I recently did a little experiment where I used the bottom of the jumpsuit portion of the Darla to sew up some easy summer wide leg pants. They turned out so great that I decided to put together a quick tutorial so you can make a pair too.
To do this hack you are going to need the front and back jumpsuit bottom pattern pieces as well as the pocket and pocket interfacing.
We need to make a few adjustments to the pattern pieces first. The first thing we need to do is shorten the top of the pant to accomodate the waistband we are going to add. I am using 1.5" elastic so I am going to cut 1.5" off the top of the front and back.
Jumpsuits have extra low crotches to make them comfy while sitting. The crotch does not need to be as low on a pant so I am going to take some length out of the crotch at the lengthen shorten line. I decided to take an inch out.
Make sure you make the same adjustments on the back as you did the front.
Make sure you remark the notches along the top of the pant.
You also need to redraw the circle markings for the pocket opening since they were moved up when shortening the crotch length.
Lastly, line the pocket up with the front at the notch marking and trim the top so that it is shortened by the same amount as the pant.
One last adjustment you might want to make to the front and back pieces is to add a bit of length at the hem since you took some out at the crotch.
Next we need to draft the waistband. For this we will need to do a bit a of measuring in math. I will show you my math, but you can adjust as needed for your own measurements.
For the front :
Measure the top edge and subtract 1" of seam allowances.
For the back :
Measure the top edge and subtract .5" of seam allowances.
Add those two together and multiply by 2 to get the width of the waistband.
For the height of the waistband, take the width of your elastic and multiply it by 2. Then add 1" of seam allowance.
My waistband is 46" wide and 4" tall. To draft the waistband I divided the width by 2 so it can be cut on the fold.
Add notches that correspond with the front and back as well as a notch for the sideseam.
Now cut out all of your pattern pieces and sew up the bottom of the jumpsuit according to the instructions including the pockets and side seams. You should be left with a pair of pants that is open at the top. The pockets should be basted flat against the front of the pant.
Take your waistband and sew the ends together so you have a circle. Press seam allowances open.
Fold waistband in half, wrong sides touching.
Pin the raw edges of the waistband to the top of the pant, matching notches and placing the seam of the waistband at center back.
Stitch at a normal 1/2" seam allowance, leaving at 4 inch opening at center back.
Cut your elastic to the desired length. Attach a safety pin to one side and insert through the waistband without twisting.
Overlap the ends of the elastic and stitch together.
Sew up the 4 inch opening in the waistband.
Finish the seam allowances of the waistband.
Evenly distribute the gathers on the waistband and press. If you want you can stitch through all layers at the side seam and center back to keep the elastic from twisting.
Almost done. The last thing you need to do is try on your pants and adjust the length if needed. Hem according to the Darla instructions.
