Tapered Knit Drawstring Pants
Introducing a women's sewing pattern for comfortable knit pants featuring a tapered leg, a drawstring waist, and stylish front pleats.
When To Wear
These versatile knit pants are perfect for a range of relaxed yet stylish occasions, including:
- Casual Everyday: Ideal for comfortable daily wear with a chic edge.
- Relaxed Work Environments: Suitable for smart-casual office settings or creative workplaces.
- Travel & Leisure: Perfect for comfortable movement while maintaining a put-together look.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: a comfortable, relaxed fit tapering towards the ankle.
Waist: a flat front waistband featuring an adjustable drawstring and eyelets, complemented by an elasticated back waistband for a comfortable, adaptable fit.
Pockets: Practical slash pockets integrated into the front side seams and refined single-welt pockets at the back.
Front Detail: Subtle pleats originating from the waistband add tailored structure and ease.
Length: Ankle-length, designed for a modern, cropped look.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Involves working with knit fabrics, precise pocket construction for both slash and welt pockets, and assembling an elasticated drawstring waistband.
Fabric Recommendations
Choose low-stretch knit fabrics with a soft drape for optimal comfort and style:
- Low-stretch knit fabrics made from natural or blended fibers
Additional Supplies
- Knit fusible interfacing
- Elastic tape
- Drawstring cord
- 2 eyelets
Cutter's Must
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
- Welt – 2 pieces
- Underlap – 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 and stitch the pocket opening on a straight stitch machine. Turn the pocket bag to the wrong side, topstitch the seam allowances to the pocket bag with a 0.1 cm seam, and press.
- Place the front half on the side according to the markings. Stitch the pocket bag to the side, serge the seam allowances. Form and secure the pleats according to the markings (depths directed towards the side seam). Secure the pocket bag to the front half along the top and side edges.
- Mark the location of the back pockets. Interface the pocket opening. Press the welt in half lengthwise, wrong sides together. Stitch the welt to the back half along the lower pocket marking line. Stitch the underlap to the back half along the upper pocket marking line. The ends of the stitches should finish at the short marking lines. Check the correctness of the welt and underlap attachment from the wrong side (stitches should be parallel). Cut the pocket opening. Make diagonal cuts 1-1.5 cm from the end of the pocket. Turn the welt and underlap through the opening to the wrong side, adjust the ends of the welt so that the fold meets the underlap attachment seam. Secure the ends of the pocket from the wrong side with a double backstitch at the base of the corners. Topstitch the welt to the underlap in the attachment seam.
- Stitch the center seam on the back halves, press the seam allowances to the left side and serge. Stitch the center seam on the front halves, press the seam allowances to the left side and serge.
- Stitch the side seams, press the seam allowances to the back half and serge. Stitch the inseams, press the seam allowances to the back half and serge.
- On the front waistband, punch 2 eyelets for the drawstring according to the markings. Stitch the waistband into a loop, press the seam allowances open. Press the waistband in half lengthwise, right side out. On the back waistband, mark and topstitch the casing lines for the elastic. Insert the elastic tape into the waistband, secure at the side seams. Thread the drawstring, secure at the side seams. Attach the waistband to the trousers, serge the seam allowances.
- Serge the hem allowance of the trousers, press to the wrong side and topstitch.
- Serge one long edge of the belt loop. Fold the belt loop into three layers and topstitch along the long sides. Cut the belt loop into 6 pieces. Topstitch the belt loops according to the technical drawing.
