Sewing Review - The Tula Pants by Papercut Patterns

Sewn and Reviewed By Caroline 

The Papercut Patterns Tula Pants are described as the perfect everyday pant for trans-seasonal wear. The Tula Pant is incredibly versatile - it has an elasticated waistband with an option to add a drawstring, side pockets and ankle cuffs. Choose between a wide or peg leg fit. Wear them long as cosy trackies, everyday casuals, a little dressy for those special occasions, or even secret pyjamas. Don’t forget that they can also be shorts as well! Your options are almost endless with these pants of your dreams.

After making a  few pairs of these pants I have only good things to say about them! 

To really test this sewing pattern and its versatility I made them in both a knit fabric and a woven fabric and I was able to make both pairs of pants on my sewing machine without the need for an overlocker. 

The Linen Tula Pants

Made for Arna, 98cm hips.

Size - Papercut Patterns size 3 

Fabric - Grove Laundered Linen Rust

Notions - 40mm wide elastic - Gutermann Thread in 934

Any alterations?  None, made according to the pattern.

I made the wide leg, full length pants for Arna in our beautiful Grove Laundered Linen. For this pair I eliminated the drawstring, as after discussion with Arna it wasn't the look she wanted. It is very easy to eliminate the drawstring, just don’t sew the button holes on the waist band, Easy! 

I finished the seams with my favourite french seams as it's such a clean and professional looking finish! The seam allowance included in this pattern is 1cm. Normally I prefer a 1.5cm seam allowance when sewing a french seam so I had to be very accurate to not encroach into the sizing of the pants.  Next time, I'll add an extra 5mm to my seam allowances when cutting out the pattern! 

If you aren't comfortable with a french seam, a zigzag stitch or overlocking the edge would work just as well.  If you are doing either of these finishes, consider finishing the edge of the fabric prior to sewing your pieces together.  The linen can fray if you move it around a lot - ie if you are having to pack away your project on multiple occasions.  

The pants were a good fit for Arna (who is 165cm tall), If you are a similar height or taller do be aware of the leg length. The un-hemmed length was the perfect length on her so I had to do a very narrow hem to reduce shortening it too much. If your pants end up a little short, try rolling them up for a 7/8th look as Arna has done here. 

The elasticated waist makes fitting these pants a really easy prospect and I would recommend them if you are making your first pair of pants. 

Georgie has also made the Tula Pants in European Laundered Linen in Demon Scarlet but omitted the fly front.

The Sideline Jersey Knit Tula Pants

Made for Georgie, 88cm hips

Size - Papercut Patterns Size 2

Fabric - Sideline Cotton Knit, Blush Pink

Notions - 10mm Cotton Drawstring - Gutermann Thread in 662

Any Alterations? No.

I made the Tula Track Pants in our Blush Pink Sideline Knit for Georgie, which are a narrow leg with a cuffed hem. This time I included the tie as it suited the trousers, but I didn’t make the tie as the pattern suggests, I just used our 10mm Cotton Drawstring in Off White. 

The track pants went together in much the same way as the linen pants until I accidentally sewed the fly front wrong! Instead of folding the fly to the inside, I folded it to the outside and before I noticed I had also topstitched it down. 

Thankfully I noticed before I sewed on the waist band. It didn’t take long to unpick and all went according to plan after that. Who else has done something similar when sewing on autopilot, especially when it is the second or third time of making something!

Our Sideline Jersey Knit is lovely to sew with. It is quite a stable knit, and not too stretchy as it doesn’t have elastane in it - reminiscent of the rugby jerseys of old (hence the name).  The knit fabric has enough give in it to make them very comfortable to wear. It's my new favourite fabric to sew with! I am now desperate to make something for myself out of it.

I sewed the track pants using the lightning stitch (a stitch that some machines have which is designed for knit fabrics) on my machine. This stitch is tricky to unpick so I would only advise doing it if you are confident of the fit. Because it is a knit, all I did to finish the seams was to trim them. I wanted it to be a quick make and finishing the edges was unnecessary in this case as knit fabrics do not fray.   

Conclusion

This pattern has become a shop favourite. No adjustments were needed for the four staff members who now wear the Tula Pants. I really love how versatile this pattern is and how the faux fly stops them looking like pyjamas even if it feels like you are wearing secret pyjamas! 

SAVE IT FOR LATER....