Pajama Pants - Texas 4-H and Youth Development - Texas A&M ...

SUPPLIES 

NEEDED 

Tape measure 

Rotary cutter and 

cutting mat or 

scissors to cut 

fabric 

Pattern paper (I use 

butcher paper 

2.5 or more yards 

fabric (see Page 2 

to determine how 

much fabric you 

will need) 

Thread to match 

fabric background 

3/4" elastic 

(enough to fit 

around your waist) 

Pajama Pants 

Overview 

This pattern is designed to create a custom fit pair of pj pants. The pattern is 

designed with a center seam down the front, a seam down the back and a side 

seam on each on the inside of each leg. The back waistline comes up a bit 

higher than the front. Store-bought pj's often cut the back too low and this 

creates a problem when bending over ("plumber pants"). When you make your 

own pattern, you can cut the front lower (low slung look) and the back higher for 

a nice fit. If you want both front and back lower, that is fine too - it's your choice. 

Customize the fit to your own taste. This pattern will be fitted to a finished size. 

That means it will not allow for shrinkage. Pre-shrink your fabric! That means 

wash and dry it BEFORE cutting it. It would be horrible to make custom-fit 

pajama pants only to have them shrink in the wash. 

Activity 

MEASUREMENTS 

You need 4 main measurements to make a pj pants pattern: waist, hip, inseam, 

crotch length and thigh. Take the measurements as described below and write 

down each one. 

 

 

Waist: Measure your natural waist or measure 

around the area where you want your pant waist to 

be (usually a bit under the real waist). 

Hip: Measure around the fullest part of the hip. 

 

 

 

Inseam: Measure from the crotch to the inside of 

the ankle - or to where you want the pant leg to 

come to (ankle, mid calf if capri length, on floor etc.) 

Crotch Length: Measure from center back waist, 

between legs, to center front waist -to be sure your 

pattern will come up high enough on the waist and 

allow room for your "seat" and "belly". 

Thigh: Measure around the fullest part. We will 

allow for a 1" hem on each leg and a 1.25" 

waistband at the top (to hold our elastic). All seams 

will be 1/4 inch.

Objectives 

Activity 

MAKE A PAJAMA PANT PATTERN 

4-H members will be 

able to: 

Create a pair of 

pajama pants 

Create a custom fit 

pattern 

Cut out a pattern 

Determine the 

grain of the fabric 

1. Measure your waist, hips, inseam, crotch length and thigh. 

2. Write down the measurements. 

3. Create your pattern. Following the 

pattern example, draw your pattern. 

You will need two pattern pieces: 

front and back. See "Altering" below 

for directions on making changes to 

this pattern. NOTE: The front and 

back will sewn together at the inseam 

and outer seam; therefore, these 

measurements MUST BE EQUAL. In 

my example, the outer seam of BOTH 

the front and back measure 40". The 

inseams measure 28". The back 

center seam measures 

13.5" (vertically) and the front center 

seam measures 12" (vertically). As 

stated above, the back center seam 

rides higher at the waist. The curve of 

the back center seam is more 

pronounced than that of the front. It 

goes from 9.5" at the top point to 13.5" at the crotch point - a difference of 

4". The front center seam curve is only 2.25". This allows for the curve 

around the buttocks. It also makes the pant waist come in at the small of 

the back, creating a nice fit.

Activity 

ALTERING THE PATTERN 

This pattern fits a size 8-10, or hips: 39"; waist 29"; thigh 21"; inseam 27". Using my drawing as a guide, draw your 

pattern. Use the same general shape as my pattern pieces; just add or delete from the size as needed. The person I 

made this pattern for had a thigh measurement of 21". This pattern will create a pant leg of 25" around the fullest 

part at the top of the leg. This allows for some extra room in the leg. The front pattern measures 12.5" across the 

widest part of the top of the leg and the back pattern measures 13.5" across. 1/2" is used for the two seam 

allowances (each side's seam allowance is 1/4"), so the finished measurement will be 12+13=25". Let's say you 

need a finished inseam of 33" (6" longer than our pattern) and your thigh measures 25" (4" larger than our model). 

You will need to add 2" to both the front and back pattern at the area of the thigh and 6" to the inseam. Note that 

the hem width remains the same (10"). 

If you wish to change the shape of the leg, draw the new shape. For 

example, if you wish to have flare legs that are 4" wider at the 

bottom, simple add 2" to the outsides of both the front and back 

pattern pieces as shown below right. To keep the flare even, I added 

2" to both the inseam side and the outer seam side. Doing this to 

both the front and back piece would add a total of 8" to the bottom 

circumference of the leg. 

Remember that the outside seam and the inseam MUST be equal 

between the front and back pieces. This is because the front and 

back pieces are stitched together at the inseam and the outer seam. 

Activity 

CONSTRUCTION DIRECTIONS 

Lay the pattern on a hard surface to determine how much fabric you will need. If the fabric is directional, you might 

need more fabric. Otherwise, you can flip the pattern so that it uses minimum fabric. Fold the fabric right sides 

together, lengthwise, and cut through BOTH layers. I used 45" wide fabric (our 100% cotton, quilt quality fabric 

from our online store). I needed 2.5 yards (this allowed for shrinkage). 

NOTE: The straight, double-ended arrow represents straight of grain. The straight of grain contains no stretch. In 

our example, there is more stretch across the width of the fabric (no stretch along its length). The straight of grain 

runs the length of the fabric. This means that the arrow must be exactly parallel to the edge of the fabric. Draw your 

arrow on your pattern so that it is exactly perpendicular to the bottom leg edge. This is how you keep your pattern 

piece straight on the fabric. Measure the distance from the end of each arrow to the edge of the fabric to be sure 

your pattern piece is straight. Laid out correctly, your finished product will have some stretch across the seat (even 

non-stretch fabric has some give, and less stretch vertically. This is very important 

Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national 

origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.

Activity 

Pin the front pieces together at the front center seam, keeping them right sides together. Using a 

1/4" seam allowance, stitch the front pieces together at the center seam. Repeat with the back 

pieces. See example on the right 

Lay out your pajama back and pajama front. Pin the front to the 

back, right sides together, along the outer seam. Using a 1/4" 

seam allowance, stitch the front to the back at the outer seams. 

Pin the front to the back, right sides together, along the inseams. Using a 1/4" 

seam allowance, stitch the front to the back at the inseams. There are two 

methods for this. One is to start stitching at the center and stitch down one leg, 

then stitch down the other leg. The second method is to start at the bottom of one 

pant leg, stitch up to the center and then down the other pant leg. Either one 

works, but if you are a beginner it might be better to use the first method. 



Activity (Construction Directions Cont.) 

HEM LEGS & ADD ELASTIC TO WAIST Serge or zig-zag around the bottom of each pant leg. Turn under each pant 

leg 1/4" and press. Turn under 1/4" again and press. Machine stitch around close to folded edge of hem. If you 

prefer, you can hand stitch the hem rather than machine stitch. 

Serge or zig-zag stitch around the raw edge of the waist. Turn under 

1/4" and press. Turn under 1" and press. On the BACK of the pants, 

place two pins approximately 1.5" apart. Stitch around the pants, 

near the folded edge of the hem, leaving the area between the pins 

open. Remove pins. You have now created the casing for the waist 

elastic. 

Cut 3/4" elastic 3" shorter than your waist measurement. If the 

elastic is very stiff, cut it closer to your waist measurement. Make a 

small mark on each end of the elastic, on the same side. This way, if 

the elastic turns while you are pulling it through the casing, you will know it. Run a safety pin through one end of 

the elastic. Use the safety pin to hold onto while you 

feed the elastic through the casing. Feeling under the 

fabric, push the safety pin with one hand and pull it 

with the other until the elastic is all the way around 

the casing. Be carefully that the second end of the 

elastic is not pulled up into the casing. Remove the 

safety pin and stitch the two ends of the elastic 

together by laying one over the 

top of the other as shown to the right (check your marks first to be sure the elastic has not 

twisted). Stitch securely. Pull the waist open, stretching the elastic. This will pull the loose, 

stitched end into the casing. Adjust gathers. Stitch the casing opening closed. 

Reflection 

Questions for 4-H members: 

 

 

What is the value of creating your pattern 

How will you use this information in the future. 

Application 

Youth will be able to apply pattern making skills when constructing a garment. 

Resources/Authors 

Source: http://www.craftandfabriclinks.com/pj/pajama_pattern.html 

Donna White, Erath County

Pajama Pants - Texas 4-H and Youth Development - Texas A&M ...

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