After sewing up hundreds of Hudson pants since it's release, I have come up with a couple of alternative methods for sewing up the waistband / drawstring which make for a faster sew. This method works for all versions of the Hudson patterns, although I find it especially helpful for the kids Hudson pant pattern and here is why. I love the look of a drawstring for finishing the pant, but it is not very functional for a child, especially those who are on the younger side. Not only do those draw strings get pulled out and lost, but they can be a real struggle for those who cannot tie bows yet, but need to use the bathroom by themselves at school. So, instead of doing a full drawstring as the instructions suggest, I have come up with these two quick methods that give me the look I want without the headache of the actual drawstring.
Method 1 - This method is as simple as sewing up the pants as normal but omitting the buttonholes. I still like to do the stretch topstitching on the waistband for the look and also to keep the elastic from twisting in the wash, but that is optional. This method is especially good for those who are scared of sewing buttonholes. Once you have the pants prepped you also want to take a small piece of drawstring, tie a bow to the size you want, and finish the ends of the drawstring so that they don't unravel.
Now it's as simple as centering the bow on center front and then sewing back and forth on either side of the knot. If you are using a matching thread you won't even be able to see the stitching and no one will know that it is a faux drawstring. Make sure that you are sewing through all parts of the bow on the sides of the middle knot to make sure it doesn't untie.
That is it for method 1. This is honestly what I use the most for my kids Hudsons because it's easy and gets the job done.
Method 2 - If you want to take it a step further and are not scared of buttonholes, you may want to try method 2. It's a bit more involved than method 1 but still easy and creates the look of the drawstring without the ability for it to get pulled out.
You are going to sew up your Hudsons just like the pattern suggests including sewing and opening your buttonholes.
Then you will need to two separate pieces of drawstring with one end of each finished. The raw ends will be inserted into the buttonholes.
Take each raw end and insert into each buttonhole by about 1/2". The 1/2" should be pointing away from center front, inside of the waistband. Stitch back and forth several times, just to the outside of the buttonhole, catching the 1/2" in the stitching the secure.
It should look like the drawstring is in the entire waistband, while actually it is only in the front.
Tie the two drawstring pieces into a bow and you are good to go!
I hope you found these two methods helpful for the next time you sew up some Hudsons!
