DIY Sewing Pants

Planning the Pants

• 1

  Choose a basic pants pattern for your first project that has an elastic waistband, and no more than five pattern pieces. The Kwik Sew cargo pants pattern, Kwik Sew 2720, works well for this. You don't have to make all the pockets for your first pair. Choose a medium-weight cotton fabric, such as twill or denim for the fabric, and make sure you get 1 1/4 inch wide elastic for the waist.

• 2

  Measure your waist and hips. Look at the measurements for the different sizes on the back of the envelope. Choose your size based on your hip measurement. If your waist measurement is different from that size, it's easy to alter the waist when you trace the pattern.

• 3

  Lay the pattern paper down on a table or on the floor, and lay the tracing paper on top. Trace off the pattern pieces for your size. If you need to add or subtract inches from the waist, you can do this now. For example, if you are tracing a size medium, but your waist is 31 inches instead of 29 inches, add 1/2 inch to the top of each side of the front and back pieces. Also add 1 inch to the waistband piece.

Cutting Out the Pants

• 4

  Wash and dry the fabric in the way that you intend to launder the finished garment. Lay it out on a large table or on the floor. Press.

• 5

  Look at the cutting layout in the directions inside the pattern. Fold the fabric as directed, and lay out the pieces as directed. It is particularly important to use the pattern layout if your fabric is a plaid or another pattern that needs to look symmetrical in front.

• 6

  Pin the pieces to the fabric and carefully cut out the pieces. The essential pieces are the front pieces, the back pieces, the waistband, the front pockets, and the pocket facings. Transfer all markings to the fabric pieces.

Sewing the Legs

• 7

  Finish the edge of the pocket facings, and pin them to the outside of the front pocket. Stitch the curved seam. Turn the pocket facing to the inside and press. Sew the edge of the pocket facing to the front pockets. Turn the edges of the pocket under and press, and pin to the front of the pants and top stitch in place.

• 8

  Pin each front to one back piece along the outside seam, right sides together, and stitch. Finish the seam with a zigzag stitch and press open. Pin the front to the back along the inside leg seam. Stitch. Zigzag the raw edges and press the seam open.

• 9

  Turn one leg right-side out and put it inside the other leg, right-sides together. Stitch the crotch seam, back to front. Trim the seam and zigzag the edges together. Press to one side.

Sewing the Waistband and Hemming

• 10

  Hold the waistband up to the pants to see if it fits the circumference of the pants, with an inch left over for the waistband seam. Mark where the back waistband seam should go, based on this comparison. Make the two buttonholes in the front of the waistband. Stitch the back waistband seam, right sides together. Finish one raw edge of the waistband with a zigzag stitch. Fold the waistband in half lengthwise and press.

• 11

  Pin the other raw edge of the waistband to the pants, right sides together. If you have to make small tucks in the front or back of the pants to make the waistband fit, try to center the tucks and make them symmetrical. Stitch the waistband to the pants.

• 12

  Fold the waistband over toward the inside of the pants, and pin the finished edge over the waistband seam. Stitch it, leaving an opening at the back for the elastic. Cut a piece of elastic according to the measurements in the directions. Or you can cut the piece of elastic approximately 2 inches smaller than your own waist measurement.

• 13

  Take a large safety pin and pin it to one end of the elastic. Thread the elastic through the waistband casing using the safety pin to move it along from the outside. Bring the two ends of the elastic together and stitch the ends together securely. Sew up the opening by hand or machine. Cut a piece of drawstring the length of your waist plus about 10 inches. Tie a knot in each end of the drawstring, and attach one end to the safety pin. Thread the drawstring through the buttonhole and around the pants waist, and back out the other buttonhole.

• 14

  Zigzag the bottom raw edge of each pant leg. Try on the pants, and pin the hem up to the wanted length. Pin. Stitch the bottom hem.