Simplicity 8558: Wide Leg Pants

I am pretty much excellent at ignoring current fashion trends and pretending like they’re just going to go away. So far, it hasn’t actually made any of them go away, but darn it if I don’t keep trying! I will never wear wide, baggy jeans, thank you, but I thought I might actually try a pair of wide leg pants. In linen, because that seemed a little easier to swallow AND more age appropriate.

When I went shopping for a wide leg pants pattern, the one I wanted was out of print so instead I opted for this one: Simplicity 8558, which is a MimiG. It includes the pants and shorts, plus the crop top and the blazer which is a steal, even if I probably won’t ever use the other patterns.

The leg on this pair of pants though, is very wide, almost akin to culottes in my opinion. I was a bit wary of this fact. I mean, when trying out a new style, I think it’s okay to take baby steps instead of throwing yourself in the pool. But I was also using a length of fabric that was on the brink of being rehomed, so I felt okay hitting it with a riskier pattern.

Here’s what the pants looked like without altering the width. The listing photos give an accurate representation. The pants are very wide and very drapy. I didn’t dislike them this way, I just knew that there would be more chance of me wearing them if they weren’t quite as wide. So I did end up tapering the seam to take off from both the inner and outer seams. I took off a good amount. Sorry-I didn’t measure! I’ve taken off too much before which can be pretty lousy, so I did baste the new seams first so that I could try it on and check fit before committing.

The construction of these pants took awhile just because they kept getting put on the back burner for other projects. But truly, the sewing part of the pants is pretty easy and straightforward. The waistband is the hardest part, although I will say that the Big 4 method for inserting waistbands and elastic is my preferred method. They have you sew the waistband ends together leaving a gap, which is where elastic is inserted. This way you can attach your waistband completely then add elastic which just makes for a way cleaner finish, in my opinion, especially if you’re overlocking your edges.

This pattern has you topstitch the waistband into thirds and then elastic is inserted into the top and bottom section while a self made drawstring is inserted in the middle. When making the buttonholes for my drawstring, I eyeballed things and you can see that my “Eyeball It” method was wildly inaccurate. The bottom channel was only wide enough to fit a 1/4 inch elastic instead of the 5/8 inch that was called for. I rallied and…you guessed it! just used 1/4 inch elastic on the bottom. It might be enough to make some people unpick and resew but I think it’s hardly noticeable.

Also, the pattern has in seam pockets! And pockets are pockets but these are kind of lame in that they are very shallow so what’s the use?

I thought about adding back pockets but then didn’t. No regrets.

Even though I had threatened to get rid of it, the fabric I used is a very nice fabric. It’s a viscose linen noil that I bought from Blackbird a couple years ago. The tricky thing about it is its heaviness. Especially for a linen, it’s rather heavy. I’ve been close to using it for a few projects in the past, but every time I go to get it out I stop myself and think, “This is way too heavy. It’s not going to work for what I had in mind.” So it’s not the quality that was keeping me away, it’s just that it was too dense a fabric to use for a flowy skirt or a dress. I think here the pattern and fabric are paired well.

So, hey! Now I have a pair of wide leg pants (I still feel like they’re extra wide even though I tapered them in some). And I really like them! Though, truthfully, I don’t think I have the right kind of tops in my closet to pair with them. Since the pants are so wide and so flowy, I think they’d really do best with a tighter fitting top. Tighter fitting tops are one of my current fears, but I am willing to confront this, especially if it means I can wear these pants. They are incredibly comfortable and I like the look of them. We’ve still been having chillier weather, but once it gets warmer, I think these would be great to wear with some sandals. Here’s to hoping I can find some suitable tops between here and better weather so that these can get some wear!

Pattern: Simplicity 8558 MimiG Style
Size: 14
Alterations: I chopped off length directly from the bottom (I can’t remember how many inches). I wasn’t worried about losing width which is why I didn’t shorten them properly.
Fabric: Viscose Linen Noil from Blackbird Fabrics (I linked to the color Ocean Mist which is similar to mine but mine was called “Celadon” (I googled it and that is a real word/color 😂))
Cost: Pattern $2; Fabric about $30 for 2.5 yards; Elastic $2; thread in stash
Would I make these again?: I would! Although I think I might try the wide leg Free Range Slacks next for a wide leg pants pattern that’s a bit more mild