Shorts and Pants Pattern Maker
Pull-on shorts and pants need only a hip measurement and a length. Enter yours, or start from a size from S to XL or a child size, and choose shorts, cropped or full length.
The waist is elastic or a drawstring, and the pockets go in the side seams or are patched on the front or back.
Make it yours: Lengthen or shorten the leg at the marked line, raise or lower the rise, widen or narrow the legs at the side seams, adjust the elastic or drawstring to your waist, and add pockets. Check the seams you change still match.
Make this pattern in your size →What you can change
Size
- Hip: 45–160 cm (17¾–63″). Around the fullest part of the hips and seat. Your body measurement; the pattern adds the ease.
- Outside leg: 35–125 cm (13¾–49¼″). From your waist down the side of the leg to the ankle bone. The length style works from this.
Sizes are typed in centimetres, millimetres or inches. The starting size is Hip 102 cm (40⅛″), Outside leg 102 cm (40⅛″).
Options
- Length: shorts, cropped or full
- Waist: elastic or drawstring
- Pockets: none, in the side seams or front patch
- Corners: square, rounded or angled
- Switches: Back patch pockets, Flap
- Measurements and counts: Finished length · Ease at the hip · Rise · Leg opening, all round · Elastic width · Cord thickness · Waist · How many · Hand width · Pocket width · Pocket depth · Pocket position
Starting points
These are sizes and settings to begin from, and every one stays fully editable. Type your own measurements, or start from the nearest one.
| Starting point | Finished size, cm | Same starting point in round inches |
|---|---|---|
| S | hip 106 cm · length 100 cm | hip ≈41¾″ · length 39½″ |
| M | hip 114 cm · length 102 cm | hip ≈44¾″ · length 40″ |
| L | hip 122 cm · length 103 cm | hip ≈47¾″ · length 40½″ |
| XL | hip 130 cm · length 104 cm | hip ≈50¾″ · length 41″ |
| Child 1–2 years | hip 66 cm · length 42 cm | hip ≈25¾″ · length 16½″ |
| Child 3–4 years | hip 70 cm · length 54 cm | hip ≈27¾″ · length 21½″ |
| Child 5–6 years | hip 75 cm · length 64 cm | hip ≈29¾″ · length 25″ |
| Child 7–8 years | hip 82 cm · length 74 cm | hip ≈32¾″ · length 29″ |
Cutting list
At the starting size (Hip 102 cm (40⅛″), Outside leg 102 cm (40⅛″)) the pattern has these pieces. Fabric sizes include seam allowance, interfacing is cut to the stitching line, and pieces cut on the fold are shown opened out. Each size is the width and height of the piece as cut.
| Piece | Fabric | Cut | Size to cut | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front | Main fabric | 2 | up to 37.5 × 109.2 cm (up to ≈14¾ × 43″) | Shaped: cut from the printed piece |
| Back | Main fabric | 2 | up to 44.34 × 112.28 cm (up to ≈17½ × ≈44¼″) | Shaped: cut from the printed piece |
| Pocket bag | Main fabric | 4 | up to 19 × 26 cm (up to ≈7½ × ≈10¼″) | Shaped: cut from the printed piece |
You will also need: Thread; Elastic. The cover page and materials list give the amounts for your size.
The maker’s fabric estimate at this size: Main fabric about 2.7 m of 112 cm fabric.
How it goes together
These are the maker’s own instructions at the starting size. They change with the options you pick, and the PDF carries the full set with the cover, cutting list and materials list.
- Sew a quick trial pair first, in cheap fabric (an old sheet or calico is fine). Sew only the main seams with a long stitch and skip the finishing. Try it on and check the seat and rise as you sit, squat and climb a step, the width round the hips, and the length. Change the size, ease or lengths here and print again if needed, then cut your good fabric.
- Pocket bags: lay a bag on the side edges of each front and back where the notches are, right sides together, straight edges level and notches matching, and sew at 0.7 cm, just inside the seam allowance. Press each bag out, away from the piece, with the allowance toward the bag.
- Side seams: put each front on its back, right sides together, and sew the outer side at 1 cm: down to the upper notch, round the pocket bag, and on from the lower notch to the hem. Finish the allowances and press them toward the back, with the pockets toward the front.
- Inseams: sew the inner leg seam of each leg at 1 cm, matching the notches (one on the front, two on the back), from the hem up to the crotch. Finish and press toward the back.
- Crotch: turn one leg right side out and slip it inside the other, right sides together, inseams matching at the crotch. Sew the whole crotch seam in one go, front waist to back waist, at 1 cm; sew a second line just inside it round the lower curve for strength. Trim the curve’s allowance to half and finish it.
- Casing: press the top edge under by 0.6 cm, then fold it down to the inside on the fold line, 3.5 cm. Stitch close to the lower fold all round, leaving 5 cm open at the back to thread the elastic.
- Elastic: feed it through the casing with a safety pin. Try them on and adjust; overlap the ends 2.5 cm, zigzag them together, and sew the gap closed. Spread the gathers, then stitch through the casing and elastic at each side seam so it can’t twist.
- Hems: turn each leg’s edge under by 0.6 cm, then by 2.5 cm, and stitch close to the inner fold.
Fabric suggestions
Outer: Light to medium wovens: linen, cotton twill, chambray, poplin, seersucker, viscose. Jersey or French terry for a knit pair.
Lining: Unlined. Edges are finished with hems, a casing, a facing or binding cut from the same fabric.
Interfacing, padding or other layers: No interfacing. Finish the raw edges inside with a zigzag or overlocker as you sew each seam.
How each fabric family suits it
- Stable woven: great choice. Easiest to sew and press. Prewash: cotton and linen shrink.
- Heavy or stiff: possible, with care. Denim and canvas make a bulky gathered waist. Choose the lighter weights and a wider elastic.
- Stretchy knit: works well. Comfortable and doesn’t fray. The roomy shape doesn’t rely on stretch; use a stretch stitch and don’t pull the fabric as it feeds.
- Slippery or fine: possible, with care. Drapes beautifully but shifts as you cut and sew. Cut single layer, pin within the allowance, and use a fine sharp needle.
The maker’s advice adjusts to the fabric family you pick in the Fabric tab.
Printing it
At the starting size the printed pieces take 23 A4 pages, taped together using the page labels, alignment marks and page map. For a print shop, choose a sheet from A0 to a 36″ roll: the pieces are packed onto as few sheets as they will fit on, and if one is too big for the sheet the maker says so. How printing, tiling and the test square work.
Frequently asked questions
Will it fit me perfectly?
No promise of that. This is a simple pattern with generous ease, not a precisely fitted one. Measure yourself, compare your measurements with the pieces, change the lengths and widths to suit you, and sew a trial version in cheap fabric first.
What size can I make?
The shorts and pants pattern takes hip from 45–160 cm (17¾–63″); outside leg from 35–125 cm (13¾–49¼″). It starts at Hip 102 cm (40⅛″), Outside leg 102 cm (40⅛″), and you can work in centimetres, millimetres or inches. There are 8 starting points to begin from (S, M, L, XL, Child 1–2 years, Child 3–4 years, Child 5–6 years, Child 7–8 years). Every starting point stays fully editable.
Which fabric suits the shorts and pants pattern?
Light to medium wovens: linen, cotton twill, chambray, poplin, seersucker, viscose. Jersey or French terry for a knit pair. In the maker’s fabric advice, stable woven is a great choice; stretchy knit works well; heavy or stiff and slippery or fine are possible with care.
Are there child or baby sizes?
Yes: Child 1–2 years (hip 66 cm · length 42 cm), Child 3–4 years (hip 70 cm · length 54 cm), Child 5–6 years (hip 75 cm · length 64 cm) and Child 7–8 years (hip 82 cm · length 74 cm). They are starting points, not a promise of fit, and every measurement can be changed. Check the fit yourself, and check the finished item for anything small, loose or long enough to catch, before a child wears or uses it.