the domestic sphere

my dalliances with all things domestic






2/25/2003



fast pants




Okay, so I cleaned out my closet a bit this morning, then took a couple of things to try to foist off on my playgroup buddies. One T-shirt, it was agreed, was just too Bobby Brady. But the wise Margo said it would make a cute something for a kid. Came home, successfully put down the sleeping Ella and whipped out these before she woke up... and blogged it, so you know it didn't take long.

You too can whip out these fast pants (and matching hat!) in virtually no time. Take one adult T-shirt. Cut it off straight, right below the sleeves. Lay it out flat and cut a triangle out of the bottom about 3 inches wide and 4 inches tall. Turn it inside out and sew up one leg and down the other, using a small seam allowance. Trim if necessary and zigzag the edges to finish. Because the T-shirt was hemmed, the bottom is already finished. Turn your attention to the top/waist. Still inside out, turn over a smidge and make a seam, then turn over another three-quarters of an inch to make a casing for the elastic. Sew this down, leaving a small opening to run elastic through. Measuring off an existing pair of pants, cut an appropriate length of elastic, plus a few inches. Run elastic through casing, check to make sure the waist is going to fit, and sew or knot the elastic together. Done!

For the hat: Cut sleeves off as close to the shoulder seam as you can. Cut sleeves open at seams and lay flat. Trim sides of sleeve off so hat is appropriately sized. Mine measures about 9 inches across finished. Either cut straight up or with a rounded shape, but avoid taking any off the top as the length of the sleeve is pretty short for a hat. With right sides together, sew the two hat pieces together, then zigzag the edges to finish.


This particular ensemble will fit kids between maybe one and three, depending on how big the kid is and whether the pants are meant to be long or capri-ish. A larger men's T-shirt could be used for a bigger kid, or a large kid's T-shirt for a newborn. Love the stripes, but, hey, a beer logo across the butt might be a good look too. If you make some, send me a picture!







posted by kristi at 2/25/2003 01:37:00 PM
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