Children's Pippa Pants

Pippa Pants

Difficulty Level = Beginner

These super comfortable pants have a flat waistband, or a folded over waistband with ties and ruching at the side. There are two styles: regular or wide legs, and two lengths: full length or three quarter length.

Our Facebook group is a great place to get help, share your tips and creations! We are a friendly bunch, and we love to help and see what you have made.

Please read the full instructions before getting started.

Wash, dry, and press your fabric before starting your project. A bit of prep now prevents shrinking and means your garment will stay the same size you made it.

Never leave a child or baby unattended or allow to sleep in a garment made from one of our patterns with ties, snaps, buttons, or anything they could remove, choke on, or get caught on. Always use caution if you are unsure. We love our patterns, but we love your bundles of joy more!

Size Range

Newborn – 12yrs

Size Chart

This pattern is drafted to the sizes listed below. If your child is between sizes, choose the larger size and adjust the pattern to remove the extra width/height to achieve the intended fit.

Finished Measurements (Inches)

NOTE – The Bottom measurement is measured around the widest part of the bottom, where the hips start to narrow.

The pants have a negative ease. This means the finished garment measurements will be tighter than the size chart for each size. As they are made from a stretch fabric, this will enable the pants to stretch around your body and fit comfortably while not falling down.

• Picking your size – Choose your size from the waist measurement in the size chart. If you fall into a different size for your hip measurement, grade between the waist and hips on the pattern piece (draw a smooth curved line between the two points), and then follow the leg line down from the hip for the hip size. Make sure to check the waist and hip finished garment measurements before cutting. Check these against your personal waist and hip measurement to ensure you are selecting the best size. If you are at the bottom of a size range, you may find you need to take the garment in slightly at the side seam. Do this before adding the waistband.
• Height adjustment – If your child falls into a different size range in height as they are in waist or hip size, grade between the sizes by using the crotch and leg length lines for the correct height.
• Pants adjustments – The crotch has been drafted to fit an average rise (the curve of the bottom). If you have a long or short torso or rise you may find you need to adjust it. I highly recommend you sew a muslin first (a test garment out of inexpensive fabric). That way you can play about with the rise to get it perfect for you, and then you’ll have a master crotch line you can use on this and many other trousers or shorts in the future to get them spot on.
  • If in your muslin you find you have fold lines at your crotch radiating up or down, you may need to adjust for your personal body shape.
  • If they are going up like a smile, it is usually either the waist is too tight, or if you have a long torso the crotch needs to be lengthened.
  • If they are going down, the waist may be too loose, or if you have a short torso the crotch may need shortening.
  • Follow our free tutorial for any further pants fitting advice.
• Muslin – To ensure you get the best fit, sew a muslin to check the fit. A muslin is a test version of the pattern in an inexpensive fabric. I would recommend the following as you muslin these pants:
  • Use an inexpensive knit fabric similar in weight to the final fabric you plan to use.
  • Cut out all pieces. Label each piece with tailors chalk/fabric pen so you know what each piece is. Baste these together using a ⅜ inch seam allowance
  • Try on. If you are happy with the fit, continue to your final garment.
  • If you feel the fit needs adjusting for your personal shape, turn the muslin inside out and try on again. Adjust the seams with pins until you are happy. 
  • Trim your new seam allowances to ⅜ inch and pull out your basting stitches. 
  • Use these bits of fabric as your pattern pieces instead of the original pattern pieces. Continue to sew your final garment. Make sure to keep your adjusted pattern pieces in case you wish to make more!
• If you get stuck with fitting, see our favorite resources on our Pinterest Sewing Fitting Advice board.

Your fabric needs to be a stretch/knit fabric. It can be any weight however best results & fit will be achieved with a medium weight fabric. Great examples are sweater knits, medium weight jersey, stretch fleece and stretch French terry. Do not use a woven fabric.

Your fabric will need to have at least 50% stretch to get the fit as it’s designed. To check how much stretch your fabric has, take a piece of fabric and pull along its stretch. If it allows you to stretch it at least 50% longer than its original length, then it has at least 50% stretch. I.e. A 2-inch piece of fabric (unstretched) should be able to be stretched to 3 inches.

Both 2- and 4-way stretch fabrics will work for this pattern.  You will achieve different fits with the different types of fabric.  So be sure to make up a muslin in the same or similar fabric to check fit and find your preference for your fabric.

The stretch recovery of your fabric is just as important as the stretch percentage. This will ensure your pants maintain their stretch and fit for as long as possible and not become baggy. To test the stretch recovery, simply ensure that when you stretch your piece of fabric to check stretch it returns back to its original size. Alternatively, you can add a piece of elastic into your waistband to help maintain elasticity.

Fabric Requirements 60 inches/150 cm wide (in YARDS)

* If you are using a narrower fabric, a directional print, or a fabric with nap you may need more.
** Make sure to wash, dry, and press all fabrics before cutting out in case they shrink.

You will also need:

• Folded over waistband OPTION:
  • 2×2 inch square piece of iron-on interfacing / stabilizer
  • OPTIONAL Ribbon, shoes string, cording
• Flat waistband OPTION – OPTIONAL 1 inch wide elastic. Approximately 0.8 yards will be sufficient for all sizes
• Thread to match

Tools needed are, sewing machine, pins, scissors, tape measure or ruler. Serger/overlocker is optional but not required.

Settings

The pattern is a separate download. Choose either the US letter paper, A4 paper, or A0 paper size based on the printer you wish to use. If you are in the US or Canada then your printer will likely use US letter paper. Other regions normally use A4 paper. Some people prefer to print their patterns at a print shop: A0 is best in this case.

Print at 100%.

On the second page, you will find a 1-inch and a 3-inch square test box. Print this page first, on its own, and measure these squares.

Once you are happy that the test box is accurate, print the rest of the pattern pages.

Please follow this video for information and assistance on assembling this pattern.

Also, please note that some Rebecca Page patterns and projects also come with cut files and a printable design page which you can use to plan your project if you wish. These are provided in a separate section below to avoid any confusion!

Cut each of the pieces according to the directions on the pattern piece. Seam allowances are all included so just cut them as is.

Cutting Charts – All pattern pieces are included, however if you prefer to cut using a cutting chart, the dimensions for the rectangular pieces (in INCHES) are below:

NOTE – If you are using the cutting chart for the folded over waistband, you will also need the markings on the pattern piece for the channels and buttonholes for the ties.

Cutting Checklist: 

• Front & Back – Fabric cut 2 (1x mirror image pair)
  • NOTE – For the Wide leg pants, use the outside (straight) wider cutting line on the legs. For the Regular leg pants, use the inside (curved) narrower cutting lines on the legs.
• Flat Waistband OPTION – Fabric cut 1 on fold, OPTIONAL Elastic cut 1 on fold
• Folded Over Waistband OPTION:
  • Waistband – Fabric cut 1 on fold
  • Ties – Fabric cut 4 (or cut your ribbon/trim/cording to length)
  • 2x pieces of interfacing / stabilizer measuring 2 x 2 inches

NOTE – To cut fabric on the fold, fold your fabric over parallel to the selvage edges. Align the pattern piece so it is on the fold of the fabric. Cut around the edges, leaving the fold. If you have folded your fabric correctly the fold will be parallel to the two edges of the fabric that are finished. The raw edges (e.g. the ones you could pick at and threads would come off) will be at a right angle to your fold.

Tips for Sewing with Knit Fabrics

Using a serger is not a necessity to sew with knit fabrics! Here are a few tips to get the best results on a regular sewing machine:

• Use a ball point needle of a size appropriate to your fabric when working with knits – The ball point needle has a slightly rounded tip and will prevent from damaging the fibre. Use ball point pins or clips and, if you can’t, use regular pins into the seam allowance and you should be just fine.
• Use a stretch stitch – You can use either a short and narrow zigzag or a stretch stitch (lightning bolt stitch) for construction. Test on a scrap of fabric to find which stitch and tension settings work best for you. You don’t want the fabric to pucker under your stitches.
• Your machine might have many fancy stretch stitches and you are welcome to play with them, but often the basic zigzag or stretch stitch are just right.
• Use a walking foot – Using a walking-foot is not a necessity but it is highly recommended when working on a stretchy knit. The walking-foot helps to prevent one layer of fabric from stretching out while sewing. Both layers of fabrics are fed at the same time under your needle.
• Reduce your presser foot tension – Some machines will allow you to change your presser foot tension. Check your manual to see how to reduce your presser foot tension. Reducing tension will prevent your fabric from stretching while it goes through the machine.
• Use a ball point twin-needle (double needle) for top stitching – Using a twin-needle will give you a regular double line of straight stitches on the right side and a short and stretchy zigzag on the wrong side. Alternately, if you don’t own a twin needle, you can use a medium size zigzag stitch for hemming and topstitching. I like to lengthen my stitch a little when top stitching with the twin needle. Test on a scrap of fabric to find what works best for you.
• Finishing the seams – Because knits don’t fray, it isn’t strictly necessary to finish your seams. That being said, you will achieve a more polished and durable look if you do an overcasting or zigzag stitch on your raw edges.

Here is an example of some of the stitches you could use.

From left to right: Ballpoint twin-needle, narrow zigzag, stretch stitch (lightning bolt), overcasting.

⅜ inch seam allowance included – Top stitching is two rows at ⅛ and ¼ inch (can be done with double needle)

Preparation – 

1. PATTERN MARKINGS – Transfer markings from pattern pieces to your fabric.
2. INTERFACING – Fuse interfacing / stabilizer to the wrong side of the Waistband, over buttonhole areas (for fold over Waistband version).

Sewing –

1. FRONT AND BACK RISE – Place pants pieces right sides together and sew or serge front rise seam, using a ⅜ inch seam allowance. Finish edges if desired. Repeat with back rise.
2. INSEAM – With right sides still together, match leg inseams at center rise seams and ankles. Sew or serge inside leg seam using a ⅜ inch seam allowance. Finish edges if desired.
3. FLAT WAISTBAND OPTION – Fold Waistband in half, right sides together, matching short sides. Sew or serge short sides, using a ⅜ inch seam allowance. Fold Waistband over in half from top to bottom, with wrong sides together, lining up both raw edges. OPTIONAL elastic: overlap elastic by ⅜ inch to make a circle and sew. Place into folded Waistband. Mark quarter points on raw edges of Waistband.
4. FOLDED OVER WAISTBAND OPTION – Create ties by folding tie right sides together and stitching along long side and one short side. Turn right side out.  Sew buttonholes on wrong side of main Waistband piece, as per pattern markings. Fold Waistband in half from side to side, with right sides together.  Sew or serge side seam using a ⅜ inch seam allowance. Fold Waistband piece in half from top to bottom, with wrong sides together, so that buttonholes are along the top folded edge. Create two channels on each side of Waistband, by sewing through all layers of fabric along the lines, as per pattern markings. Insert one tie through each buttonhole and thread down the channel. Pull tie through the buttonhole until the raw edge of the tie is even with the raw edge of the Waistband and baste in place. Mark quarter points on raw edges of Waistband. OPTIONAL elastic: overlap elastic by ⅜ inch to make a circle and sew. Place into folded Waistband.
5. ATTACH WAISTBAND – Working from the right side of the pants, place the folded Waistband over the pants, so that the raw edges of the Waistband and pants meet. Align the Waistband seams with the pants back center seam and the center front notch on the Waistband to the pants center front seam. Match the quarter points. Pin to secure. Sew or serge while stretching the Waistband gently to match the pants, using a ⅜ inch seam allowance and a stretch stitch. Finish edges if desired. Pull Waistband up away from pants and press the seam allowance towards the pants. OPTIONAL – Topstitch seam.
6. HEM – Press hems up towards the wrong side, using a ½ inch hem allowance. Top stitch around the hem at ⅛ inch from the raw edge. Repeat for the other leg.

Congratulations, your Pippa Pants are done. Enjoy! 

We would love to hear how you got on and see photos of your finished project!

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Thank you for using a Rebecca Page pattern.

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