Hello! I'm Melissa, mom of 5, and woman behind the scenes at Sassy Fras. https://www.facebook.com/sassyfrasdesign. Today I am reviewing the Bottoms Up Pants by "If Only Designs".
If we're honest, pants patterns for children are pretty plentiful. But patterns that are great for boys (these are unisex) aren't as prevalent. And ones designed for use over cloth diapers? Like hen's teeth! (and if you're not midwestern, or it was only my father who used that saying, chickens don't need dentists!)
I would rate this pattern as suitable for a beginner. You can do a plain pant, with no options, and the only skill needed is being able to sew a straight line! If you're a little more adventurous, you can add front pockets & also faux welt back pockets for added interest and either add a cuff or not. I did the front pockets, with a solid front instead of both pocket pieces the same, so they'd look most like his big brothers at that big brother's request. I added cuffs to break up the monotony of tan, but didn't do the welt pockets.
Other perks to the pattern: It can be made using wovens or knits, making it very versatile. Great size range - newborn to size 6 with 11 sizes total in that range. I made the size 6 mo. for my 8 mo old per the measurement chart(he was a preemie, so that's about right). Next time I'll make a size 9 mo with 6 mo length. The pattern gives great directions on how to customize the sizes to fit your child's build.
Directions are given for sewing machine or serger, there are no assumptions made about equipment or skill level, again making it suitable for a beginner. But, there are enough fun design elements & options to make this a good pattern for the more experienced.
The pattern is nested, and 14 pages of pattern pieces total. It includes a table to indicate which pages to print if you want just one size (which knocks it down to 6 pages of printing in many cases). I love that option!
Back to the cloth diaper part - they really do fit great over a fluffy tushy. They'd also work well for children who need a little more room in the booty for diapers or due to their build. The fact that they are designed with extra booty room means their construction is a bit different. As an experienced seamstress I went "really?" when I got to that part of the directions as it was a bit different than typical pants, but if you nod & agree, follow through, you end up with a pant that fits great, like intended. There is a reason for that difference!
Overall difficulty of the pants? On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being "pull your hair out" hard, I'd rate it about a 2 or 3. If only capturing a shot of a mobile, yet not able to stand little one was that easy!! This is a pattern that produces a great result in a naptime, even if your child is a quick napper!
