Morning Coffee: Tutorial: Baby Jeans

One of my favorite things to do when I should be doing something else (i.e. cleaning, etc) is to surf around on the Internet looking at tutorials on other blogs for instructions and inspiration for crafty things. I very rarely attempt any of the tutorials I see - I mainly just read them for the entertainment value, I guess in the same way you watch "This Old House" with no intention of ever restoring a beautiful old Victorian in Boston.

Anyway, I got a little crafty myself this week and thought I would try my hand at writing a tutorial. The weather here is supposed to get cool next week, and I realized that Riley doesn't own a pair of jeans. The ones I've found in stores are either too big or too expensive, and my rule is to never spend more on baby clothes than I would spend on my own, and I think $40 is a little high for baby jeans! I realized that I had an old pair that didn't fit anymore, and with nothing to lose I decided to try and make her a pair out of my old jeans. They were really easy to make and turned out pretty cute, so I thought I'd share the how-to in case anyone else wanted to give it a shot.

A quick disclaimer: I am by no means a master tailor, and I'm sure if I were a contestant on "Project Runway" Nina Garcia would give me a hard time about the jeans not being perfectly executed, but the upside of sewing for someone who doesn't walk upright is that the fit doesn't have to be perfect!

Step 1: Trace one leg of a pair of your baby's pants on a piece of tissue paper to make a pattern. Add about a 1/4 in for a seam allowance in the leg and crotch and about 1.25 in on the waist to make the drawstring waist:

Step 2: Lay your pattern on the leg of a pair of jeans with the outside edge even with the outside seam of the jeans and the bottom even with the bottom hem. Cut out 1 pattern piece from each leg :

Step 3: Pin the 2 pieces right sides together and stitch the front & back crotch seams.

Step 4: Match the front & back crotch seams and pin together. Pin the legs together and stitch the leg seam:

Step 5: Press open the crotch & leg seams. Fold the waist down 1/4 in, and then over again 1 in. Stitch around waist close to folded edge.

Step 6: Turn the jeans right side out. Using a seam ripper, open up the middle seam on the front of the jeans in the casing you just sewed:

Step 7: Insert a ribbon or cord into the waistband and pull it through. A tip I learned from my grandfather - attach a safety pin to the end of the ribbon to use as an anchor in guiding the ribbon through the waistband.