Women's Culottes Pants

Culottes

Difficulty Level = Beginner

Sew this easy to sew, comfy culottes, with a fold over waistband and two length options: shorts or three-quarter. It has a lovely drape into the front and back waist which flows over the hips.

Our Facebook group is a great place to get help, share your tips and creations! We are a friendly bunch, and we love to help and see what you have made.

Please read the full instructions before getting started.

Wash, dry, and press your fabric before starting your project. A bit of prep now prevents shrinking and means your garment will stay the same size you made it.

Never leave a child or baby unattended or allow to sleep in a garment made from one of our patterns with ties, snaps, buttons, or anything they could remove, choke on, or get caught on. Always use caution if you are unsure. We love our patterns, but we love your bundles of joy more!

Size Range

Womens 1-10, Womens Curvy 6C-15C

Size Chart

This pattern is drafted to the sizes listed below. If you are between sizes, choose the larger size and adjust the pattern to remove the extra width to achieve the intended fit.

Finished Measurements (Inches)

These culottes have drapes added into the front and back waist, so that it flows over the hip.

• Sizing – Sizing varies in different countries and stores so please measure your model before picking your size. The ready-to-wear size your model normally fits into may be different from our size chart.
• Picking your size and blending – Choose your size using the waist measurements from the size chart. If your measurements fall into different sizes, start with the size that corresponds to your waist measurement and grade the hip in or out to the size you need. If your measurements fall into different sizes, use the layers feature to print those sizes. Then, grade between the sizes by drawing a smooth line from the size for your waist measurement to the size for your hip measurement. Continue to the hem using your hip measurement size.
  • Height adjustment – The ladies pattern is designed for a height of 5 foot 6 inches with a standard inseam of 3.5 inches for the shorts, and 23 inches for the three-quarter length. Everyone varies in their proportions and some people might find their legs or rise (crotch) are shorter or longer than how this pattern has been drafted. We highly recommend a muslin for any fitted pant pattern (see below) to adjust to your personal body.
  • We suggest adding/removing length across the front and back rise. Measure your front and back rise and compare it to the finished measurements above.  
  • Measure from your crotch to the crease at the back of your knee. Take this measurement and draw a line through at the knee on the Front and Back pattern pieces. Add/remove here. 
  • Measure from knee to ankle and adjust the pattern pieces here too.
  • Inseam – Before your muslin, it is a great idea to measure your inseam. It is helpful to have a friend help you out with this. Stand up straight and measure from where the crotch seam will hit all the way down the inside of your leg to where your chose length will sit. Compare this measurement to the Inseam measurement in the finished measurement chart, to help make adjustments for height. 
• Crotch fitting – Fitted pants have a lot of areas where you might need small adjustments beyond grading the pattern. If you are making the correct size for your hip measurement, but still find you have creases, or “whiskers”, you might need to do one of these adjustments.
  • If you have creases at the front or back rise, you might need a full belly or full booty adjustment. Both adjustments are simple slash and spread techniques. Take a measuring tape and measure yourself from waistline to between legs where the front and back rises meet, we call this the x fork, for back creases do the same from back waistline to x fork.
  • If your measurements exceed the pattern measurements, you will need to add into the rise to accommodate for the differences between you and the pattern. Along the rise you need to adjust, cut into the rise, and spread the pattern to meet the measurement you need. Smooth out your rise and you’re good to start!
• Follow this tutorial for any further fitting advice.
• Muslin – To ensure you get the best fit, sew a muslin to check the fit. A muslin is a test version of the pattern in an inexpensive fabric. You do not need to cut out and sew the full garment. I would recommend the following as you muslin these pants:
  • Use an inexpensive knit fabric similar in weight to the final fabric you plan to use.
  • Cut out all pieces. Label each piece with tailors chalk/fabric pen so you know what each piece is. Baste these together using a ⅜ inch seam allowance
  • Try on. If you are happy with the fit, continue to your final garment.
  • If you feel the fit needs adjusting for your personal shape, turn the muslin inside out and try on again. Adjust the seams with pins until you are happy. 
  • Trim your new seam allowances to ⅜ inch and pull out your basting stitches. 
  • Use these bits of fabric as your pattern pieces instead of the original pattern pieces. Continue to sew your final garment. Make sure to keep your adjusted pattern pieces in case you wish to make more!
• If you get stuck with fitting, see our favorite resources on our Pinterest Sewing Fitting Advice board. 

Fabric – Your fabric needs to be a stretch/knit fabric. It can be any weight; however best results & fit will be achieved with a light or medium weight fabric. 

• Your fabric will need to have at least 30% stretch for the waistband to fit over the hips. To check how much stretch your fabric has, take a piece of fabric, and pull along its stretch. If it allows you to stretch it at least 30% longer than its original length, then it has at least 30% stretch. I.e., A 2-inch piece of fabric (unstretched) should be able to be stretched to 2.6 inches.
• Light to medium weight stretch fabrics such as jersey, silk satin with elastane, silk jersey with elastane, double brushed poly, rayon spandex, bamboo spandex, modal etc. will give a lovely drape and swing.

Fabric Requirements 60 inches/150 cm wide (in YARDS)

NOTE – If you are using the same fabric for the OPTIONAL Pockets, you will be able to cut them from the same yardage. You won’t need a separate amount.

* If you are using a narrower fabric, a directional print, or a fabric with nap you may need more.
** Make sure to wash, dry, and press all fabrics before cutting out in case they shrink.

You will also need:

• OPTIONAL Clear Elastic – approximately 2 yards will be sufficient for all sizes
• Thread to match

Tools needed are, sewing machine, pins, scissors, tape measure or ruler. Serger/overlocker is optional but not required.

Settings

The pattern is a separate download. Choose either the US letter paper, A4 paper, or A0 paper size based on the printer you wish to use. If you are in the US or Canada then your printer will likely use US letter paper. Other regions normally use A4 paper. Some people prefer to print their patterns at a print shop: A0 is best in this case.

Print at 100%.

On the second page, you will find a 1-inch and a 3-inch square test box. Print this page first, on its own, and measure these squares.

Once you are happy that the test box is accurate, print the rest of the pattern pages.

Please follow this video for information and assistance on assembling this pattern.

Also, please note that some Rebecca Page patterns and projects also come with cut files and a printable design page which you can use to plan your project if you wish. These are provided in a separate section below to avoid any confusion!

Cut each of the pieces according to the directions on the pattern piece. Seam allowances are all included so just cut them as is.

Cutting Checklist: 

• Front Leg – Fabric cut 2 (1x mirror image pair)
• Back Leg – Fabric cut 2 (1x mirror image pair)
• Waistband – Fabric cut 2 on fold
• OPTIONAL Pockets – Fabric cut 4 (2x mirror image pair)

NOTE – To cut fabric on the fold, fold your fabric over parallel to the selvage edges. Align the pattern piece so it is on the fold of the fabric. Cut around the edges, leaving the fold. If you have folded your fabric correctly the fold will be parallel to the two edges of the fabric that are finished. The raw edges will be at a right angle to your fold.

Tips for Sewing with Knit Fabrics

Using a serger is not a necessity to sew with knit fabrics! Here are a few tips to get the best results on a regular sewing machine:

• Use a ball point needle of a size appropriate to your fabric when working with knits – The ball point needle has a slightly rounded tip and will prevent damaging the fiber. Use ball point pins or clips and, if you can’t, use regular pins into the seam allowance and you should be just fine.
• Use a stretch stitch – You can use either a short and narrow zigzag or a stretch stitch (lightning bolt stitch) for construction. Test on a scrap of fabric to find which stitch and tension settings work best for you. You don’t want the fabric to pucker under your stitches.
• Your machine might have many fancy stretch stitches and you are welcome to play with them, but often the basic zigzag or stretch stitch are just right.
• Use a walking foot – Using a walking-foot is not a necessity but it is highly recommended when working on a stretchy knit. The walking-foot helps to prevent one layer of fabric from stretching out while sewing. Both layers of fabrics are fed at the same time under your needle.
• Reduce your presser foot tension – Some machines will allow you to change your presser foot tension. Check your manual to see how to reduce your presser foot tension. Reducing tension will prevent your fabric from stretching while it goes through the machine.
• Use a ball point twin-needle (double needle) for top stitching – Using a twin-needle will give you a regular double line of straight stitches on the right side and a short and stretchy zigzag on the wrong side. Alternatively, if you don’t own a twin needle, you can use a medium size zigzag stitch for hemming and topstitching. I like to lengthen my stitch a little when top stitching with the twin needle. Test on a scrap of fabric to find what works best for you.
• Finishing the seams – Because knits don’t fray, it isn’t strictly necessary to finish your seams. That being said, you will achieve a more polished and durable look if you do an overcasting or zigzag stitch on your raw edges. 

Here is an example of some of the stitches you could use.
From left to right: Ballpoint twin-needle, narrow zigzag, stretch stitch (lightning bolt), overcasting.

⅜ inch seam allowance included – Hem ½ inch 

Preparation – 

1. PATTERN MARKINGS – Transfer all pattern markings.

Sewing –

1. WAISTBAND – Stitch Waistbands right sides together at short edges. Fold Waistband in half lengthwise. Find and mark quarter point.
2. OPTIONAL POCKETS – Lay Front Leg right side up. Place Pocket right sides together, matching the top to the pattern marking. Stitch. Flip Pocket over Front Leg. Press. OPTIONAL: Topstitch. Repeat for other Front Leg and both Back Legs.
3. SIDE SEAM AND INSEAM – WITHOUT POCKETS: Place Front and Back right sides together. Stitch side seam and inseam. Repeat for the other Front and Back Leg. WITH POCKETS: Place Front and Back right sides together. Flip Pockets out. Stitch side seam and Pockets together. Stitch inseam. Repeat for the other Front and Back Leg.
4. FRONT AND BACK RISE – Turn one Leg right side out. Insert Leg into the other Leg. Stitch the front and back rise. Turn right side out.
5. ATTACHING THE WAISTBAND – Find and mark quarter points of waist. Place Waistband over culottes, matching raw edges and quarter points. Match Waistband seams to side seams. Stitch. OPTIONAL Add clear elastic to stabilize Waistband.
6. HEM – OPTIONAL: Serge hem without removing any seam allowance. Fold hem ½ inch to wrong side. Press. Topstitch. Repeat.

Congratulations, your Culottes are done. Enjoy! 

We would love to hear how you got on and see photos of your finished project!

Join us at our Facebook Group, tag us on Instagram, or use the hashtag #rpculottes.

Thank you for using a Rebecca Page pattern.

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