How to make wide pants (elastic waist)

1. Materials & tools

Materials (adult pants)

• Fabric (linen, cotton twill, chambray) — 110 cm wide × (rise + inseam + 15 cm), two pieces
• Waist elastic (3 cm wide) — the 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” → “Wide pants (elastic waist)” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the rise, inseam, waist and hip. Baste the crotch curve to check the fit.
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
   The right curve is the crotch, the left straight edge is the side.
2. Cut 4
   Cut 2 mirror pairs (4 pieces) from the same pattern. Mark the crotch notches.
3. Finish the edges
   Zigzag or serge the edges.

4. Sewing

4-1. Sew the center (crotch) seams

1. Sew the crotch curve on the front pair and the back pair, right sides together.
2. Clip the curve so it turns smoothly.

4-2. Sew the inseam

1. Open the front and back out, place right sides together, and sew the inseam in one pass.

4-3. Sew the sides

1. Sew the side seams right sides together and press open.

4-4. Waist and hem

1. Make an elastic waist casing and stitch, leaving an opening; thread the elastic, fit and close.
2. Double-fold and topstitch the leg hems; press.

5. Tips & variations

• Crisp drape: linen and twill give the best wide-leg shape.
• Cropped: shorten the inseam for cropped wide pants.
• Pockets: add in-seam side pockets before closing the sides.