Make Your Own Pant Pattern

People often ask how I sew without Store-bought patterns. It’s not hard to do and you can do it to too!
I’ll show you how.

First off, I don’t totally “wing it”. I use a piece of clothing I already have as my guideline and improvise from there. The nice thing about children growing out of their clothes is that you can use a shirt they've grown out of as a new pattern (or guideline).

If you’re new to sewing, the best way to understand clothing construction is to actually deconstruct it. Start by looking at your clothing. Study how it’s put together. Take apart an old pair of pants, so you know what a pant leg looks like. Cut the sleeve off an old shirt so you understand the arc of a sleeve pattern piece. Once you understand how clothes are put together, you will turn your nose up at similar clothing in stores, realizing that they are ripping you off at those prices! Once you get this, it’s like riding a bike….you will never forget.

Here’s what I do.
These pants I did buy in a store, but hey, they were on sale for $1! Not bad. And I use them as a pattern for all my boy pants, since they fit my little man perfectly:
I turn the pants inside out, and fold one leg on top of the other so I can see the entire pattern piece. You will do this for the front of the pants and the back of the pants. Both pattern pieces are similar, but the back leg usually has a larger crotch area (the curve of the pants) to accommodate big diaper bootie:
Then on a scrap/junk piece of fabric I create a pattern (you can also trace on to large butcher paper). I trace all around the pant leg, allowing a little extra for a 1/4 inch seam. I just use a Sharpie marker or you can use a fabric marker.

I also like to make pants with a very slight flair at the bottom of the leg, even for boys. Nothing extreme. Just enough though that the legs don’t feel tapered:
When you get to the top, remember that the waistband is gathered, so you need to stretch the pattern pants as you create the new pattern and allow for more fabric in this area. You also need to add more length to the top, as the waistband will be folded over.
Leave the bottom portion of the pant leg MUCH longer than you would think because you never know how long you’ll really want them. And often I end up creating the hem very wide so when my little guy grows taller, I can let down the pant leg and they last much longer!