TUTORIAL and PATTERN: Kid Pants, the basic pants

Welcome to our series on KID PANTS. All the styles that are shared are adaptable to any size pants….from babies up to adults; for boys and girls. We’ll show you the ins and outs of making pants and we’ve got a downloadable pattern for size 2-3 toddler.
Today we’re starting with the Basic Pant, with an elastic casing waistband. This is similar to a pair of comfy pajama pants or a sweat suit. But don’t let those terms scare you! Even a pair of basic pants can look cool and fashionable paired with other accessories.
And when you’re ready to mix it up, try out our other simple pants tutorials:
But first, let’s talk about pants.
Elastic waist-band pants/shorts are one of the easiest things to make. I think it was the first real project I sewed for myself as a teenager. Once you figure it out, you will turn your nose up at similar pants in the store, realizing that they are ripping you off at those prices! You just need to understand how pants are put together. And then it’s like riding a bike….you will never forget.
Pants are made of 4 pieces (2 different pattern pieces). The best way to understand this is to study your own pair of pants and see how they’re put together; maybe even cut up a junk pair of pants. I have been making basic pants for my son since he was born. My pattern keeps growing and adjusting (since he seems to grow up and not out). It’s easy to make your own pattern, using our pattern drafting tutorial HERE, or you can download our Kid Pants pattern later in the tutorial.
If you’ve never made pants before and you’re drafting your own pattern (from an existing pair of pants), you may want to sew a trial pair first….just to see if you’re creating the pattern properly. You don’t have to sew this trial pair all the way to the end (unless they’re adorable of course) but this will allow you to make changes to your pattern before cutting into your nice fabric.
And that’s all you need to understand about pants. Let’s get cutting and sewing!
First, you need a pattern.
You can create your pattern using our Tutorial HERE.
OR….
Download and print off our pdf pattern HERE! It’s a size 2T-3T (appx 2 years old to 3 or 3 1/2 years old) and uses about 1/2 to 1 yard of fabric.
THE PATTERN SHOULD BE PRINTED IN “LANDSCAPE” FORMAT
* You’ll automatically be prompted to open the 1-page pdf in Preview
* Save and/or print the doc to your home printer
What I love about this pattern:
* Style and comfort. There are many patterns out there that use the same pattern piece for the front and back legs. It’s a simple way to sew pants. However, these types of pants often look bulky and less tailored to me. The pattern I’ve drafted has a slightly larger crotch on the back piece (to accommodate booty). But they’re still just as easy to sew! And the best part is the waistline! It’s cut lower in the front so the waistline isn’t gouging into a baby belly and overall, the pants look more flattering.
* Added length. The legs on these pants are extra long, giving you more options with the hem. If you sew a very wide hem on these, you can let the hem down as your child grows so the pants last even longer.
Pattern NOTE 1: My son is a skinny 3 year old and these pants fit him perfectly, with underwear or with a disposable diaper, and there’s a little room for him to grow. If your child uses cloth diapers or is a bit heftier, you’ll need to make adjustments by expanding the waist and legs. If you’d like to make a smaller size, slim down all around on the pattern and with a bit of trial/error, you should be good!
Pattern NOTE 2: There is a dotted line on the pattern labeled “Flat Front”. This is to make flat front pants, explained HERE in the step-by-step tutorial.
Pattern NOTE 3: This pattern is not for commercial use or monetary gain. I don’t mind if you use my instructions to aid in your own pants-making for a small shop, but please draft your own pattern when making these for profit.

Print and Pattern Prep:
- Print the pattern from your computer. PRINT IN LANDSCAPE setting (horizontal). There are 6 pages total–3 pages for the Front of the pants and 3 pages for the Back of the pants. Each page will fill on an entire 8 1/2 x 11, standard sheet of paper. If your paper standard is a different size, the images may be slightly off but you should be able to make out the image fairly well.
- Line up the pattern pages together–matching up the arrows and letters with each other. Do NOT overlap pages. Just butt them right up next to each other and tape them together. And you’re done! Pattern is ready to go!
Let’s talk about fabrics.
I’ve made these pants from all types of cotton and linen. For this pair I used a black/white cotton seersucker–one of my favorite fabrics of all time. Seersucker breathes well, drapes well, looks darling on kids, and just screams summer.
Fabrics to use (* appx 1/2 to 1 yard of fabric, depending on the size):
Cotton – all types
Linen
Seersucker (pictured above)
Stripes/plaids
Knits
Corduroy
Chambray
Lightweight denim
* Print off the pattern first, make any adjustments for your child’s size, and you’ll know how much fabric is needed. I used a 1/2 yard for this pair.

Okay, with your pattern printed, taped, and cut…
Fold your fabric in half and lay out the pattern. You don’t need to cut anything “on the fold” but you do need TWO Front pieces and TWO Back pieces. Make sure your fabric is folded with the right or wrong sides of your fabric together so that you end up with two Backs that are opposites…the crotches facing in opposite directions.
Trace your pattern to the fabric using a fabric pen or marker.
And cut out the pattern pieces from your fabric.
There are various methods for sewing pants. This is the easiest method for my hands and brain, and the way I sew pants (almost) every time.
Since your front and back pieces are already together, start by sewing down both of the crotches. If your fabric has a Right side to it (mine does not–both sides of my fabric look the same), make sure you flip the pieces before sewing so that the Right sides of the fabric are facing each other.
Using a 3/8 inch seam allowance, start at the waist and sew to the end of the crotch (or vice versa; doesn’t matter). Do this for both front pieces and both back pieces.
Serge off the seams (to keep it from fraying over time) and iron out the seams.
* If you don’t have a serger….do a zigzag stitch or leave the seam raw
* Always, always iron your seams. It will make your clothing look more professional and less homemade.
The front and back of your pants should look like this:
With Right sides of the fabric together, pin the Front and Back pieces together on the In-seam of the legs and sew them together. Start at the bottom of one leg and sew all the way up to the crotch and back down the other leg, in one continuous seam.
Serge off and iron out your seam.
They’re already looking like pants! Easy, right?
With right sides of the fabric together, pin together the outside legs of the pants.
If you have a small side tag, add it to the outside seam, a few inches from the bottom of the leg. And sew down both sides of the pants.
Serge off and iron out your seams.
Let’s make the waistband.
Serge all the way around the waist to finish off the edge and prevent it from fraying over time. If you don’t have a serger, iron the waistband under 1/4 inch, or finish it off with a zigzag stitch.
It should look like this. Notice how the front of the pants in a couple inches shorter. This makes the pants more comfortable and well-fitted.
Elastic.
I prefer a wider waistband on my kid’s pants so I always use 1-inch wide elastic. But 1/2 or 3/4 inch work well too.
Measure around your child’s waist to determine the length of the elastic, and then add 1 inch to that–for overlap and sewing. My son’s waist is 19 inches, so I cut 20 inches of elastic.
Iron the waistband down to create a casing for the elastic. Use the elastic to measure how wide the band needs to be–it should be about 1/4 inch wider on the top and bottom than the elastic.
Mark a start and stop point on your waistband with pins–this is where the elastic will go in and out.
Start at one point and sew all the way around to the other point to make a casing.
Don’t worry if you get any gathers or folds in the waistband. This may happen, due to the pattern and the way the waistband slopes down in front. But no worries! The waist is going to be gathered with elastic and no one will ever notice!
If you’re really concerned though, you can try smoothing the glitches out with a fingernail.
Time to insert the elastic.
Attach a safety pin or Bodkin to one end of the elastic. Insert the elastic into the waistband casing and use another safety pin to attach it to the other end of the pants opening–so the elastic isn’t lost inside the pants.
Feed the elastic all the way through till it comes out the other end.
Before sewing the elastic together, safety pin the two ends together and try the pants on your child to see if adjustments need to be made.
If all is well, overlap the elastic ends by 1 inch and sew them together. I use a tight zigzag stitch and sew in a couple of spots.
* If you’ve sew the elastic and the pants are too big, cut the elastic, cut out a small bit of the elastic–about 1 inch– and resew the ends together.
* If you’ve sewn the elastic and the pants are too small, cut the elastic, and sew in another small piece of elastic, adding more length to your waist.
Sew the casing closed by pulling the waistband taut and sewing off the opening. If you have a clothing label (info on my labels here), add one to the back or inside of the waistband (before sewing the waistband closed)
One final step!–hemming the pants.
Try the pants on your child to determine the hem length. Or, use a pair of existing pants to measure the length.
If you make a wide hem, you’ll be able to let down the hem as your child grows taller.
Serge around the bottom of each pant leg to finish off the edge and keep it from fraying over time. If you don’t have a serger, do a zigzag stitch or iron the edge under 1/4 of an inch.
Iron the hem under to your desired length.
Sew the hem in place, sewing on the inside of the hem to make sure you catch the entire hem.
For decorative aesthetic, sew a second line on the outside of the hem, about 1/4 over from the first hemline.
And…..you’re done!
Try them on!
Make a few phonecalls,
Pretend you’re in a boy band,
and enjoy your cool comfy pants!
Then make a few more pairs.
This pattern is so easy and fun, you might become addicted. Use the pattern to make baby gifts, for pjs, for church pants, for yourself!
And try out our other KID PANTS variations:

TUTORIAL: the 90 minute Shirt

It’s long for the winter and short for the summer.
It’s simple, it’s colorful, it’s The 90 Minute Shirt!
Taking a men’s T-shirt (or your own fabric), we’ll refashion it into this:
Skill Level: Intermediate
Needed:
* Mens’ XL tshirt (or appx 3/4 to 1 yard of fabric)
* Appx 1/4 yard knit ribbing
* SERGER (optional. Makes for the best look but instructions included for sewing without)
Size used in this Tutorial: 2T
I call this the 90 Minute Shirt because I’ve made it so many times that I can do it 90 mins (and sometimes even in 60!) The first time you make it, it will take longer than 90 mins. Don’t feel ripped off. It took me longer the first (few) times. But over time, you’ll get the routine down and you’ll be cranking these out for all your little guys and gals!
The first step is to make the pattern for your shirt, using our Make Your Own Pattern Tutorial:
Then gather your T-shirt and fabric supplies.
It’s hard to “embellish” a boy’s shirt. So I love to use ribbing to spice things up. It’s subtle, but adds a pop. Ribbing is simply this: knit fabric you find in the fabric store with little ribs in it. That’s it! There’s often a variety of colors to choose from. I buy mine at Joanns and I usually get many different colors when they’re on sale (since they look so pretty together) and then I have options for whatever T-shirt I end up using. Of course you’ll only need about 1/4 yard (or less) for each shirt, so even if they’re not on sale, it’s pretty cheap. (If you don’t want to use ribbing, you can use fabric from another T-shirt or even the same shirt! Just use something KNIT, so it can stretch):
Now for your shirt fabric….
I love the concept of Refashioning or Upcycling something old. So for these shirts I often hit the local Thrift Store and buy a Men’s XL T-shirt. If you’re using new fabrics from a store instead, you will need appx 3/4 to 1 yard of knit fabric for a little boys shirt (1-2 years), depending on sleeve length. If you’re making something larger than that, take your pattern pieces with you to the store and figure out exactly how much fabric you need.
Once you’ve made your pattern pieces, using our Pattern Tutorial above, you should have pieces that look similar to this:
Prep your existing Men’s T-shirt by cutting off all the seams and laying it out flat. This orange shirt didn’t have a seam on the sides, so I had even more fabric to work with! Carefully cut off the sleeves. If you’re making short sleeves for your new shirt, you’ll want to use them!
Decide how to lay your fabric pieces to maximize your space. If you made pattern pieces similar to mine, REMEMBER that the shirt pieces are only HALF of the shirt, so you’ll need to trace part and flip it over and trace the other side.
BUT DON’T DO WHAT I DID AND TRACE DOWN THE MIDDLE. See those squiggly lines down there? you DON’T want to trace that part!! That’s the MIDDLE of your shirt! Yep, and I did it….
Look at this picture below. See the mess-up one in there? Thankfully I had enough fabric to make a new piece. LESSON LEARNED: if you think you’ll make this mistake too, make your pattern pieces FULL-sized shirt pieces.
If you’re going to use the hem of the existing shirt for your new shirt (which I LOVE to do. Saves time and looks cool), make sure your pattern pieces are placed along the bottom of the shirt. Don’t worry if your shirt is a bit wonky and bent out of shape. It works out in the end:
And if you’re cutting short sleeves (instead of the long sleeves above), use the hem of the existing sleeve as well. Just place your pattern piece right on the edge of the hem and cut out the new sleeve:
Measure around the neck of both the FRONT and BACK of the shirt pieces (they will be different lengths. The front neck scoops further down).
Add those two lengths together, and this is how long you need to cut your strip of neck ribbing. For my two shirt pieces combined, it was 27 inches long. Now the width of the neck ribbing is to your preference. 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide is good. The ribbing will be folded in half, around the neck, so keep that in mind. For the orange shirt I cut it 2 inches wide. For the Brown shirt, I did 1 1/2 inches wide.
If you’re adding a cuff to your sleeves, cut two cuffs just slightly larger on the sides that the bottom of your sleeve piece. And cut it 4 inches wide (or whatever width you like. The cuff will be folded in half when finished):
Now your pieces are prepped and ready to go!
The first sewing step is to prepare your ribbing pieces.
NOW IF YOU DON’T HAVE SERGER, DON’T FREAK OUT HERE. There will be more info below.
But for those who have a Serger, there are more proper ways for doing this, I’m sure. But if you’re like me, you find a way that works for you and continue to use it. So that’s what I’ll show you here. Using your serger, serge down both sides of your long ribbing strip. I like to use contrasting thread on my ribbing so it adds more color to the shirt:
It should look like this:
Do the same for both your cuff pieces:
Now, if you don’t have a serger….
Just leave all your edges raw. They won’t unravel (knit does not fray). The serging is really just to add decor. It’s not a necessary step. Your shirt won’t look quite as “decorated” but it’ll still be plenty cute. Just make sure that your edges are cut straight and even (a rotary cutter is best for that).
Okay, iron your long strip in half, with the back half just slightly higher than the front. This makes it easier to attach to your shirt later on (in the same way that store-bought bias tape is slightly wider on one side):
Then starting with your back shirt piece, sandwich the neck edge into the ribbing, with the longer side of the ribbing on the back (inside). This ensures that when you sew it on near the edge, it will definitely be sewn on the back too:
When you get to the end, just snip off the ribbing and use the remaining ribbing to go around the front pattern piece:
If you have a label for your shirt, insert it into the back, tucked into the ribbing and pin it in place:
Then, sewing on the OUTSIDE of your shirt (the side everyone is going to see), start sewing your ribbing on to the shirt. I sew two lines, one on the right side of my serged lines:
And the other line, near the left edge of the ribbing:
If you don’t have a serger, you will just sew two parallel lines. You can use a double needle for this (see your machine manual. You’ll likely need to purchase one), OR you can just sew two separate lines. I often do this. First, sew the line on the left, near the edge, using your presser foot as a guide so your line is “straight” with the fabric’s edge. Then sew your 2nd line about 1/4 inch to right of your first line. I often use that method for hems and other decorative sewing. When you’re done, it might not look as pretty on the inside, but no one’s going to see it much:
Another option for your shirt label is to add it to the back of the shirt. If you’re really lame like me and made the same mistake twice when tracing your pattern (SERIOUSLY), then you ended up with an unwanted Sharpie mark in the middle of you shirt. So…..I cut out a rectangle of ribbing, matching the neck ribbing, sewed my label on top, and sewed it right over the mistake spot.
An impromptu (and needed) design:
Okay, on to the sleeves…..
NOTE: if you don’t want to add cuffs, you can simply serge the edges of your shirt sleeves (and bottom hem of your shirt) or even leave them raw. In this tutorial, we’ll be adding cuffs.
* UPDATED NOTE* : The color of my sleeves have changed here because I realized an easier way to do them after creating this tutorial. So, the sleeves here are gray and the cuffs are white. We’ll pick up with orange sleeves again in the next step.

Okay……With your cuffs serged on the sides (for decor, not necessary), iron them in half and get ready to sew them to the ends of each sleeve:
Sandwich the end of the sleeve right inside of the cuff:
Like this:
Then sew each cuff down (similar to how you did the neck line above):
Each sleeve bottom should look like this:
SEWING ON SLEEVES:
There are two ways to do this.
This is the alternate method I use from time to time — you’ll find the info HERE.
(photos used on a beach robe, but the concept is the same)
And this is the method I learned years ago.
Decide which method works in your creative mind and go use that…..
With RIGHT sides together, fold the sleeve in half:
And sew down the entire side:
Serge off the seam (zigzag or leave raw):
Iron down your seam and you sleeves are done!
Pretty easy! Now let’s attach them to your shirt…..

NOTE: we are now back to the orange/yellow sleeve color
Okay, with RIGHT sides of your shirt pieces together, pin the sides down. We are ONLY sewing the sides right now:
If you have a side tag/label, insert it about 2 inches from the bottom of the shirt:
Sew down the sides of the shirt , serge them off, and Iron out your seams:
Okay, this part isn’t tricky but it’s hard to show visually. Now it’s time to sew in your sleeves and sew the top of your shirt closed. This is the final step. Yay! So, with your sleeve turned RIGHT side out (the way it will look when you’re done) and with your shirt INSIDE out, take the armpit seam of your sleeve and match it to the armpit seam of your shirt:
and pin it in place:
Then you start to wrap the shirt shoulders around the sleeve, one piece at a time. It always takes me a moment to remember which shirt side to wrap around first (the front or the back?) When your shirt is finished, the back shoulder will wrap around to the front. SO (though it will feel backwards to do it this way), start by pinning the BACK shirt shoulder around the sleeve first (if none of this is making sense, study how a onesie looks and it should help):
When you finish pinning the BACK shoulder side down, wrap the FRONT shoulder around and pin it to the sleeve also:
As you go around, it will start to overlap where you pinned down the BACK shoulder. Just take out the pin and pin the Front shoulder to it also.
When you’re done, it should look something like this:
Now before you sew it down, ALWAYS DOUBLE-CHECK that you pinned both arms down properly by turning the whole shirt right-side out slightly just to see that you have both sleeves with the BACK folding over to the Front. I’ve made the mistake before and had both sleeves going in different directions. Good thing I caught it before sewing!
If everything is good to go, sew the all the way around the sleeve. Turn your shirt Right side out again to make sure it looks good and then serge off the edges and iron out your seams:
And woohoo! You’re done! Go throw it on your little guy.
He sure looks cute, scrapes and all.
Other variations on the shirt….
(UNO image done by Freezer Paper Stenciling….Tutorial HERE. Image HERE.)


And that’s the 90 min shirt! How fast can you make a shirt?