I’m always thrilled when I get to make clothes with Minerva fabrics. I bet you’re just as pumped when you also use Minerva fabrics too.

This sewing thrill means I enjoy dancing for joy when I can pair together Minerva exclusive prints with other fabrics within the array of fabrics available from Minerva.

This top is a remnant from the Minerva Exclusive Expressive Butterflies Viscose Challis print and the trousers use a stretch woven denim fabric with an abstract print. Together these fabrics are super fun and I wear them a lot now.
They pieces are easy to wear and the colours on both complement each other.

What I love is how the styles I’ve chosen make these two pieces a regular weekly wear.

I used Top Down Center Out pants fitting method developed by Ruth Collins to get the fit on my favourite Burda pants pattern to work on my changing body. Top Down Center Out method allows you to fit your pants on your own. You don’t need a sewing friend to help you. Ruth is Ithacamaven on Instagram and you can go to Stacey’s free YouTube videos. Stacey is The Crooked Hem. All of these resources are free.
You’ve seen this top pattern before and it’s been really handy at the start of Summer here.

The Burda pattern I used fitted me in 2020 but now those trousers were tight. With Top Down Centre Out method, it’s a 5 step process and you start by getting the waistband made. This is where you decide how you want the pants to hang on your body.

All the construction for the pants or trousers remain the same.
This fabric has stretch to it so I did have to recheck the fit of these trousers once I sewed these pants with the waistband attached. The beauty of this Burda pattern is that you can make width adjustments at the centre back seam easily.

Back to the method, I’ve always found that pants fit well until I make the waistband and now with this method, I toile the pattern and the first thing I focus on is the waistband. Making a one leg test version gives me a good idea about how the rest of the pattern needs to be adjusted to balance from the waistband.

And I did this trouser fitting on my own, without calling a friend to help.