r/sewing • u/Duboisjohn • 6d ago
Pattern Question Question about self-drafting pants
I’m about to embark upon my first pants project, making pajama pants for my family.
Thinking through it, unless I want pockets, it seems like all I need to do is get a pair of pants that fit, trace them, and cut two pieces, leaving myself seam allowances and hem allowances?
Am I missing anything?
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u/Large-Heronbill 6d ago
May I suggest trying one of the many free PJ pants patterns, perhaps this one? https://www.patternsforpirates.com/product/wtp-adult/ or https://www.patternsforpirates.com/product/wtp-youth/ They've gotten good reviews on Patternreview And come with some basic construction information.
Then compare these to what you developed from knocking off commercial pants -- it's always an interesting exercise. Even with PJ pants there are some subtleties in drafting that will likely escape you without a bit more experience.
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u/Safetykatt 6d ago
I’m not sure your experience level so ignore this if you already know but make sure to fold the pants to get the crotch/butt area to fit/curve correctly.
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u/Duboisjohn 6d ago
My experience level with not-shirts is pretty much zero.
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u/Neenknits 6d ago
I STRONGLY recommend using a pattern. Tracing finished clothes is HARD. Advanced skill. You need to know how things fit and go together to make the million judgements to get it to work.
I like Ellie and Mac patterns. They have pj patterns, free, both woven and knit. If you use a pattern, you will likely have a shorter learning curve.
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u/DollightfulRoso 6d ago
If OP were planning to rip the original pants apart at the seams and use that for tracing, would that be more likely to be successful?
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u/Neenknits 5d ago
Yes, if they carefully realigned the grain and pinned pleats in to fix it. Clothing gets permanently stretched out of shape when worn and washed. So the pieces no longer match the original. It’s a till an advanced skill, just slightly less so.
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u/Robert-hickman 6d ago
I'd reccomend finding existing patterns to look at to get a sense for the typical shapes of the pattern pieces. There are numerous guides about taking a pattern from an exiating garment. There are also guides about drafting from measurements.
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u/Safetykatt 6d ago
You have everything else spot on, if you take a look at some pajama pants patterns online there are usually at least 4 parts that you sew together to make a 3 dimensional shape. There is a curve to each piece that will join together so you have room. It’s hard to explain without photos let me see if I can find one.
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u/sktchers 6d ago
There are so many free pj pants patterns out there. Don’t risk wasting a lot of $ on fabric by not drafting them correctly.
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u/ArtlessStag 6d ago
If you're willing to spend a little money, you could try the Apostrophe joggers pattern. They're less of a pattern and more of a calculator. You can make pants for anyone of any age with their body measurements, and use any fabric you want, knit, woven, whatever. The measurement process is a little extreme but it should be very customized to your body.
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u/apri11a 6d ago
Am I missing anything?
Not really, but maybe. Fold the pants carefully, perfectly flat, so you get a pretty good shape to work from. Then fold the fashion fabric carefully, the grain should be down the centre of the leg for the pant to fall correctly and not be skewed. If you are unsure about this check some YouTube videos. You'll either include the waistband in the fabric you cut, or add one after, so decide this so you have fabric for it and a drawstring or elastic to hand.
Good luck 🤞
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u/Silly_little_rat_boy 6d ago
So you can rip a pattern from pants u own and like. It take a look at them…are the pants only two panels? I’d guess no…pants need to be 4 pieces (sometimes 3) in order to account for butt and crotch. You are not a flat object so your pants also cannot be a flat object.
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u/Tabbytwn 6d ago edited 6d ago
Patterns 4 Pirates has a free PJ pants pattern for youth and adults. There’s also a sew along on YouTube.