Boring loungewear got you down? Then this tutorial is for you: custom-printed pants that match comfort with your personal style. Spoonflower’s own Katie B. is here today to show you how to stitch up the loungewear of your dreams. And with over 500k+ designs available in the Spoonflower Marketplace, there is a design for everyone. Follow along to learn how to make your own!
Materials you’ll need:
- 3 yards of Fleece or Minky fabric for adult-size pants -OR- 2 yards for child-size pants (Note: As of March 2023, we are phasing out our Fleece fabric and launching Polartec® Fleece, which will also work great for this project!)
- A pair of your own pants for the pattern (we’re using jeans, so it doesn’t matter what you use, as long as you like the fit!)
- 1” wide elastic
- Scissors
- Coordinating thread
- Sewing machine
- Safety pin
Tip: All seams are sewn with a 1/4″ seam allowance unless otherwise stated.
Shop the featured wintery designs
1. Fold your yards of fabric in half lengthwise. Fold your pair of pants in half, leg over leg, and line up the outer leg seam of your pants on the fold.
2. Trace the shape of your pants onto the fabric, adding extra seam allowance extending 1.5” or more on the side (depending on how loose you’d like your legs to be), 2” from the top of your pants, and 3” from your hem.
3. Cut out the first piece of your loungewear.
4. Repeat the process to get the second piece. Or, lay out the piece you just cut, and cut around it.
5. Match up your two pant pieces and, with right sides pinned together, sew along the curve on the left and right sides. This will create your crotch seams.
6. Keeping the right sides together, open up the pants, line up, and pin the inseams of each pant leg. Stitch entire curve of the inseam into place.
7. To form the waistband, create a channel for the elastic at the top of the pants. With the wrong side facing you, fold over the top of the pants by 1 1/4”, leaving room for your elastic. Stitch along the folded edge of your channel with a ⅜” seam allowance, leaving a 1” opening between the beginning and end of your stitch line. You’ll feed the elastic through this opening.
8. Measure your waist, and cut a length of elastic to match that measurement. With a safety pin attached to one end of the elastic, feed the elastic through the waistband channel, taking care not to twist the elastic.
Tip: To keep both ends of elastic outside of the channel opening, pin one end of your elastic to your fabric right outside of the channel and feed the elastic with the other end.
9. Once your elastic is all the way through your channel, overlap the ends and sew together with a small zigzag stitch.
10. Tuck your elastic into the channel, and finish the opening with your machine or by hand. Hem your pants to your desired length and flip right side out.
Time to get cozy!
Thank you so much for this great tutorial, I have just started sewing again and I think this looks a fantastic starter project. Can’t wait to get started.
I just cut up my first Spoonflower order to make these only to realize while sewing that having matching front and back pieces doesn’t mirror the human body. Do I rip them apart? I don’t have enough fabric to start over, maybe I can modify one of the pieces to be the front. I don’t have enough sewing knowledge to figure it out.
Hi Marci,
Thanks for your question! The front and back pieces are traced using just the back of the jeans for loose fitting lounge pants. If you’d like, you can trace the front and back side of your jeans but we do not suggest tracing just the front side of your pants for both sides. Please don’t hesitate to send us an email at [email protected] if you have any other questions!
-Meredith from Spoonflower
Thank you Katie! This was so easy that my children and I were able to make Christmas loungepants at the last minute for their class Christmas party. We will be making lots more of these.
That’s so great to hear! We’d love to see photos of the finished loungewear.
This is awesome….can’t wait to make a pair! I was thrilled to receive your catalog in my mail box …… Thanks for sharing!
There is a really simple Simplicity pants pattern – 8022- that is1 piece. I’ll spend $2 on the pattern before I waste time tracing an old pair of pants.
Why be such a negative voice on this free tutorial so graciously offered? Take your nastiness elsewhere.
Agreed. Read and move on. A piece of garment that fits well is 100% guaranteed to make a better pattern than buying Simplicity or any other patterns. Great tutorial. However I agree with Meredith’s comment.
Although using the back as the pattern saves time.
Agreed. Read and move on. A piece of garment that fits well is 100% guaranteed to make a better pattern than buying Simplicity or any other patterns. Great tutorial.
I get where you’re coming from, but I have to say the Simplicity pattern you mentioned actually costs over $10 (not $2). Also, I’ve wasted a lot of time and fabric trying their patterns in the past only to realize that their patterns were missing pieces, had incorrect directions and/or sizing issues.
This is such an easy tutorial! 😀 Wow, thank you so much!
Do you think this would work with active wear pants using the Sports Lycra fabric? Oh the possibilities if so!
Hi Melissa,
Our Sport Lycra is a great choice for activewear. We have a full tutorial showing how to make your own pair of Sloan leggings on Sprout Patterns available here.
Great! Thank you ????
This is great. Thank you!
Happy you found it helpful, Sandra!
I would love to try this! My sewing machine is a Singer Featherweight – can I sew fleece with straight stitches?
You sure can, Quinn!
Thank you!!
Great idea, don’t have to spend
Big bucks on paper patten
Thx for turtorial
Can’t wait to start on my new pj
Bottoms
Love the tutorial. Going to make at least 2 pair for my husband – oh how tired I am of his dull gray sweat pants, and a couple of pairs for myself because I’m short and hate taking up hems.
Ditching his dull gray sweatpants in favor of custom printed fleece loungewear sounds like a great idea to us, Robin. Definitely make a few for yourself 😉
Thank you for the tutorial. I can’t wait to try this 🙂
We’re very happy that you enjoyed it! Don’t forget to show us when you’re finished–upload to your favorite social media app and tag us!
liked the project , so you copy a pair ofpants on material . what if I took old pajama bottom could I trace that
Hi Sandra,
Yes, you can use a pair of your favorite pajama pants as a template. Thanks for taking a look!