Thursday, October 22, 2009

Me and Mackenzie's favorite pair of pants

These are my favorite pair of lounge/pj pants.
ever.
They are the perfect length
perfect fit
super soft
and oh so comfy.

I think I wore them for a month straight after I had Mackenzie.

But after being worn and worn and worn
they are all worn out.
The waistband's elastic has lost it's elasticity.
There is a hole at the top.
And still I could not part with them.

So I made my favorite pair of pants
into a pair of pants for Mackenzie.
Now she loves them as much as I did.

I feel like I should preface this by saying...
I love to sew
but I am definitely not a seamstress.
Me and clothing don't get along.
The only wearable thing I have ever sewn were these skirts for Mackenzie.
But after making these pants
I realized that making clothes doesn't have to be scary
or hard.
These were super easy.
I'm totally going to make more.

If you want to turn some of your old pjs into new ones for your kiddos
here's the how to.

You will need:
-A pair of old pj pants
-A pair of your child's elastic waist pants to use as a pattern
-3/4 inch waistband elastic (the length of your child's waist minus one inch)

Step 1:
Lay out your pants flat on the ground. Place a pair of your child's pants, folded in half, on top of them to use as a pattern. Make sure the outside leg of the pant is along the side seam of your pair of pants. Place the hem (bottom) of your child's pants along the hem of your pants as well.

Step 2:
Cut around the pants, allowing 1/2 inch extra for seam allowance. At the top (the waist), leave an extra 2 1/2 or so inches for the waistband.

Step 3:
Repeat this process for the other side of the pants. I traced around the piece I just cut to ensure that both pieces would be exactly the same.

Step 4:
Open out the two pieces, and place them with right sides together. Pin in place. Sew from the top (waist) to the crotch on both sides.

A close up of the part that should be sewn (on both sides).

Step 5:
My pair of pants had 2 little pockets on the front. I used a seam ripper to remove the pockets and then I sewed them to the back of Mackenzie's new pair.

Step 6:
Open up the pants so that the crotch seam you just sewed is now in the center, and the two "legs" are on each side. Pin the pant legs together, matching up crotch seams and bottom hems.

Step 7:
Beginning at one hem, sew up the length of the pants to the crotch, and then down the other leg to the hem.

Step 8:
To make the waistband, fold down the top edge of the pants 1/4 inch (you can press if you want but I didn't). Then fold down another 1 inch (again you can press if you want. I just pinned it instead.). Sew this down, close to the fold, all the way around the waistband of the pants, leaving a 2 inch opening at the back to insert the elastic.

Step 9:
Using a large safety pin, insert the elastic through the opening and thread through being careful not to twist. Sew the two ends of the elastic together where they meet. Then stitch the waistband closed.

Turn your pants right side out and your done!

Close up of the pockets



5 comments:

Casey said...

that's a really good idea! I might give this a try with a pair of sweats I can't seem to let go of

Us Simple Girls said...

Great idea! Twice the enjoyment, comfy, and cute!

~Katrina

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