Pattern Review - Burda 9812 Boys' Pants

DS the Youngest is taking part in the Yankee Classic dance competition next weekend. He's been growing like a little weed recently, and he is getting too tall for his old pants. He needs to wear black pants for both Standard and Latin. When I was at the dance store a couple of weeks ago, I checked out the pants. First off, they didn't have boys' sizes. And the men's pants started at $160 per pair. After taking a look inside a couple of them, and discovering that there isn't anything unusual about them, I decided to make him a pair.

Pattern Description: "Jacket with lapel/revers collar and flapped pockets.
Waistcoat/vest, with patterned front and plain/single-coloured back.
Trousers/pants with pleats at waist, hip-yoke pockets and ironed/pressed creases"
I made just the pants.

Sizing: 140-170 (US 10-18). I made a 10 (140), but lengthened the legs to the next size up.

Fabric Used: All You Need Is... RPL from Gorgeous Fabrics. I have to gush a bit. I knew from the start that this is a great fabric, but I hadn't sewn anything from it yet. Can I just tell you? This fabric is fabulous to work with! It works up like a dream, it has a great soft feel against the skin, and it has great stretch for movement and comfort. I can see some of this in my future.

Needle/Notions Used: Stretch 75/11 needle, hook/eye closure, black fusible tricot from Sew Exciting Fashion Sewing Supply. This stuff is really great, and it's the perfect weight for my fabric.

Did it look like the photo or drawing when you got through? Yes.

How were the instructions? I didn't use them. The pants are beautifully drafted. They use a mock fly closure, so there was nothing particularly tricky about them.

Construction Notes: I used a straight stitch, length 2.5mm for all seams. I didn't bother to do much fitting on these pants for a few reasons. First, he's going to get one comp's use out of them before he outgrows them. He is a generous size 140, but too small for a 142. Second, the fabric has a lot of stretch to it, so it's quite forgiving. Third, he's going to be moving all over, so it just didn't seem to make much sense to spend a lot of time tweaking the fit.

One of the things that the photo flash brings out that isn't as obvious in the unenhanced daylight is that he has a flat seat. When he finishes growing I'll draft him a pant that solves that problem. Until then, he doesn't notice. He just loves the fact that they are comfortable and not binding.

Any changes? Other than lengthening the legs, no.

Likes/Dislikes: Beautifully drafted pants. I would definitely do it again. I may redraft the front to get rid of the pleats.

Would you do it again? Would you recommend it? Yes and yes.

Here are pictures of the front:
And the back:
Conclusion: A great pair of pants. I'll get more pictures of him, and the TLC film crew, at the competition.

Happy sewing!