Costume DIY #1: Easy Harem Pants (from PJ's!)

For our first blog post we would like to share a fun and easy DIY pair of harem pants anyone can do. This is great for when you need pants quickly and cheaply!

You will need:
-A pair of PJ pants (more on this below)
-Scissors and/or seam ripper
-Elastic in 1/4 inch - 1/2 inch
-Needle and matching thread

1) Make sure your PJ pants are in a fabric that will pass for harem pants. Anything satin looking will do. Preferably you want pants that are baggy and a little too long for you. Also, make sure there is either a strong elastic or drawstring top that fits you (or alter it if you have the sewing prowess to do so). Try places like Goodwill or Savers if you on a tight budget. You can probably get yourself a pair for only $2 - $3.

2) Take your seam ripper/scissors and find the casing in the bottom hem of the pant legs. Look for the seam going vertically. There is probably two, so use the one that would lie on the inner ankle if you were wearing the pants, since that will be seen less easily. Open up that seam on just the inside.

3) Slide your elastic into the casing. If you're having a hard time getting it through try putting a safety pin on the edge and using that to push through the casing. It will pull the elastic along behind it and make things much easier. You can see an example of how to do this here

4) Now you need to find the right fit for your elastic. You can either measure your ankle and make the elstic a bit smaller than that, or put the pants on and mark a good spot on your elastic. Make sure you can get your foot in and out easily but that the elastic is tight enough to keep it in place on your ankle.

5) Sew the elastic closed so it makes a loop, and make sure to sew it over a few times so it's strong. Repeat on the other casing.

6) Now sew your seams back up. We suggest using a blind stitch for the cleanest look. If you aren't familiar with this kind of stitch it's not too hard and you can see a great instructional video here. If you want to use another stitch that works for you go for it!

You're done! We've used this trick many times to make cheappie harem pants that are also super comfy. They still work great as PJ pants too. If you find your PJs are creeping up at night this solves that problem and makes them multifunctional.

If you wanted to embelish your pants a bit you could ppen the outer seam to show a little leg or sew a pretty trim down the sides.

Enjoy!