Turning leopard print trousers into pedal pushers

 

I didn't think leopard print could be ugly until I laid eyes on these trousers in an op-shop.

Yuck. They're kind of 90's-does-vintage-and-murders-it.

However, I could see potential and this time I remembered to document the process. Every time I alter something I buy in an opshop, I forget to take 'before' photos because whatever it is I'm altering is so hideous. So here we go.

I like pedal pushers to end just below the knee. If they're much longer they feel like short (as in shrunken) trousers.  So first, I took 15 inches off the length, leaving an inch for a seam allowance. In these photos, I've pinned the left leg into a dart at the back to make it more fitted. The bootcut of these trousers means they need to be taken in a lot.

To make the legs narrower, I added a dart all the way up the centre back of the leg. I've realised that the backs of trouser legs are always cut wider than the front, so simply taking in the side seams doesn't work. It makes the front of the legs too narrow, usually resulting in a weird fit around the crotch.

I drew a line up the center of the back... 

(click on any of these to see them larger)

...and used it as a guide to pin the dart. I also used the lower edges of the back pockets as a guide.

This is with the dart still pinned. They're way more fitted now, but still a bit wide at the opening because of the original bootcut.

I took the darts in further in the lower half of the leg to eradicate that awful bootcut flare around the knee

A quick hem, and here is the finished product.

(just ignore my awesomely hardcore weekend tshirt...)

Now I just need to wait 6 months for summer to come around so I can wear the silly things...