Black woman standing in front of a red brick wall wearing a pair of culottes made in African wax print fabric in red fabric with large circular motifs and a white top.

The Lottie Culottes: Made for Summer

In this guest blog post, Esther (@ninetostitch) shares the process that she used to make her stunning version of the Lottie Culottes in African wax print fabric that I have called: 'Frozen fractals'.  She pairs these trousers perfectly with this long sleeved polo neck in a white with black polka dots stretch fabric. The pattern is available in my sewing book: Sewing With African Wax Print Fabric. New to African Wax Print Fabric?  Then you will love this super detailed blog post.  Grab a cup of your favourite drink and enjoy!!

Spring time is upon us and the weather is absolutely wonderful in Manchester. Well I guess the UK is having one of those weeks when the weather completely agrees with us :). The beautiful weather has got me thinking about my wardrobe. I’ve been making plans to build my Spring and Summer wardrobe. This Summer, I want garments that are comfortable and stylish in fabrics that are breathable.

African wax print is perfect for the warmer months so when Adaku got in touch with me, I was excited for an African wax print project. Making a choice on fabric, was so difficult because there were so many amazing choices.

Black woman standing in front of a red brick wall wearing a pair of culottes made in African wax print fabric in red fabric with large circular motifs and a white top.

When I received the 'Sewing with African wax print fabric' book, I was so excited to make the garments in the book. The book is awesome, it has a wide variety of garments and in an unusual fashion, it also has accessories, which is simply amazing. Using this book and a variety of fabrics, you create a whole wardrobe of garments as well as accessories. I think that’s just awesome! These culottes are my first make but I am eager to make other garments from the book. I don’t sew a lot of accessories, but I am interested in making a purse or a bag from the book.

Black woman standing in front of a red brick wall wearing a pair of culottes made in African wax print fabric in red fabric with large circular motifs and a white top.

Just to note, the body measurements are not in the book but you can find them here.  Based on the sizes, I made a size 16. It was easy to find the pattern pieces I needed. There are only 4 pattern pieces for these culottes so it was easy to trace.

The Lottie culottes are a pair of elasticated waist culottes which are as comfortable as they are stylish. It's an easy pair of trousers and can be made at any level. The culottes have in seam pockets which are always amazing. Smaller scale prints are suggested for these culottes but I went with a larger scale print and I love it.

I made my culottes straight out of the pack. I didn't make any changes to the pattern and didn't make a toile. I just cut it up and hoped for the best. Thankfully, they fit me perfectly. The construction was easy. I finished the edges with the overlocker.

Culottes under construction.  Inside seams and over locked edges visible.

They are a quick make so you can make it in one afternoon. I did a deep hem just because the culottes are quite long so I folded the 2 inch hem twice.

Hem of culottes shown

On to the fabric, as a rule, I pre-wash fabrics prior to making my garments. However, I don't pre-wash African wax prints. Growing up in Nigeria and wearing African wax print, they were never pre-washed so I just don't bother to pre-wash it. It’s a bad habit but so far, I haven’t had any issues. After making my culottes, I felt that the fabric would flow better after being washed so I washed the culottes, this softened the fabric and makes the culottes flow better.

I absolutely love African wax print. It's very easy to handle. It is easy to cut as it is such a stable fabric. It sews like a dream and it's easy to press. I think African wax print is great for beginners.

I made no attempt to pattern match because I'm lazy but the book has instructions on what to do. Overall,  I think these are a fabulous pair of trousers and the pattern matches perfectly with African wax print.

Black woman standing in front of a red brick wall wearing a pair of culottes made in African wax print fabric in red fabric with large circular motifs and a white top.

Shop Book: 'Sewing with African Wax Print Fabric' here.

Shop Fabric 'Frozen fractals' here.

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