Pants for Little People.

by Lupine.

As fall approaches (dare I say it), I am excited to be getting the girls ready for cooler weather.  I am starting to think about sewing things like pants, jackets, and long-sleeved shirts and dresses. This summer has been focused on sewing for the big girl, and the baby is the one that is really going to need some new pants for fall.

I don't know what it is about my baby, but she grows like a weed.  One day she has a drawer full of clothes that fit, the next day, they are all too small.  Ok, so she eats a ton.  And kids are supposed to grow, so that is good.  But keeping up is hard work.

I have been on an investigation for over a year now trying to find the pattern for some really good fitting good pants for my kids.  Pants that work for bigger and littler kids, pants that are nicely shaped, pants that fit well and are comfortable, and pants that have enough variations they can be made again and again.  

Another requirement for my people is an elastic waist.  The little one is in diapers, so I don't want to fuss with snaps and buttons, the big one needs to do pretty much everything by herself, so she really benefits from pull-on pants.  

For my baby this fall, my pattern of choice is  Oliver+S's Sandbox Pants pattern.  There are front and back pockets with different top-stitiching options.  They have an elastic waist that can be made with or with out a tie, and most importantly, they fit little kids bodies really well.  

The Oliver+S patterns are great to try if you are up for a small step up in terms of difficulty.  They patterns are very thoroughly written and have great pictures so they are very easy to follow.  They usually have nice details included in each pattern and with the pants, you can add or subtract them easily.  So if you just want to attempt your very first pair of pants, skip the pockets all together and skip the tie waist.  They still fit great.

I am teaching a class at Bolt using this pattern on Wednesday August 19 and 26th from 6:30-8:30.  I will work with each student in the beginning of class to choose the details of the pants (pockets, buttons, tie waist) that fit their sewing skill level.