Tapered Knit Drawstring Pants
Women's tapered ankle-length pants for knit fabric, with pleats at the front waist, curved front pockets, single-welt back pockets and a waistband that is flat at the front and elasticated at the back, with a drawstring through two eyelets.
When To Wear
- For everyday and travel wear with T-shirts, knit tops and sneakers or loafers.
- With a loose sweater or a short jacket in autumn and spring.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Roomy at the hip through the front pleats, tapering to a narrow hem.
Length: Ankle length.
Waist: Folded waistband cut as separate front and back pieces; the back has stitched casings for elastic, secured at the side seams. A drawstring runs through two eyelets on the front waistband. Six belt loops.
Front: Pleats at the waist, folded towards the side seams; centre front seam.
Pockets: Curved front pockets faced with the pocket bag and topstitched 0.1 cm from the edge, with a separate side piece. Two single-welt pockets on the back, with interfaced welts.
Back: Centre back seam and two welt pockets below the waistband.
Finishing: Belt loops folded in three layers and topstitched; hems turned up by 2 cm and topstitched, preferably with a twin needle.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Single-welt pockets with corner clipping, front pleats, eyelets and an elastic casing, all on knit fabric.
Fabric Recommendations
Knit fabric with low stretch, of natural or blended fibres. Sew with an elastic or narrow zigzag stitch, or on a 3- or 4-thread overlocker.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing for knits (welts, pocket openings)
- Elastic tape
- Cord for the drawstring
- 2 eyelets
Cutter's Must
If the patterns have a double contour, they include seam allowances. If the contour is single, the patterns do not include seam allowances. Seam allowances: all seams 1 cm; hem allowance – 2 cm. When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches – they must match!
- From main fabric:
- Back Half – 2 pieces
- Front Half – 2 pieces
- Back Waistband – 1 piece
- Front Waistband – 1 piece
- Side – 2 pieces
- Pocket Bag – 2 pieces
- Off-Set Welt – 2 pieces
- Underlay Piece (back pocket facing) – 2 pieces
- Belt-Loop – 1 piece
- From fusible interfacing:
Tip: Knit fabric pieces are stitched with a special elastic or narrow zigzag stitch. When serging, trim seam allowances to 0.8 cm. The hem allowance is topstitched with a twin needle to maintain elasticity. You can also stitch pieces directly on a 3- or 4-thread serger.
Sewing Instructions
- Place the Pocket Bag on the Front Half, right sides together, and stitch along the pocket opening with a straight stitch. Turn the Pocket Bag to the wrong side, stitch the seam allowances onto the Pocket Bag 0.1 cm from the seam and press.
- Place the Front Half on the Side along the markings. Stitch the Pocket Bag to the Side and overlock the seam allowances. Fold and tack the pleats along the markings (pleat depths towards the side seam). Tack the Pocket Bag to the Front Half along the top and side edges.
- Mark the position of the back pockets. Fuse interfacing to the pocket opening area and to the Off-Set Welts. Press each Off-Set Welt in half lengthwise, wrong sides together. Stitch the welt to the Back Half along the lower pocket marking line. Stitch the Underlay Piece to the Back Half along the upper pocket marking line. End both stitching lines at the short marking lines. Check from the wrong side that the two stitching lines are parallel. Cut the pocket opening, making diagonal cuts towards the corners 1–1.5 cm from each end. Turn the welt and the Underlay Piece through the opening to the wrong side and adjust the ends of the welt so that its fold meets the Underlay Piece seam. Secure the pocket ends from the wrong side with a double backstitch across the base of the corners. Stitch the welt to the Underlay Piece in the ditch of the seam.
- Stitch the centre back seam of the Back Halves, press the seam allowances to the left and overlock. Stitch the centre front seam of the Front Halves, press the seam allowances to the left and overlock.
- Stitch the side seams, press the seam allowances towards the Back Half and overlock. Stitch the inside leg seams, press the seam allowances towards the Back Half and overlock.
- Set 2 eyelets for the drawstring in the Front Waistband at the markings. Stitch the Front Waistband and Back Waistband into a ring, press the seam allowances open. Press the waistband in half lengthwise, wrong sides together. On the Back Waistband, mark and stitch the casing lines for the elastic. Insert the elastic into the waistband and secure it at the side seams. Thread the cord through and secure it at the side seams. Stitch the waistband to the trousers and overlock the seam allowances.
- Overlock the hem allowance of the trousers, press it to the wrong side and topstitch.
- Overlock one long edge of the Belt-Loop strip. Fold the strip in three layers and topstitch along both long edges. Cut it into 6 belt loops. Stitch the belt loops on as shown in the technical drawing.
