How to make tapered pants

1. Materials & tools

Materials (women's M)

• Main fabric (twill, linen or stretch woven) — about 110 cm wide × 160 cm (44 × 63 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” → “Tapered pants” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter hip, rise, inseam, hem width, ease and the waist casing. Presets cover women's S/M/L and men's M/L.
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 and seam line, and mark the crotch curve carefully — it is the one line that decides how they fit.
2. Cut
   Cut two fronts and two backs from the same pattern, flipping it for the second of each pair.
3. Finish the edges
   Serge or zigzag the crotch, side and inseam allowances.

4. Sewing

4-1. Sew the crotch seams

1. Put the two front legs right sides together and sew the curved center front seam. Repeat for the backs.
2. Sew the curve slowly with a shorter stitch length — it takes the strain every time you sit down.

4-2. Sides and inseams

1. Open the front and back out, lay them right sides together and sew both side seams.
2. Sew the inseam in one continuous line from one hem, through the crotch, to the other hem. Backstitch two or three times over the crotch junction.

4-3. Waist and hem

1. Fold the waist edge over twice to make a casing and stitch, leaving a 3 cm (1¼ in) gap.
2. Thread the elastic, fit it, stitch the ends and close the gap.
3. Turn the hems up twice and stitch.

✏️ Baste the crotch seams and try them on before sewing for real. A shallow rise pulls when you sit and a deep one bags underneath — five minutes of basting saves the whole pair.

5. Tips & variations

• Choosing the length: an ankle length that shows the ankle bone (about 60 cm / 24 in inseam) looks the most current.
• Press a crease: after sewing, press a crease down the center front of each leg for a much sharper look.
• Add pockets: catch a pocket bag in each side seam before you sew it.