How to make culottes (gaucho pants)

1. Materials & tools

Materials (size M)

• Main fabric (linen, rayon or other fabric with drape) — about 110 cm wide × 170 cm (44 × 67 in)
• Flat elastic (3 cm / 1¼ in wide) — your waist measurement

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Adult clothes” → “Culottes (gaucho pants)” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter hip, rise, inseam, hem flare, ease and the waist casing. Presets cover S, M, L and a cropped version.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Trace the pattern
   Trace the cut line, seam line and the crotch curve.
2. Cut
   Cut two fronts and two backs, flipping the pattern for the second of each pair. The pieces are wide, so lay the fabric out fully before you start.
3. Finish the edges
   Serge or zigzag the seam allowances.

4. Sewing

4-1. Sew the crotch seams

1. Sew the two fronts together along the center front curve, then the two backs the same way.
2. Clip the curve every 5 mm (¼ in) so it opens out flat.

4-2. Sides and inseams

1. Lay front and back right sides together and sew both side seams.
2. Sew the inseam in one run from hem to hem, reinforcing the crotch junction.

4-3. Waist and hem

1. Fold the waist edge over twice, stitch leaving a gap, thread the elastic, fit and close.
2. Hem the wide legs with a double fold. Because the hem is wider than the leg above it, ease the fabric in a little at a time as you fold.

✏️ Wide hems fight you when you turn them up — the outer edge is longer than the inner one. Press in small sections rather than trying to fold the whole hem at once, or bind the edge with bias tape instead.

5. Tips & variations

• Fabric matters: culottes live or die on drape. Linen and rayon fall beautifully; stiff cotton makes them look like a tent.
• Cropped version: a shorter inseam reads more like a skirt; a longer one reads more like wide trousers.
• Add pockets: side-seam pockets disappear into the width and are genuinely useful here.