It’s time for another pattern test!

This time, I pattern tested the Nita Trousers for Amy Nicole Studio!

I was so excited but also a little nervous once I saw that they had a welt pocket and a zip fly. This was the first time since college that I’ve made either.

These are a high-waisted, tapered leg, cuffed-and-cropped trouser with front pleats, slash front pockets, and, of course, the welt pocket and zip fly. It’s such a classic style that can easily blend into your wardrobe or enhance it. HOWEVER, for those of you who love pattern hacks, it lends itself to so many customization options.

When making the Nita Trousers, Amy recommends light to medium-weight bottom fabrics with little to no stretch such as tencel twill, silk noil, linen, cotton lawn, ikat, and certain crepes. I made this first pair using a polyester twill purchased from Alyssa May Design.

For those of you who don’t know, Amy names each pattern after someone who has been inspirational to her. After losing her grandma Nita towards the end of 2019, she decided to create and honor her with this pattern.

I started off by making a muslin to test since my hips and thighs can be a bit bigger for tapered looks. (For reference, I made a 32) I was pleasantly surprised when I only needed a total of about ½” more on either thigh and the hip area just to make it a little bit more comfortable when sitting. I also wanted to make the muslin so I could practice making the zip fly since it’s been probably 5 years since I’ve made one.

The process went SO smoothly! Amy’s directions and photos were so great and descriptive that I was able to make the button fly with no issues and in what I considered record time for myself. Then, as I was working on the welt pocket, I realized that her directions were the same as the way I learned in college (which is SO much simpler than you would think!).

I think I finished the pants in a total of 4 hours, including cutting and being distracted by Parks & Recreation every 5 minutes but, given some of the trickier techniques not everyone has encountered, we’re considering it to be an intermediate-level pattern.

While I worked on the Trousers, I had overestimated my changes that needed to be made between the muslin and the final. Since my final fabric had a bit more stretch I hadn’t realized until it was too late, my welt pocket got pulled a little off-center after trying to correct my blunder.

I was so excited with how these Nita Trousers came out that I immediately threw them on and went out for the day with my family wearing them before heading to take these photos. 

There will be a sewalong for this pattern March 23rd - April 3rd and make sure to keep an eye out to see all of the different versions of the Nita Trousers from us pattern testers on March 24th! 

Grab your copy from Amy at https://amynicolestudio.com/shop/nitatrousers/ today!