JOY'S WOOL LONGIES SEWING PATTERN

This is my pattern. The grid marks are at one-inch intervals.
The pattern is put down a little crooked. The bottom edge (the ankle) should be straight across. The waist line slopes up from the front to the back. To make shorts instead of pants, cut off the leg just below points "b" and "c".

This is a good pattern to use on the sleeves or the body of a wool sweater.

To alter the size, measure the waist of your baby, divide it in half, and add one inch (for the seam allowance). This will be the new measurement of the waist line at the top of the pattern (our pattern fits a waist of 13.5 inches). If you need to change the length, remember that you will have to change the size and placement of the crotch piece.
This will make a tight-fitting pair of pants, almost like stretch pants. If you like a looser fit, try widening the legs about an inch or two. You can also widen the ankles if you want a straight-leg look. Play around with the pattern. Use a sweater you don't care about for practice before you cut into your favorite one!

Sewing Instructions

	Cut out your pieces. In the leg pieces, cut notches at the points A, B, C, and D so they can be easily located. I find it easiest to cut the entire sweater apart and lay the pieces out flat before cutting out my pattern. Think of this as your yardage. If you want to use the sleeves as-is, fold the pattern piece in half and lay it on the sleeve. Then open the sleeve up at the top so you can get the proper slope of the waist line. You'll want to cut the seam open above point "b" and point "c". I like to try to line the bottom edge with a finished edge of the sweater so I can avoid hemming it later. If you do not have enough length in your sweater, you can take a few inches off the top and add a separate waist band. You could also take off some length and make "shorties" instead of longies.
	Start by pinning the crotch piece to the right leg. Line up points A and B on the diamond with A and B on the leg piece. Make sure that the right sides are together.
	Stitch the pieces together. I usually use about a 1/4-inch seam allowance.
	This is how your pieces should look now.
	Now pin the left leg to the right leg (again, right sides together!). Start at the center front of the waist line, and work your way down to line up at point A (the notch should match up to the seam you just made) and finish at point C. If you have stripes, make sure that your stripes match up whenever the two leg pieces meet.
	Sew the pieces together, starting at point C (that way, the seam you made previously is on the top instead of the bottom). When you sew over the seam, spread the seam allowances open so that they will lie as flat as possible.
	At this point, this is what your longies will look like.
	Now roll the right leg over and pin it to itself, starting at the ankle. Again, don't forget to keep the right sides together and match any stripes. Point B should line up with the seam you just made. Stop pinning when you get to point D.
	Sew the seam that you just pinned, starting at the ankle. Be sure to backstitch at the ankle since this is your finished edge and you don't want it to come apart!
	This is what you should now have.
	Now roll the left leg over and pin it all the way from the ankle to the waist line. The notches on points D and C should line up with the two seams.
	Sew your seam. It should be easiest if you start at the waist line and finish at the ankle.
	Here they are!
	Turn them right-side out, and they are almost finished. At this point, it is smart to try the longies on the baby to check the fit. Make sure there is enough fabric to turn down at the waist to make a casing for elastic or a draw string.
	The pattern should give plenty of room for you to roll the edge down and sew it to make a casing.
	With this pair, we are going to sew in a lining. A lining is useful if your fabric is not thick enough. It is also good to use if you have a scratchy sweater. You can line it with soft merino wool or cashmere. Cut out and sew another pair, following the same instructions. This is your lining piece.
	Turn the lining piece inside out and slide it over the outside of your longies. The right sides will be together.
	Match up the waist lines and pin them together.
	Sew a seam all around the waist line. Be sure to gently stretch as you sew so that the waist line will also be able to stretch. We are making a large seam allowance (about 1.5 inches) since the pattern included extra length to roll the edge down. We don't need that extra length in this case.
	Trim the seam allowance down to about a 1/4-inch.
	Starting at an ankle, turn the entire thing inside out
	until they look like this.
	Then tuck the lining down inside the outer layer.
	Sew another seam about 1/2-inch (or more or less, depending on the width of your elastic) down from the waist line. Again, stretch gently as you sew. Leave a 2-inch gap in your seam so you can thread the elastic through.
	Turn the longies inside out again and locate your gap.
	Measure your baby's waist and cut a length of elastic (add a 1/2-inch for overlap). Pin a safety pin on the end of the elastic to help in threading it through the casing.
	Working patiently (ha ha), thread the elastic all the way through the casing.
	Make sure that your elastic is not twisted inside the casing. Pull the ends out and join them together with a zig-zag stitch. Pull and stretch the waist line until the elastic is evenly spaced inside the casing.
	Turn the longies right-side-out again and use a straight stitch to sew shut the gap in the waist line.
	Finish your lined longies by hand-stitching the ankles together.