Culottes of fun and a BAD decision!

Hello! I hope you are having lovely weekends!

I fell for the culottes craze - so many beauties being made up - these three by What Katie Sews, these from the Tessuti blog, and Sallie's super Style Arc ones. I thought also that they'd be a good way into trousers on my own (I had a lot of super hand-holding for my Sew Over It pair). Annoyingly I can't remember whose blog I read who had made Butterick B6178 but they looked just the ticket for me, with four different options.

I sewed up a straight size 14, version D. I followed the instructions for the pockets, despite a nagging feeling that I always have problems with in-seam pocket gape on anything fitted round my hips. My hips are a size bigger than my waist, and they always seems to push pockets out and make quite a horrible shape. Sure enough, when I tried them on they did just that. So I took them out and sewed down the sides - I wish I did have pockets here but maybe I just can't on my shape? Is there a fix for this that anyone knows of?

They are not a bad fit out of the packet, and definitely work from my hips down which was the measurement I took, but the waist is baggy. As I fix, I added belt loops and a self tie belt, which gives it a paper bag style top - it works, but I'd like them to fit better round my waist the next time - and there will definitely be a next time with these bad boys! 

I had this beautiful lace zip in my stash which was given to me by my friend Sal years ago, before I'd started sewing again properly. I'd never thought of how one could use an exposed zip, until I saw this Emery Dress by Dolly Clackett. So pretty! 

My zip is a lovely burgundy, perfect with this fabric, and it was the right length - zip and fabric kismet, surely! But here's where I made an error - an exposed back zip has rather a different effect to one that follows your bum...

Uh-oh.

Let's zoom in and marvel at the heinousness! 

I was going to add a photo here of a baboon's bum but I just did a Google search and they are too upsetting, frankly.

Well, at least I didn't put it on the front! Silver linings...