From Elastic Waist to Zip Fly: 7 Best Pants Sewing Patterns

Finding pants that fit is a familiar struggle: right at the waist and tight at the hips, or right at the hips and gaping at the back. Sewing your own is the way out. Pants feel like a big step after skirts, but an elastic-waist wide leg pair is one of the easiest garments you can sew. The right pants sewing pattern gives you a clear size chart, finished measurements and enough help with pockets and the fly.

The list runs from pull-on pairs with an elastic waist to trousers with a zip fly, darts and front pleats, so the pairs climb in difficulty. The second half of the page deals with what makes pants harder than skirts: the rise and the crotch curve, the choice between elastic and a fly, bottom-weight fabric and a hem that hangs straight.

Pants Sewing Pattern Shortlist: Pull-On Pairs to Fly Fronts

Doll trousers did not make it, and neither did sets where the pants are a minor piece. All seven are patterns for adults, each sold with its own size range.

TL;DR: Pull-on to tailored in seven pairs: wide leg, palazzo and harem pants with easy waists, then linen pants with a zipper, straight trousers with a fly, pleated tapered pants and high-waisted linen trousers with belt loops. The size systems vary widely, from XS to XL in some listings to 00 to 24 in another.

• Wide Leg Pants Sewing Pattern – Best for beginners
• Palazzo Pants Sewing Pattern – Best palazzo pants
• Harem Pants Sewing Pattern Sandra – Best relaxed pants
• Linen Pants Sewing Pattern – Best linen pants
• Classic Trousers Sewing Pattern PDF – Best tailored trousers
• Pleated Pants Sewing Pattern PDF – Best pleated pants
• Linen Trousers Sewing Pattern Isabel – Best high-waisted trousers

Quick Comparison

Rise, Crotch Curve and Inseam

Pants have to fit around the body and between the legs, which is the part a skirt never asks about. Three lengths decide it, all taken with a tape measure. The rise runs from the crotch seam up to the waist, the inseam from the crotch down to the hem, and the crotch depth is easiest to measure sitting on a hard chair, from your waist down to the seat. My free sewing measurement chart has lines for crotch depth and inseam next to waist and hips.

The back crotch curve is longer and deeper than the front, because it has to go around the seat. Many fit problems, such as pulling under the seat or a waist that dips at the back, can start there, though the rise, thigh and hip matter too. Some patterns include notes on raising or lowering the rise; the TakeAndSew listings include instructions for changing the length.

A quick check before cutting: lay a pair of pants that fit you well over the pattern and compare the rise and the leg length. Then pick your size by the hip measurement on the chart, since the waist is easier to adjust. On the wide leg pattern the waist is free-size elastic and the chart lists only hips and length.

Elastic Waist or Zip Fly

• Elastic waist: the wide leg pants use a 2 inch elastic, and pull-on styles like the harem pants usually need no opening at all. This is usually the simplest route to a first pair.
• Zipper with a waistband: the linen pants and the high-waisted Isabel trousers close with a zipper and a flat waistband, a middle step in difficulty.
• Zip fly: the classic and the pleated trousers both have one, and both are marked for intermediate sewists. A fly takes several steps but follows a set order once the instructions show it.

Bottom-Weight Fabric and Drape

Structured trousers want a bottom-weight woven: cotton twill, denim, corduroy, linen or suiting, which is what the classic and pleated trousers list. These fabrics hold a crease and survive sitting and bending.

Wide leg and palazzo pants look best with drape: viscose, rayon, linen or chambray let the legs fall and swing. Note that the wide leg pattern asks for fabric at least 50 inches wide, because each leg is very wide. Linen shrinks most in the first washes, so prewash it before cutting pants too, as in my linen dress pattern guide.

Hemming Pants So They Hang Straight

Try the pants on with the shoes you will wear, and pin the hem length with help or in front of a mirror. Mark both pant legs at the same height, then check that the fold is even all the way around. Two hemming guides in the top keep 1.5 to 2 inches of hem allowance on trousers, which adds a little weight so the leg hangs cleanly.

Casual pants take a topstitched double-fold hem from the machine. Dress pants often get a blind hem instead, sewn by hand or with a blind hem foot, so the stitches barely show at the bottom of the pants. Press the hem before and after stitching, and mind the shape on a tapered pant leg: the hem allowance should mirror the leg’s angle above the fold line, widening toward the cut edge, or it will pull when turned up.

FAQ on Sewing Pants

How many yards go into one pair?

The wide leg pattern is a good example: 2 yards of 60 inch fabric, or 2.5 yards at 52 inches. Most full-length pants fall in that range, very wide or palazzo styles can need more, and the chart for your size is the number to buy by.

What is the basic pattern for pants?

A front and a back piece, each cut twice for the two legs, plus a waistband and pocket pieces. The crotch curve on those pieces largely determines how the pants fit through the seat and rise.

Are any of these pants for men?

Yes. The wide leg pants are free-sized and unisex, and the Isabel trousers are also sold in men’s size ranges. The palazzo pants are listed for women, and the others do not mention men’s sizes.

Are there pants patterns for kids here?

No, all seven are adult sizes. For children’s pants and other garments, see the kids sewing patterns.

Sew a Test Pair First

A size chart cannot show how a crotch curve sits on your body, so a test pair in cheap fabric of a similar weight is the step that saves good cloth. Sit, bend and climb a step in it, and look for pulling under the seat, a gaping back waist or a rise that feels short. Transfer each change to the paper before cutting the real pair. With a fitted pants sewing pattern such as the classic or pleated trousers this matters most; the elastic wide leg pair forgives more. More garments are in the skirts and pants section.

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