Cropped Pants with Bottom Tabs
Women's cropped trousers in stretch denim, ending at mid-calf, with a front fly zip, a faced waist closed with two buttons, front hip pockets and buckled tabs across the lower legs. Curved inserts sit over the inside leg seam at the hem.
When To Wear
- In spring and summer with T-shirts, shirts and flat sandals or sneakers.
- For weekends and travel, with a light jacket.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Straight legs, cropped to mid-calf; back darts.
Waist: No separate waistband: the top is finished with shaped, interfaced front and back facings that form a band, with belt loops attached at the lower edge. Two buttons and buttonholes at the front.
Closure: Front fly zip with an interfaced fly shield.
Pockets: Front hip pockets cut into the front, with a side front piece and pocket bags in cotton lining; the opening is topstitched 0.5 cm from the edge.
Legs: A curved insert at the hem on the inside of each leg, spanning the inside leg seam and topstitched 0.5 cm from the edge. A tab with eyelets runs across the front and back of each leg: it is stitched to the front, held by a belt loop and fastened with a buckle on the back.
Back: Back halves with darts; the seat seam is stitched twice.
Finishing: Hem turned up and topstitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Fly zip with fly shield, hip pockets with bags, a shaped waist facing with belt loops, curved inserts, buckled tabs and eyelets.
Fabric Recommendations
Denim with elastic fibres (stretch denim).
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (waist facings, fly shield)
- 1 zip
- 2 buttons
- Cotton lining for pocket bags
- 2 buckles
- 8 eyelets
Cutter's Must
From main fabric:
- Front Right Facing – 2 pieces
- Front Left Facing – 2 pieces
- Back Facing – 2 pieces
- Front Half – 2 pieces
- Side Part – 2 pieces
- Back Half – 2 pieces
- Belt-Loop – 1 piece
- Belt Loop – 1 piece
- Button Catch – 1 piece
- Insert – 2 pieces
- Strap – 4 pieces
From lining fabric:
- Pocket Bag – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing: Front Left Facing, Front Right Facing, Back Facing, Button Catch.
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse fusible interfacing to the Back Facing, Front Right Facing, Front Left Facing and Button Catch.
- Stitch the side seams of the front and back facings. Press the side seams of the facings open.
- Mark and stitch the darts on the Back Half.
- Place the Pocket Bag on the Front Half, right sides together, and stitch along the pocket opening. Turn the Pocket Bag to the wrong side, clipping the seam allowances at the corners, and baste along the opening edge. Topstitch along the pocket opening 0.5 cm from the edge and press. Remove the basting. Place the Front Half on the Side Part, matching the pocket opening marking on the Side Part. Join the Side Part to the Front Half along the upper and side edges with a line of stitching 1 cm from the edge. Stitch and overlock the Pocket Bag.
- Fold each Strap in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch along two sides. Turn the strap right side out and press. Mark and set the eyelets.
- Mark the position of the Strap and stitch it to the Front Half. Stitch the Insert to the Front Half. Overlock the seam and press. Topstitch 0.5 cm from the seam.
- Put a buckle onto a Strap. Fold the strap end over and secure the buckle with a horizontal line of stitching. Mark the position of the strap on the Back Half and stitch the strap with the buckle on.
- Fold the belt loop strip for the straps in half lengthwise, right sides together, match the edges and stitch 0.5–0.7 cm from the edges. Turn it right side out and press it either with the seam on the fold or with a 0.1–0.2 cm edge rolled to the inside. Mark the positions of the loops. Cut the loops to length and topstitch them onto the Front Half.
- Stitch, overlock and press the inseams. Topstitch around the Insert 0.5 cm from the edge.
- Overlock the side edges of the Front Half and Back Half and the centre front and centre back edges. Stitch the side seams. Press the side seams open.
- Stitch the centre front and centre back (crotch) seam up to the zip notch. Stitch a second line along the seat seam, close to the first stitching.
- Press the cut-on fly facings to the wrong side. On the left side, stitch the zip under the folded edge of the zip allowance, close to the edge. Stitch the free zip tape to the cut-on facing of the right half. Fold the Button Catch in half lengthwise and stitch across its short lower end. On the left half of the trousers, stitch the cut-on facing with the zip onto the Button Catch. Topstitch the right edge of the fly opening, catching the facing.
- Place the outer and inner facings right sides together and stitch along the upper edge. Understitch the seam allowance onto the inner facing 0.2 cm from the seam, stopping 3 cm from the ends. Turn the facings right side out and press.
- Overlock the lower edge of the inner facings. Cut the waist belt loops to length and mark their positions. Stitch the belt loops to the lower edge of the facings. Stitch the facings to the upper edge of the trousers, matching the side seams. Stitch across the ends of the facings. Trim the seam allowances at the corners, turn the ends right side out and press. From the right side, stitch in the ditch of the facing seam, catching the overlocked edge of the inner facing.
- Overlock the hem allowance and press it to the wrong side. Topstitch the hem. Make buttonholes on the Front Right Facing and sew the buttons on the Front Left Facing.
