TUTORIAL: Knee Pad Pants (for boys and girls)

Protect little knees from bruises and scrapes with these comfy yet happening linen pants.

Skill Level: Easy
Items Needed:
Appx 3/4 to 1 yard of fabric (linen-like or other)
Scraps of fabric for knee pads (knit or other)
1 inch elastic
Sewing machine
Average Sewing Time: 1 to 1 1/2 hours

I got the idea for these pants when my son learned to crawl. His adorable pants were always dirty in the knee and on the verge of holes. There had to be a better way. Duh! Add some knee pads. I've made two versions of these pants; both times out of linen, with two layers of knit fabric as the knee pads. They are fresh and cool and really work for any season of the year. Oddly enough, the more I wash them, the more I love them. And ours are washed often. Guess it's time to make another pair!

Now lets get started!
NOTE: any special instructions or WARNINGs have been labeled in Red.

1. Choose a FABRIC: I made both pairs of pants out of linen-like fabric (real linen is more expensive and nicer but this faux version works great). Other fabrics to try are: heavy cottons, knits, and corduroy.

For the knee pads, I used two layers of knit. You can really use any sort of fabric here. I simply like the padded feel and look of the knit.

You will need appx 3/4 or 1 yard of fabric for the pants and can use scrap material for the knees. But you won't know entirely how much you'll need until you....

2. Create a PATTERN.
Elastic waist-band pants/shorts are one of the easiest things to make. I think it was the first real project I sewed for myself as a teenager. Once you figure it out, you will turn your nose up at similar pants in the store, realizing that they are ripping you off at those prices! You just need to understand how pants are put together. And then it's like riding a bike....you will never forget.

Pants are made of 4 pieces (2 different pattern pieces). The best way to understand this is to study your own pair of pants and see how they're put together; maybe even cut up a junk pair of pants.
If you've never made pants before, you may want to sew a trial pair first....just to see if you're creating the pattern properly. You don't have to sew this trial pair all the way to the end (unless they're adorable of course) but it will allow you to make changes to your pattern before cutting into your nice fabric.

Here's what I do.
These pants I did buy in a store, but hey, they were on sale for $1! Not bad. And I use them as a pattern for all my boy pants, since they fit my little man perfectly:
I turn the pants inside out, and fold one leg on top of the other so I can see the entire pattern piece. You will do this for the front of the pants and the back of the pants. Both pattern pieces are similar, but the back leg usually has a larger crotch area (the curve of the pants) to accommodate big diaper bootie:
Then on a scrap/junk piece of fabric I create a pattern (you can also trace on to large butcher paper). I trace all around the pant leg, allowing a little extra for a 1/4 inch seam. I just use a Sharpie marker or you can use a fabric marker.

I also like to make pants with a very slight flair at the bottom of the leg, even for boys. Nothing extreme. Just enough though that the legs don't feel tapered:
When you get to the top, remember that the waistband is gathered, so you need to stretch the pattern pants as you create the new pattern and allow for more fabric in this area. You also need to add more length to the top, as the waistband will be folded over.
* DON'T make the top left left part (in the picture below) come out too far or the front of the pants will be bulgy and baggy. NOT cute.
Leave the bottom portion of the pant leg MUCH longer than you would think because you never know how long you'll really want them. And often I end up creating the hem very wide so when my little guy grows taller, I can let down the pant leg and they last much longer!

Next, turn the pants to the other side of the pant leg (either the front or back, whichever you haven't done). Create the second pattern piece, using the same steps above. Again, both pieces are similar but one has a longer curved crotch area.

When you're finished, label each leg (for the future when you want to make them again). With your fabric folded in half, lay your pieces on top of the fabric and cut out both pieces (you will end up with 2 of each pattern piece. There are 4 pieces to your pants):
*NOTE: if it's too confusing for you to remember which legs are front and which are back, add little triangle markings to one of the pieces when you cut them out (similar to a store bought pattern if you've worked with those before).

To create the knee pad pattern, you can trace any oval object (or square or rectangle, circle, whatever you like!) on to a piece of paper. To get a perfect oval, I use Microsoft Word, click on Autoshapes and Basic Shapes and click on the circle icon. You can then pull and shape the image to whatever oval you'd like. Print it off and cut it out. I use a double layer of knit for my knee pads. The knit adds more cushion and the double layer gives it a fun look, with the raw edges. Fold your fabric in half; trace and cut out ovals twice (you will need 4 ovals total):

3. SEW the pants!
There are various ways to sew pants. But due to the knee pads, we will be sewing as follows...

Take one BACK leg and one FRONT leg and pin them together at the inside seam of the leg:
Sew all the way down and repeat with the other leg:
Finish off both seams with a serger. If you don't have a serger you can zigzag down the seam to finish it off or you can leave it raw:
Iron out both of your seams. IRONING is always an important step. This gives your product a very polished look:
Both pant legs should look like this (the crotch is the open top portion):
Take both pant legs and pin them together at the crotch, in a large U-shape:
Sew all the way around to the end:
And finish off your edge with a serger or zigzag:
It should look like this:
And this:
Are you starting to see them take form?! Exciting.

4. Sew the KNEE PADS.
I never sew the knee pads until this step because more likely than not, they will never be straight and in-line with each other if I do it at the beginning. So, taking your double-layered ovals, pin them to front of each pant leg.
* Make sure you don't pin them to the back of the leg too.
Like this:
Line-up the inside of your presser foot with the edge of the oval and use that as your guideline to sew evenly, all the way around each oval:
I like to use a contrasting thread color because it's fun. For these pants I'm using orange.
Go slowly when sewing around all the curves, stopping occasionally with your needle down and lifting the presser foot to shift your fabric. If you don't do this, your ovals may shift or gather up at the end.
I like to sew a double-line around my ovals because it adds more texture and style. Line-up the inside of the presser foot with the first line as your guideline and sew all the way around your ovals a second time:
They should look like this (and don't worry if your lines aren't perfect. Mine clearly aren't. But I like it; adds a more messy look with the raw fabric edges):
Now we're going to sew lines in the pads. This is not a necessary step. But again, it adds a little more flair. So, starting in the middle of the knee pad, sew a straight line all the way across (as straight as you can):
Periodically stop, lift the presser foot, and push the fabric back, or it will all bunch-up at the end of your line:
You don't need to cut your thread after each line, but make sure you are Stay-Stitching at the beginning and end of each row (forward and back-stitching to seal off the end of the stitch). Then, using your presser foot as the guideline, sew another straight line right next to the first one:
And another one next to that one:
Continue with this method till your pads are full of horizontal lines:
And then cut off all your loose thread pieces:
The completed pads should look like this:

5. Finish off the Pants.
Turn the pants inside out, with right sides together (it can be tricky to figure out which end is the crotch and which is the pant leg, but you'll get it).

Pin both pant legs together, the length of the entire outer seam:
If you are going to add a side-tag, insert it now about 3/4 of the way down the pant leg:
Sew down the outer seams of both legs. Serge off (or zigzag) the edges and iron both seams.
Turn them inside out and wow; they really do look like pants!

6. Create a WAISTBAND.
THIS first paragraph is optional, depending on how you created your pattern. But my pattern pieces are never exact (since I'm tracing already sewn clothing), so adjustments are made along the way. The goal here is to make the front of the waistband slightly lower than the back of the waistband. Otherwise the front of the pants will come up too high. You can adjust this in your pattern for the future. Or you adjust each time you make the pants to fit your child.
Using scissors, cut about an inch off of the top of the waistband in the front of the pants, in a small semi-circle:
Then serge all the way around the waistband. If you don't have a serger, you will do a double-folded iron here....You will fold the waistband over 1/4 inch all the around and iron it down. You will then iron over again to create the waistband (described below):
It should look like this when you're done serging (you can see the small semi-circle here that was cut out of the waistband. The top piece of fabric is the front part of the pants and is cut a little lower than the back part of the waistband):
Taking 1-inch wide elastic, measure it against your old pair of pants (or around your child) to judge how much you will need. Allow 1 inch extra for overlap when you sew the two ends together:
Next, measure how wide your waistband needs to be by folding it over your elastic, and allowing 1/4 inch extra for your seam:
Iron down the waistband and mark your starting and stopping points with pins, so that you remember to leave an opening for the elastic to come in and out. If you are going to insert a clothing label, make sure the opening is wide enough for the label. (label will be added in a later step):
Pin down the entire waistband:
Beginning at your starting points, sew the waistband all the way around:
And finish at your stopping points:
Don't worry if you get some tucks or gathers here or there. The waist will be gathered and it won't matter in the end:
Attach a safety pin to one end of your elastic:
Insert the elastic into the opening of the waistband:
Pin the other end of the elastic to the other end of the opening:
And push your elastic (with the safety pin guiding you) all the way through the waistband and out the other side:
Pull the elastic, so you have room to work with. Overlap the two pieces about an inch or so:
and zigzag the elastic ends together. Make sure your elastic did not twist while coming through the waistband and that you are sewing proper sides together:
Sew multiple zigzaps , to make it stronger:
Next, finish off the waistband by closing off the opening. If you're going to add a clothing label, insert it now, right at the opening. And pin everything down:
Pulling the elastic waistband as you go, sew the opening shut:
When you're done, it should look like this:

7. Hem the pants.
You're approaching the finish line!

Serge around the bottom of each pant leg. If you don't have a serger, you will do a double-folded iron instead....You will fold the pant leg over appx 1/4 inch all the around and iron it down. And then iron it over again to create the final hem:
Decide what length you want your pants to be. You can use the original pattern pants to judge the length or simply measure your child's legs.

What I like to do....
I don't cut any excess fabric off the bottom. Instead, I fold it all up inside at my desired hem length, with a very wide hem. Then in 4 or 5 months when my little guy is taller, I take out the seam to make the pants longer and create a new hem. This way the pants grow with him!
When you've decided on a length, iron down your hem on each pant leg:
And pin it down:
Sew all the way around each leg, using some sort of guideline on your machine to keep the hem even:
Finally, iron the hem down one more time so it really looks sharp.
And......you're done! Congratulations!
Now throw these on your little guy and watch him play in style.

* I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. PLEASE send a link of your finished product. And I value and appreciate constructive feedback. So please let me know if any part of it was confusing, misleading, etc. and I will do my best to expound and make improvements.
Happy Sewing!
- dana