Suit Pants to Drawstring Pants
Here is the look this tutorial tries to achieve:
http://www.garbtheworld.com/images/psd/g0008107b.jpg
I had read a tutorial a ways back about making hosen out of suit pants and I decided to make my own drawstring pants with the same sort of method.
I bought a bunch of 100% wool suit pants from Good Will for $3.99 each. I'm sure you can find these at thrift stores as well. The trick is to get 100% wool suit pants, preferably worsted wool. Get pants that are many sizes too big for you and too long. You will need a way to sew, a seam ripper, scissors, pins, safety pin, a pair of pants or pajamas that fit similarly to your desired result for your project, and something to use for a drawstring.
1. Start first by cutting off the whole top strip where the button/clip at the top is. You will be cutting through the belt loops too. This will allow any pleats to be freed up and get rid of most of the modern looking parts. Then remove the belt loops with the seam ripper.
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2. Next, you will want to zip the pants and pull the zipper piece out. If you took the zipper piece out and the zipper comes open, don't worry about it. It will work put fine.
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3. Take the buttons out of the back pockets with the seam ripper.
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4. Pin the zipper area together as if the pants were zipped up. When we sew this, we don't want them to look like there was a zipper there so pin it cleanly.
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5. Sew this together with one line down the front as cleanly as possible. Definitely reinforce the zipper area as much as possibly. It was the first part that ripped open for me.
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6. Now go inside and cut the zipper plastic out. Be careful where you cut so as to not cut your new sewing.
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7. Go and sew the back pockets closed. This will end up bring the least appropriate looking part of the garb but stay tuned for how we can address this.
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8. Flip the pants inside out and try them on. I also layed them out and matched them up to drawstring pajamas that fit me loosely. Lay the pants so that the existing side seam is exactly at the side. Also, get the pocket out of the way and ignore it for measuring reasons. I then measured 1 inch in and pinned it all the way down the leg. This will carry based on your size and the size of the pants. Sew up the sides while the garb is inside out until you get the size you want. Notice, this also gets rid of the side pockets.
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9. Seam rip the stitching at the ankle and hem the bottom by flipping it as pictured and sewing at the length you want. Note, the pants are inside out for this part.
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10. While inside out, clear some of the inside lining out by the belt line. Then, flip the belt line an inch over and sew 3/4 of an inch down to make a tube for the drawstring to fit.
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11. Attach the safety pin to the end of your drawstring and use it to help you pull it through the belt line tube you just sewed after cutting 2 holes where a button would have been if these were jeans. Cut the rope so that there is only a few inches of slack when the pants are fully stretched out. Knot near each rope end.
12. Go in and cut out all the extra junk inside the pants: excess pant that is now useless, pocket material, lining you don't want, etc.
13. Try the pants on, notice the back pockets are really high up and easily concealable by a tunic, iron out the pleats and creases, and go fight somebody in your $4, 100% wool pants!
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