Handmade Baby Clothes Neutral Series: Neutral Newborn Knit Pants Tutorial

Today for Handmade Baby Clothes Neutral Series, I have a knit pant tutorial for you.  This pattern is one that I developed from a pair of pants that seemed to fit my daughter very well when she was first born.  These pants will fit a baby from newborn to three months.  This pattern goes so quickly, it’s really fun.  You’ll want to make one for each day of your baby’s first week.  These pants do not have any detail that make the pattern girly or boy-y, making them a great neutral pant for any infant.

Out of excitement, I’ve already made multiple pairs!

You will need:

• 1/3 yard of knit fabric
• About 14.5″ of elastic (maximum width of 3/4″)
• The usual suspects: sewing machine with coordinating thread, fabric scissors, pins, iron
• The neutral newborn knit pant pattern, available by clicking on the link below

Download the Neutral Newborn Knit Pant Pattern Here

First download the pattern and print it out.  It is four pages.  I wish I could have fit it on fewer pages, but alas.

Cut out two pant leg pieces (fold the fabric over so you can cut two at once), the waist band (cut the piece on the fold of the fabric), and two cuffs.  The pant leg pieces are not symmetrical (allowing room for big diaper bottoms), so I recommend marking the center front seams (like in the picture below), so you will know which part of the pant you are working on.

Note: The only stitch I used for this entire pant is the zig zag stitch.  This allows the knit fabric to stretch even where there is a seam.

With the right sides of the pants together, sew the center seams using the zigzag stitch.  Use a 1/2″ seam allowance (continue to use a 1/2″ seam allowance unless otherwise noted).

Press the seams flat, and pin the legs together.

Now sew the legs closed.  Press seams flat.

Next the cuffs.  The process to make these cuffs give the pants a very smooth finish on the inside of the pant leg.

First fold the cuffs in half so they are more of a squatty rectangle instead of a skinny rectangle.  That probably sounds confusing, so look at the picture below:

Make sure the wrong sides are together.   Sew into a tube.  (Please don’t mind my occasional skipped stitch!)

Now flip the cuff right side out and fold the cuff in half in the other direction so the wrong sides are touching, as in the photo below.  This is the cuff.  Now to attach it to the pant!

Line up the cut edge with the bottom of the pant on the right side.  Using a zigzag stitch, sew the pant leg and the cuff together.  Repeat for both legs.

When you’re done, it should look like this on the outside:

And this on the inside.  Aah, very smooth.

Fold the waistband as shown in the picture below (with right sides together) and sew along the edge.

Press the waist seam flat and then fold the waist band in half in the other direction (so it is long and skinny) with the wrong sides of the fabric together.  Line up cut seams with the right side of the pant and sew (zig zag)  along the waist band.  Leave a small opening in the back (~2″) to insert the elastic for the waist.

I used a 3/8″ seam allowance for the waist band, but depending on the width of the elastic you choose, you could do a smaller (like 1/4″) allowance.

Cut the elastic (14.5″) and use a safety pin to thread it through the casing you just made.  I used a 3/8″ elastic for these pants, but other pants I’ve use 3/4″.  It all depends on how small of a seam allowance you use on the waistband, or the size of elastic you have!  Overlap the elastic by 1″ and sew it together to complete the loop.  Adjust the elastic in the casing, and zig zag the remaining opening closed.   Give your pants a final pressing, and you’re done!

Now go ahead and make 6 more so you’ll have one for each day of the week for your new baby!  Enter the first Handmade Baby Clothes giveaway to win some fantastic Harmony Art’s Alphabet Soup Fabric — hurry! You only have until 11:59pm on July 31!  Click Here.

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