Sewing SOS - How to fix Mel's pants

Melanie aka 'from-little-things' was the first person to comment on my blog.  I was really thrilled, not just because she wrote some really lovely things but because my name is also Melanie so I took that as a sign of great things to come. ; )

Melanie recently (like in the last week) bought a brand new sewing machine and has started making some clothes for her kids.  She has made a gorgeous butterfly skirt for her daughter and started to make a pair of pants for her son.  Unfortunately for Mel, she had a bit of a mishap and mistakenly cut identical pieces for the legs of the pants and is now stuck with what to do.   

Sooo, what I thought I'd do is post a possible solution to her dilemma.  I am a self taught sewer and notorious for not using patterns.  In fact the reality is I don't use patterns.  (this will come as no surprise to Mel who knows I don't tend to follow recipes either!)  This has resulted in a lot of mistakes over the years so repairing mishaps is one of my specialties.  

What I do when I sew is I copy the shape or pattern from clothes I like.  When the well loved skirts I own start to fade, I lie them down on a piece of new fabric and cut away.  Admittedly they are not always perfect, but this method suits my busy lifestyle because the shortcuts I take enable me to whip up a skirt in an hour or so rather than taking up a large chunk of a weekend.  

Here's what I think Mel should try to do to salvage her son's pants:

Cut each leg piece so that the crutch seams are identical (see green arrows above).  You will lose the front zip doing this and the pants will have to be converted to an elastic waist.  It will be ok if the front crutch seam is the same as the back because Luca is still in nappies so it won't look too baggy.

Because the pants will now have to be made with an elastic waist there are a number of issues that will need to be overcome.  The fabric is cotton and therefore does not stretch so you will need to ensure that pants are a lose fit around the waist and hip area.  

Firstly, measure the distance across the top of the pants (see greeny yellow stars).  Multiply this distance by four.  Now measure Luca's hips with a nappy on.  I am guessing it will be a relatively tight fit??  Solution - add a side panel strip of fabric (see pink arrows) and make it a focal point.  I'd use a complimentary fabric like red corduroy, but there are a myriad of colour combinations you could use because the fabric is so incredibly cute and colourful!!  Just make sure the strip is wide enough. 

Next comes the putting together.  

You should now have panels that look like this

Join the front and back leg panel of each leg to a side panel as demonstrated above.  You will now have two leg panel pieces.

Place one panel on top of the other with the right side of the fabric facing in.  Sew along crutch seams as per the above diagram.  Your pants will now be joined together as one piece.

Fold the leg panels in half so that the crutch seam is in the middle and the pants look like what I have drawn above.  Sew along the inside leg seam as shown.  Fold down top of the pants to add the elastic seam.  (If have an overlocker you can directly sew the elastic into the waist). Insert elastic and hem the bottoms and hopefully you will have a great looking pair of pants!!

I hope all of that makes sense???  Feel free to email me if it doesn't!!