A guest blog by Annie Brooks
Sometimes, the stars align… And you and your toddler agree on what pants they should wear.
We’re all for comfort and ease. And these pants are so comfortable, simple to make (NO SERGER NEEDED!) and easy to put on a toddler doing an alligator death roll.
I started making these pajama-style pants when my daughter was 6 months old. It was great because the pattern I use needs about a fat quarter of fabric per leg. Once she fit into toddler sizes, you need a yard of fabric or less per pair. This made it more accessible to me because I don’t keep a large stash. I buy per project and had mainly smaller cuts to work with. This challenged me to get creative. Adding fun, coordinating fabric at the cuffs, making stripes, half-and-half! I figured out how to do piping for an extra fancy touch for little fabric and time.
Once my daughter started crawling, I was so happy with the way the pants protected her knees. I always use 100% cotton and they do not get worn, faded or ripped. They are breathable, great in warm or cold weather and loose enough not to restrict movement. We still haven’t had any knees rip now that my daughter is a toddler, and she is rough on them. No more skinned knees! Woo hoo.
And because these pants only take about an hour to make, they are my go-to gift for new moms and toddlers. You can dress them up, dress them down, or wear them as pajamas. Just so… Practical! Once they outgrow them, I plan on keeping them to hand down if I get grandkids. I can’t recommend them enough!
Here are some important tips that I’ve learned along the way.
- Find a pattern you love, I use this one. Peanut Pattern Pants (It fits my 95th percentile children well and the instructions are simple)
- Use knit elastic, it’s stretchier and more comfortable.
- Bias tape is great to use for piping and the drawstring. This is a picture of pink bias tape ready to be sandwiched in for piping.
- Use an overlock stitch to mimic a serger and keep edges from fraying. Here’s a finished pair of pants with purple piping.
- Sew the bottom of the pants hem before you sew the leg closed. Only necessary in sizes 2t and smaller. Once the leg is closed, it makes it hard to sew the hem smoothly because it’s too narrow.
- Add tags for a professional look and to remember the size. These are from Etsy with my name. Custom Tags
- Use clear contact paper to preserve your pattern.
- Get creative and have fun, maybe even try and little pattern matching!
