Following in the footsteps of a duchess and my mother

Two Saturdays ago I caught up on my reading of fashion/gossip magazines in the hairdressers, and found out the latest 'news' about the Duchess of Cambridge and her wardrobe - in this case that she has 'borrowed' her mother's dress. I'm not going to get entangled in the ensuing debate over who looks best in the dress but this story is a tenuous link to my recent sewing project - one which, duchess like, I 'borrowed' from my mother.

I've mentioned before that I learn my handicraft skills at my mother's knee, and also that my family house is a treasure trove of exciting little stashes of this and that. One of them is a cardboard box full of my mum's, aunt's, and in some cases my grandmother's, sewing patterns. My most recent sewing project is from the box of delights Simplicity 5140, which according to the invaluable Vintage Pattern Wiki is from 1972.

I used some wool blend fabric for the trousers, a remnant I found in charity shop last year. Given that my mum had already made the pattern I didn't have any choice on the size to make, but it seems that I am now the size she was then, that what you'd call heredity I guess! The main change I made was to add pockets - I do like pockets in my trousers. I also added some cream piping on the edge of the pockets and on the turn ups, for that nautical feel.

Now, I can't guarantee that my mum is wearing here version of the trousers in this picture, so we can't had a Middleton-esque comparison of who looks best. But it is a roughly contemporary to the pattern. 

And, for those who want to know the result of my visit to the hairdresser (besides brushing up on my fashion gossip) my hair is now very short, and red ... much more convenient to go under my cycling helmet.