I have looked multiple times on Pinterest to find a good and simple way to make baby pants. Of course my first pants were a fail. They still turned out like pants, but I wouldn't let my daughter wear them in public. After making the first pair, I knew better on how to do things. See all the other posts I've seen make things complicated and didn't make thinks clear (or my first pair wouldn't of been so bad). With this in mind I thought I would make my own post in hopes of simplifying things for beginner sewers. Here goes nothing....
First: I used a pair of pants that I knew fit my son, and used this as my pattern. Make sure the fold is tight on the fabric and the pants. If you have too much slack in the pants and it's not smooth, something will most likely not match up.
I used a marker (yes, Crayola markers wash off fabric) to outline the pants. I tried to get as close as possible to the pants without moving them. After I drew the pant outline, I also drew a line to give me sewing room. You can also just cut away from the pants pattern, but I like to see how much play room I have. I did make a mistake that I never read on other blogs and would of been nice to know.
See how the top of the pants have the elastic and it's at a relaxed state. If you draw your pattern with that, than add elastic, it won't leave enough room to stretch over those diapers. SOOO..I would recommend pulling that out and drawing your design with the fabric stretched at the top. You can do this by having someone hold it for you while you draw, or pin it using some type of clip. If it's stretched, it gives you enough stretch to go over those cute baby butts. This is VERY important if you are using a fabric that doesn't have much stretch.
Second: I cut my second line (the one that gives me seam allowance). I used regular straight edge scissors for this cut.
Still Folded
Laid out to prepare for sewing.
Third: You want to sew the seam that goes down the middle of the butt and front first. (I didn't see this step and this is were my first pair got messed up).
Where you want to sew first. Looks odd, but I promise it'll be right.
Step Four
Four: Fold your pants so they look like actual pants again. I also cut the extra fabric off here, to keep the bulkiness down when you get to where all the seams meet. If you feel more comfortable leaving it you can, just cut the extra off after step six.
Five: Once folded, pin where you will sew to make the leg holes. Than sew away!!!
Six: Once everything was done, I used pinking shears to cut the extra fabric off. This will help prevent the fabric from coming undone later down the road. If you don't have these, no big deal!! Just be sure to use a zig zag machine setting. Mine here is, but it's so small and tight together you can't see it.
Seven: I folded the pant legs to sew next. If you want to do elastic here too, simply make a casing and add elastic. I don't really like those myself and don't put my kids in them. I would recommend ironing the fold, but it worked just fine by pinning it.
I want to point out something very important here. Make sure your legs are the same length. Due to human error, it most likely won't. One will probably be just a tad longer than the other. I folded my pants in half and checked the leg lengths.
Pick which one you want to unroll or roll more and pin. Check again to be sure you have it right. Don't want anyone to be walking around with one high water. lol
Eight: Since I'm NOT making a casing, I simply made a zig zag seam across the bottom. You want to sew as close to the edge of the pants as possible.
Nine: After both legs are sewn and looking neat, cut the extra fabric. I once again used pinking shears but it's up to you (and if you have a pair or not).
Ten: Let's start with the waist band!! I folded it over and pinned it. Add about 1/4 inch more than the elastic you want to use. I am using 1/2 inch elastic with a 3/8 inch casing. To make things simple you could also do 1/2 inch casing with 1/4 inch elastic. You just want to make sure you have enough room for the elastic (but not too much or it might start twisting and we all hate that!)
*Side Note: When I need something to be folded to a specific measurement, I use ruler and
make dots. Go along the edge of the fabric with the end of the ruler. Every once and a while
put a dot at the measurement (like at 1/2 inch down from the fabric edge). This helps me
to have a guide when I'm folding over and pinning my fabric, and to be more accurate.
BE SURE TO LEAVE AN OPENING TO PUT ELEASTIC IN!!!
How do I always forget when sewing??? I have no clue, but I do almost every time!
If one side is longer than the other...no problem. I simply used a ruler and drew a line to show the difference. This helped guide me when sewing.
Eleven: Once my waist was sewn and I had my case; I measured my elastic. I'm sure you can look and find the standard for different sizes, but I simply measured my little man while he was awake. I understand that can be difficult for smaller children, or ones who don't stay still for one minute. I don't really know what to tell you other than try to find some measurements.
Twelve: Put a safety pin on the end of the elastic and thread it through. Once you have it all through, you want to sew it. I always add a little extra to give me room for this. It's difficult trying to hold the elastic and put the foot down on the machine, the extra helps to hold it in place.
I ALWAYS go over this a few times back and fourth. If you make it too small or too short, you can cut off and sew again or cut and add (sewing twice on each side).
My finished pants. I was really very pleased with myself and excited. Now my son can have pants to match his Camo Faux Vest Onesie!!!
Hope I explained things better, but just to be sure I made this simple picture to sew which seams to sew first!! Hope you enjoyed! God Bless.
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