We recommend underlining each of the trouser facings with a lightweight fabric such as muslin and applying fusible interfacing to the underlining (with the seam allowances trimmed away).
To accomplish this, cut two of each facing piece (pieces E, F, G, and H).
Cut two more of each facing piece in muslin, so that each facing has an exact underlining (muslin) counterpart.
"Marry" the underlining to the facing by serging along the edges.
Cut two more of each facing piece out of some lightweight or midweight fusible interfacing, and trim away the upper and side seam allowances. (This will prevent unnecessary bulk from accumulating in the seam allowances.)
Fuse the interfacing to the underside of the facing, onto the underlining:
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| NOTE: On the facings above, we did not serge the lower edge, because we'll be finishing that edge with bias tape. That's purely optional; serge it if you want! |
Sew the center front facing (piece E) to the side front facing (piece F), right sides together.
Press seam allowances open.
Sew the side back facing (piece G) to the center back facing (piece H).
Press seam allowances open.
Sew the front facing assembly to the back facing assembly at the sides.
Press seam allowances open.
Repeat for the other side.
Sew the left and right facing assemblies together at the center back.
Press seam allowances open.
OPTIONAL: If you wish to add a little pizzazz to the inside of your trousers by finishing the bottom edge of the facing assembly with double-fold bias tape:
The downside is that this will create a bit of bulk at the bottom of the facing assembly (after all, it is four additional layers of fabric, even if just some thin poly/cotton blend!), but, like we said, pizzazz.
In fact, you could really use any color you wanted to; I (Alex) just picked black because it matched the pants. You could pick your Starfleet division color if you wanted to add that extra special touch ... just a thought!
Sew the facing assembly to the top of the trousers along the center front and top edges, right sides together and matching seam lines.
TIP: Reinforce the stitch lines at the upper corner of the center front, where the horizontal and vertical stitch lines meet.
TIP: Use a zipper/piping foot along the center front edge to get the facing assembly to fold close to the underside of the invisible zipper.
Diagonally clip away the seam allowances at the upper center front, and clip away as much of the seam allowances as you feel comfortable doing at the panel seams.
Clip away the facing panel seam allowances at the other panel seams in the same manner.
Turn the facing assembly under (right sides out) and press.
Understitch the facing assembly to the trouser/facing assembly's seam allowances as far as possible, ⅛" from the seam line.
Hand sew the facing to the trouser panels' seam allowances, being careful not to stitch through to the outside of the garment.
We'd like to extend a special "thank you" to Lynda Maynard, as the "High Couture Waistband" technique she shared in her book, The Dressmaker's Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques, was very helpful and inspirational when reverse-engineering these Starfleet duty trousers!
We'd also like to thank Michael Cowart for introducing us to the book!
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