I have mentioned a few times before that my girls are quite particular about the type of clothing they wear. Each has her own bugaboos that need to be addressed with any new clothing.
It was a few years ago that I ran into the "pants problem" as I'll call it with my eldest. Jeans or cords are out for her. Jersey fabric pants are the only type she will wear, but even then the fabric has to be a certain kind and the fit has to be very specific. When she was 6, she gravitated to one particular pair of pants and literally wore them to shreds.
When we went back to the store where we had originally purchased the pants, we were no longer able to find them (darn that whole seasonal fashion thing!). And it was at that point I had an epiphany... why don't I trace the pants and sew them myself? Looking at the pants, I was able to easily deconstruct the pieces, and using a bit of tracing paper, came up with a pattern.
Each year as Winter approaches, I take the previous pattern out and adjust it to accommodate the growth my eldest has done in the intervening year. Of particular note to this pattern is an unusually low crotch - a tweak to fit that could only be done by sewing something yourself.
So I went to my local fabric store and bought 1.5 yards each of all the colors of rayon jersey fabric they had (except white, which wouldn't wear well). The rayon fabric has a particular softness and springy-ness that is a requirement for these pants.
In my mind, the best part of these pants is the waistband. I basically take a long rectangle of the fabric, stitch 3/4 inch elastic along the inside, sew the fabric into a circle, fold it in half and attach that as the waistband to the legs. It is very soft, the elastic keeps the pants up. I tried thicker elastic and my eldest hated how strong the elastic was - so 3/4 inch seems to be the sweet spot for her.
Here are some pictures of the results:
I can tell you that I've thought more than once of trying to come up with a pattern to fit me, so I could have a nice pair of yoga pants. I might yet do that! If I do, I'll be sure to share my results here.
