autumn sewing: gold Thurlows and a mish-mash top

I'm working my way steadily through my autumn sewing plan, and I've now finished almost all the day-to-day pieces I committed to making (I will be making the coat and have some camel-coloured wool for it, but I've decided against the Leanne Marshall pattern and am waiting for a couple of promising-looking coat patterns to become available here before I start that project). Mostly it's gone very well, and I'm wearing everything I've made on a very regular basis. This one, however, caused me a little more trouble.

Here we have my second-ever pair of Sewaholic Thurlows. My first ones fit well, but because they were grey pinstripe they felt too formal for me to actually get any wear out of. I've been putting off making a second pair because complicated, but now it's officially autumn (I went outside today in a scarf. A SCARF) a pair of comfy trousers is exactly the kind of thing my wardrobe needs. 

So, fabric. Sigh. The fabric I had in my head was an extra-saturated mustard corduroy, and I searched for it for a month. I ordered what claimed to be mustard cord from Minerva Crafts (I hadn't used them before, and yeeaahhh... let's say I was not sold), but what turned up was the most horrendous shade of toddler yellow I've ever seen. That basically killed any drive to find what I was looking for online. Several weeks later I went to Abakhan in North Wales with my partner's mum and found the exact colour I was looking for, except it was wool. Which I bought, along with some cotton to line them. I got them almost completely finished, tried them on to fit the back extension, and they didn't fit at all. I have no idea why, because I used the exact same pattern and size for both the previous and subsequent pairs, and they were fine, but the wool ones were unwearable and unsalvageable. I bought this peachy gold corduroy on Goldhawk Road a few days later, and I do like it, but part of me is still mourning that bright yellow. Grrrr. 

As with my previous attempt at these trousers, I made them up mostly straight out of the envelope. Trying on my first pair revealed that they were slightly too short, so I added about 1.5 inches to the legs, and honestly the length is probably one of the things I'm most pleased with. They neither drag on the ground and get dirty nor do that weird hovering thing that slightly-too-short trousers do. I kept all the details (except the belt loops, because I do not own any belts); I made the back welt pockets and constructed the front fly without any problems whatsoever, then promptly sewed the trousers up as one giant leg with two hip holes because I was apparently high on my own sense of accomplishment and thought I didn't have to pay attention anymore. 

I flat-felled all the major seams and hemmed the trousers by hand. I've been doing a lot more hand hemming since I realised there's no reason to keep the stitches hidden on the inside and a herringbone stitch is actually quite nice to sit and do. 

The biggest problem I have with these is the fastenings. Super-secure, neat-looking hand-sewn fastenings completely elude me, and I'm certain that the hook and/or bar is going to come off sooner rather than later. Is there a trick I'm missing? How do you get poppers and other such notions to go on neatly and stay put? 

The top is a Concord top with added cuffs and a slash neck, and honestly it's not really what I wanted. That doesn't mean I don't like it or won't wear it, but it's not what I had in mind when I planned to make this. I wanted a layering piece, but this is just a very slightly roomier version of what I usually make. I think getting the shape I was imagining is going to be quite tricky - I want something I can throw on over tops and dresses, but I do not want baggy or boxy in any way, and I think it might take me a few goes to get right. I have about a metre of this fabric left, so I might have another go at it. 

I copied the neckline from an old RTW jumper of mine that's about to die, and though I like it I think the neckband needs some work. I've had better success with neckbands since I stopped using the neckband pieces that come with patterns (or using them for width only), but I still don't have that instinctive understanding of fabric that allows my necklines to come out right all the time. This one stands away from my neck a bit at the shoulders, so I probably needed to make the band a little shorter. 

Both these pieces will, I think, serve me well. I'm going to have another go at getting the shape of top I want, and I'm debating whether I want another pair of trousers. When I bought this gold corduroy I bought another two pieces too, one of which is a much finer and thinner piece of burgundy cord. I'm unsure whether I want it to become another pair of Thurlows or a miniskirt. Ah, decisions.