Tutorial: Knot No-Hem Capri Pants

So, sorry about the long break.  Things got a little crazier than I expected (financially, academically, and moving-ly).  But I finally had a little time to do some sewing and blogging today annnnd....I have what you've been waiting for (maybe)!  Remember this picture I used to taunt you in my last post?

Well....Introducing the Knot No-Hem Capri Pants...

Because there's knot no hem on them!  Get it?  Hahaha.  I crack myself up.  :)

 But, okay.  Seriously, let's talk about the pants.  I made three pairs of these pants for my boyfriend's niece and thought they were worth sharing.  They can be made into shorts or capri (cropped) pants.  I made mine capris because I figured the elastic would stretch to still fit in the waist as she grows and then as the length gets shorter maybe she can wear them as bermudas or even shorts (if they still fit in the waist by then). 

They're super easy, super cute and they don't take much fabric at all.  I made mine out of some scrap fabric and a remnant I bought at Jo-Ann's.

But you can make the project even easier than that.  If your youngster has some long pants they wore this spring that you know won't fit by fall, why not cut off the extra length and add the cute knot to the bottom to make them into a new summer item?

You could even make an adult version with some old jeans for yourself!

So without further ado, here's the Knot No-Hem Cropped Pants tutorial.  Join me after the jump to learn how to make your own pair.

Here's what you'll need if you're making your Knot No-Hem Pants from scratch:

• ~1/2 yard of fabric for the pants
• Coordinating scrap fabric (make sure you have a good amount, though)
• Elastic
• Pants pattern (If you don't have one you'd like to use or you've never made pants before, check out Dana's Kid Pants tutorial.  She provides a 3T-4T printable pattern and step-by-step directions.)

For a quicker alternative, you can use:

• An old pair of long pants that still fits in the waist
• Coordinating scrap fabric (again, make sure you have a good amount)

 Step 1:

Use your pattern to make your pants, but leave them a little shorter than you actually want them.  We'll be adding length later with the knotted hem.  Sew everything except for the hem, then join me again for the next step.

 Alternately, you can upcylce a pair of old pants.  You'll want a pair of pants that still fits your child in the waist, but not necessarily in length.  Fold the pants in half along the length and cut off the bottom of the pant legs into either short or capri length.  You'll want to cut a little shorter than you actually want your finished product because we'll be adding a little length in the next couple steps.

Step 2:

Use a serger or zig-zag stitch to finish the edges at the opening of each pant leg.

Step 3:

Now let's get ready to add our knotted hem!  We're going to cut two rectangles of our coordinating fabric, one for the hem of each leg. 

To find out the dimensions you need to cut your fabric, start by measuring around the circumference of your pant leg.  Multiply the measurement by two to get your length.  For instance, my pant leg was 11.5 inches, so my length was 23 inches (11.5" x 2 = 23").

For your width, determine how many inches of length you want to add to your pants, then double that number.  So, for instance, I wanted to add about 3 inches of length to my pants, so I doubled that number and got 6 inches.

If you missed that, for my size 2T capri pants (which had a 11.5" leg opening), my coordinating fabric dimension was 23" x 6".  I hope that makes sense.  Feel free to contact me if it doesn't and I'll try to explain better!

Cut two rectangles in your dimensions (one for each leg).

Step 3:

Now we're going to take our rectangles and make a tube.  Take your rectangles of coordinating fabric and fold them in half along their length with right sides facing together.  Pin in place and iron to create a crease.

Sorry this picture sucks.

Step 4:

Use scissors to cut both ends of your fabric at a slight angle.  To make sure all my angles are the same, I like to lay all the ends of the fabric on top of each other and cut at one time.

Both angles match because they were cut at the same time.

Step 5:

Now sew down the edge and one end of your fabric to create a tube.  Be sure to leave one end open so you can flip the tube right side out.  Which brings us to our next step...

Sew one end.

Sew down the edge

Step 6:

Flip your tube and iron

While ironing, fold under the unsewn, angled end of your tube, press and pin in place.

Step 7:

Sew the open end on your tube shut.

 After you've sewn the open end shut, top-stitch over the other end to make them both match.

Top-stitch over the other angled end.

Both angled ends of the tube have top-stitching and look alike.

Step 8:

Repeat steps 3-6 on the other rectangle of coordinating fabric.

Step 9:

Now it's time to attach the coordinating fabric to the bottom of our pants to create the knot.  To do this, take the tube you just made and pin it to the bottom of your pant leg.  It may seem contradictory, but you'll want to pin it so that it lays on top of the pant leg and does not add any additional length.  (See picture below if this doesn't make sense.)  In a minute we'll flip it down and iron the seam.

It's also important to note that when placing your tube on your pants, you want equal amounts of length to extend from the outside of the pant leg.  This will be your tie.  Make sense?  I hope so!

Equal amounts of length extending from both the top and bottom of the pants.

Step 10:

Sew all the way around the opening of the pant leg.

Step 11:

Flip the coordinating fabric down and iron the seam.

 

Voila!  You have your knotted hem.

Repeat steps 9-11 on the other leg opening and you should have this:

Congratulations!  You made cute cropped pants or shorts. :)

Please email me pictures of your finished product or questions if you have any!

Happy sewing! :)

--CC