Curated by ITF - Issue 36
Malvern culottes
Elevate your wardrobe, without compromising on comfort.
Stretch your sewing skills, without compromising on wearability.
That’s the Malvern culottes in a nutshell.
A pattern that uses clever pleating to create volume and interest (while hiding boring but important stuff, like seams and pockets). Designed to be worn whenever you want to look fancy, but still be able to dance/run/jump/behave like a human. (Like, everyday?)
Garment Details
With two waistband options that sit on the natural waist (elasticated or straight all-in-one), the culottes feature a wrap front, hidden buttons on the waistband and finish around the mid-calf.
A lesson in reading the instructions and trusting the process, the Malvern culottes pattern will expand your pattern interpretation skills, and teach you how to work with fabric in ways you may never have done before.
Suggested Fabrics
The Malvern culottes are compatible with mid-weight woven fabrics such as: linen, linen blends, cotton twill, mid-weight denim and lightweight wool. Lightweight fabrics are also suitable, but will create a softer and more relaxed silhouette that may not hold the pleats as well. For a softer silhouette, consider sateen, silk (crepe de chine or habotai) or viscose (rayon). Due to the pleats there is a lot of overlapping fabric in some parts of the garment, so keep this in mind when choosing fabric and avoid anything bulky.
Keep in mind that the weight of the fabric will determine the amount of structure and drape in the Malvern culottes.
Fabric requirements and finished garment measurements can be found here.
We also have some fantastic fabric recommendations to share with you during August in our Mighty Networks group (you gain access when you sign up to Curated). We know that selecting fabric (particularly when shopping online) can be really tricky and feel like a bit of a gamble, so we have taken the guesswork out by contacting two of our favourite independent fabric retailers to give us a hand.
Notions
- Coordinating thread
- Lightweight iron-on interfacing (approx. 3cm x 20cm / 1¼in x 8in)
- 40cm x 35mm bias binding
- 2 buttons
- View B: elastic - approx. half your waist measurement
The pattern is available in both sizes A - J and sizes G - P. Our size charts can be found here. Due to the nature of this design, no changes to the pattern were required when grading into our extended size range (sizes G-P). This means that the patterns for sizes G-J are the same across the A-J and G-P ranges. As such, you can choose either option if your measurements are within this part of the size chart.
The Malvern culottes are designed to be fitted at the waist but relaxed in fit through the hip due to the deep pleats. Select a size based on your waist measurement. We would only recommend grading up at the hip if your hip measurement is 4-5 sizes larger than your waist measurement.
This pattern is drafted for a height of 170cm (5'7"). Use the LENGTHEN / SHORTEN
lines on the pattern to make alterations to the length.
Due to the nature of this design, this pattern requires a lot of notches and markings. We strongly recommend ONLY printing the size you need based on your waist measurement.
Fabric requirements and finished garment measurements can be found here.
Pattern includes seam allowances.
Difficulty
The pattern is placed at a Level 3 on the In The Folds pattern skill scale. Intermediate sewists (and beyond) will enjoy having their skills stretched, while advanced beginners will enjoy the opportunity to play with pleats in a unique way. Whatever your skill set, the careful and clever drafting and beautiful finishing techniques of this pattern will leave you feeling very proud of both the inside and outside of your handmade garment.
By working through this pattern, you will gain confidence in: interpreting complex patterns, learning new pattern markings and symbols, folding pleats, sewing a bias bound pants opening, buttons and buttonholes, in-seam pockets, and understanding how different fabrics impact the drape of a garment.
Digital product details
The pattern is suitable for printing on both A4 and US letter sized paper. A copy shop version is also included in the file (A0 or US 36" x 48").
Due to the amount of design ease in this garment, provided in order to achieve the pleated finish, we recommend only printing one size, chosen based on your waist measurement. Printing multiple sizes may lead to confusion with many overlapping pattern markings.
SIZE A - J
Print at home pattern: 55 x A4 pages
Print shop version: 3 x A0 pages.
SIZE G - P
Print at home pattern: 66 x A4 pages
Print shop version: 4 x A0 pages.
The pattern includes embedded layers. This means that you can select only the size/s you would like to print.
If you have any questions please see our FAQ and Digital Product Policy.
Mighty Networks
By purchasing this issue you will gain access to the extra resources we shared in our online community when we released the project. This means that you will be able to ask questions, share your makes and connect with other makers who are also on a mission to learn new skills and sew clothing in a slow and conscious way.
The Malvern culottes are not currently available as a standalone product and are only available by signing up to Curated by ITF. It will be released as a standalone product in 2025.
Have a question?
If you have any questions please see our FAQ and Digital Product Policy..