There is little else more rewarding than a quick easy sew that is at the same time not boring.
Baby pants are, in my opinion, one of those projects. I love to make colorful baby pants in fun fabrics as a respite from the bevy of pastels that inevitably dominate the newborn wardrobe. Plus they give that baby something to wear with the drawer full of cute onesies.
This is for those of you who just need something super-duper easy and quick, a definite beginner pattern. Besides the Big Butt Baby Pants, this is my other can’t-live-without-it baby pants pattern. It’s so simple its scary, and I’m betting that many of you already have something like this in your pattern collections. If you’re just beginning to sew, it’s a great place to start. There are plenty of lovely tutorials for making baby pants out there that involve tracing (which is, of course, one of the best ways to get a good fit), but sometimes you want a pattern you can just print out and use, especially if it’s a gift and you don’t have baby pants on hand to trace. I hope you’ll find this one useful and handy.
This pattern is sized for a newborn in cloth diapers so it’s super-roomy especially for disposable-diapered babies. The finished height is about 11.5″ tall. And I’ll let you in on a little secret: it’s actually just as wide in the hip as my 6-12 month B3Ps, so these might also work as a capri for an older baby, even one in cloth diapers. Furthermore, if you want a bigger size you can always add a little length to the bottom of the pant leg (to make a taller leg) or raise the waistband an inch or so (for a higher rise). You can see from the picture above that I sometimes vary this pant by adding contrasting trim and pockets. I’ll show you how to do that in a subsequent post, but for now let’s just start with the basic newborn pant:
BASIC NEWBORN BABY PANT
A sewing pattern and tutorial by Rae Hoekstra
Please read this first:
I’ve made this pattern available for free with the intent that it be used for personal (not-for-profit) use and that it be accessed here at Made By Rae and not copied or distributed elsewhere. Please link back to this post to your heart’s content, but please don’t post this pattern, the tutorial or any of the images below on your own website. If you borrow any of the images above (that’s fine), please link back and give clear and proper photo credit. Thanks!
Step-By-Step Sewing Instructions:
1. Print and cut out pattern pieces and tape together along dotted line.
2. Cut out two pant panels on the fold. Mark the leg seam and center seam edges (I cut a little tab along the edge of the leg seam as I was cutting).
3. Open up each piece and line the two pieces up with their right sides facing:
4. Sew the pants together along just the center seams with a 1/2″ seam. Make sure you don’t sew all the way down the leg, just the center seam!
5. Trim center seam to 1/4.” Open up pants and press seams apart.
6. With center seams lined up and pants still inside out, sew inner leg seam from cuff to cuff with a 1/2″ seam. Trim to 1/4″ and press seam.
7. Fold 1/4″ over at waistband, press.
8. Fold another 1/2″ over at waistband, press again.
9. Decide which side of the pants will be front and which will be back. Starting at the back, sew around the folded section to form a waistband casing. Leave a 1″ gap for elastic at the back. I also put in a ribbon hanging tab for Mr Rae at this point to help him tell front from back, but honestly it doesn’t really matter.
10. Cut waistband elastic from 1/4″ or 3/8″ wide elastic (Length = [waist of baby +1"] 13″ is usually fine for a newborn baby)
11. Using a safety pin or bodkin, thread elastic through waistband.
12. Overlap ends of elastic by about 1/2″ and zigzag stitch back and forth a few times to secure. Tuck elastic inside waistband and stitch waistband shut.
13. Fold under 1/4″ at bottom of cuff:
14. Fold another 1/4″ under at the bottom of cuff and sew down. Repeat for other leg.
Put those pants on your baby and admire! As usual, if you find any mistakes here or anything that needs clarifying, will you please let me know? Enjoy!!!
Come back tomorrow (UPDATED: Monday! Sorry, Halloween costumes got the better of me) and I’ll show you how to make the pockets (they work on the B3Ps too as well as a boatload of other things) and add the trim at the cuff.
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If you liked this pattern you can support my leetle pattern business by checking out the Big Butt Baby Pants Pattern or any of the other patterns and tutorials (many of them free) below:
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50 Responses to Free! Rae’s Basic Newborn Pant Sewing Pattern
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about Rae
Hi, I'm Rae, a high school physics teacher turned sewing addict. I live in Michigan. This blog is a showcase for my crafty stuff.
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very cute! I'll have to try some!
"I also put a little ribbon tab in for Mr Rae at this point…" that made me grin because it drives my hubby bonkers finding front to back on my handmade jammie bottoms for our DD. I'm like, "Hun, it doesn't MATTER!" but it still messes with his brain. Yesterday I made a little shirt and I made twisted rosette flowers on the front and showed him. "this is so you can find the front…"
I love the ribbon tab idea!!
YEAH! Another Rae tutorial! I so love your stuff, thanks so much!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Yay! These are darling! Thank you!
great great !!!! Will do for my little new boy and for another one that just come out into the light !!!! You did it again Rae !!!
So adorable! Thank you for the tutorial!
Great timing! I just received an invitation to a baby shower for a dear old friend…with such a cute, easy pattern I'm thinking she's in for a whole set of these! Thanks for the wonderful little pattern!!!
Thank you so much for posting this! I just found out that my baby-to-be is a little boy and have been wondering what, as a not very good sewer, I might be able to make him. These are fantastic and I am so excited to make some! (And I'll definitely be buying some patterns, because this tutorial is too good for you not to be compensated!)
Thank you!!!!!!!
What a great Tutorial and pattern. Thanks
Thank you, thank you! I am due in 9 weeks with a little boy and have been wanting to sew some little pants to go with all of his onsies I have appliqued!!
Thank you! I have a baby shower to go to next week and this will be a great gift.
Ok, maybe a dumb question, but about how much fabric should you start with….. maybe 1/2 yard? Thanks for the pattern too!!
Yippee!These are super cute and look to be on the simple side. Thanks Rae! And I'm incredibly excited about the pocket tutorial tomorrow.
Thank you for sharing your pattern!! I've been wanting to make some little bitty pants as shower gifts, but without a little bitty baby around I haven't known the size to make.
I linked to your pattern over at Craft Gossip Sewing:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/free-pattern-raes-basic-newborn-pant/2010/10/31/
–Anne
These are so cute!
)
I make near the same for my 3-year old, but bigger
Here is my attempt:) Loving the pattern so much. – http://somthinsomthin.tumblr.com/post/1450023620/so-i-made-the-made-by-rae-baby-pants-they-do-fit
I cannot for the life of me get the link to the baby pants to open. Is there something I else I can try? Every time I click on the download link it just sends me back to the same page.
P.S. I LOVE how these turned out. And it was so relaxing to sew something so sweet and so simple! Thanks again for the free pattern. You can see mine here if you want:
http://notesfromaveryredkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/11/this-is-getting-little-ridiculous.html
Thanks Rae!
I just made these pants and added some ric rac to the bottom, and I loooove them! I made them a little shorter because my fabric was a bit short; I bought 1/3 yard for the heck of it today and then found the pattern; another inch would have done it. Here are mine:
http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/6171/dsc05219y.jpg
Hubby got invited to a baby shower, so I whipped up 5 pairs of these pants for him to take as a gift. Thank you for such an easy pattern.
Thank you so much for this pattern!! It was the first piece of garment I tried and succeed! You can see mine here!
I made a second one (pink!), just because I liked the pattern so much!! But because I don't have or know a newborn baby girl, I decided to give it away on my blog!
Rae! I love your blog so much.
I took your baby tight patterns and this basic baby pants and made a bunch as decorations for my sister's baby shower. You can see pics on my blog:
http://cactusandolive.blogspot.com/2010/12/baby-pants.html
Uhh… it's me again.
Just wanted to let you know that your pattern is still great. And I still love it. And I made some more yesterday (on my blog).
Also, I thought you had a Flickr group other than just for Spring Top Week, but if you do I can't find it. Am I just totally not seeing it?
Thanks for the tutorial!
I tried my first pair of these (shortened them slightly) and added a ruffle at the bottom. http://www.flickr.com/photos/klarinettegal/5415507463/
This was my first attempt at doing gathers and I still need to pick out that basting stitch on the left leg, but you get the idea… I'm still working on the applique so that needs work, but overall not a total bust.
Great project! I think I will definitely make these.
These are adorable! I just constructed my first pair for a friend who is expecting a summer baby. Instead of sewing the crotch seam like you did, I sewed the inside leg seam on each pant leg and then turned one pant leg inside out. I put one pant leg inside the other with right sides together. I stitched the crotch seams together, flipped the pants right side out and then hemmed the legs and made the waist casing. Easy, one two three! Thanks for sharing this pattern! I plan on making some out of flannel to donate to charity, too.
I just made some last night! Great little pattern, thanks Rae!
http://skirtastop.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/pants-for-the-little-fella/
Thanks Rae. I am a beginner and have used the pattern above to make some reversible trousers for my friend's new baby. Pic on burda….
http://www.burdastyle.com/projects/reversible-new-baby-trousers
I had some trouble with working out how to get all the seams enclosed inside and at one point had a continuous trouser – with no space for baby!
Love the blog!
I just made my first baby pants ever with the help of your pattern and tutorial. I published the results on my blog, if you're curious you can go and have a peek at: http://trivialthingsbyjo.wordpress.com/
Thank you so much for the help!!
Best wishes from the Netherlands,
Jo
Thank you so much – I am off on holiday tomorrow for 2 weeks but will be itching to get home and start sewing. 2 little granddaughters have arrived recently.
Thanks again. A friend of mine, Betty, showed me the itty bitty dress today – gorgeous!
Just made a pair for my 2 1/2 year old. I added an additional waistband, because I needed some extra rise and left the length alone. They are really cute toddler capri's!
You can check them out at: http://katessewgreat.blogspot.com/2011/06/newborn-baby-pants.html
Thanks for this great pattern! I have three baby showers to attend this summer (PHEW, I know!), and I think this will be a great gift! I'm thinking about extending the length and offering to "unhem" the pants when the babies outgrow them! Can't wait to post my finished projects!
Okay, here's my finished project: click here!
Love it! I used your pattern to complete a dapper little outfit for my baby on the way: http://birdandbicycle.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/dapper/
Thank you so much for this free pattern. I loved it so much and it was so fast and easy! I can't wait until my baby gets here so he can wear them.
There are pictures of 2 pairs I made here on my blog:
http://catheavenyarncorner.blogspot.com/
When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get three e-mails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove people from that service? Many thanks!
Hi there! Oh goodness, I have no idea how to do that. I’m so sorry!!! Is it still happening now that the comments are going to the new website?
these are really cute and easy,.. I am ready to make some for my two nieces arriving next month
thanks !
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Hi Rae, I made a pants using your tutorial again. It turned out lovely, if I may say so myself
Thanks a lot for the tutorial and if you wish, check out the post (cheering your abilities too!):
http://trivialthingsbyjo.wordpress.com/2011/10/07/the-25-cents-baby-pants/
Best!
My hubby and I made a pair each of these wee pants for his sister’s newborn who should arrive any day now. He used two fat quarters of fabric that are a bit wild and I used some alphabet Beatrix Potter stuff. They are awesome! And Hubby didn’t do too bad for his first round. Took us about 2 hours.
[...] pattern is Rae’s Newborn Pants [...]
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I used this awesome tutorial/pattern from Made by Rae. However, my baby pants turned out a lot more leg and only a little butt. I [...]
These look fantastic Thank you for the tutorial and pattern I’m about to whip a pair up.
Thank you! I have a baby shower to go to next week and this will be a great gift.