I’ve been wanting to make this hack for some time now and I’m so glad I finally went for it! These are my hippie patchwork June Pants and I’m so stoked to have these ready in time for summer. Here is a tutorial so you can learn to make your own!
June is on sale right now! Get this pattern for 25% off during the month of June, no code required.
How to make Patchwork Pants
The first thing you need to do is figure out how many pieces of fabric you need. You need your pattern pieces cut and ready and then you can calculate it.
Measure the widest and tallest part of the pattern pieces. Divide those measurements by the size patch you want. For example, I want my patches to be 9” (23 cm) tall and 5.5” (14 cm) wide when finished.
- Height of pant leg divided by 9” (23 cm) = X
- Width of pant leg divided by 5.5” (14 cm) = Y
- X times Y = (the total number of patches needed for one piece)
Repeat this math to get the number of patches needed for each piece and add them together. Remember, you need pieces for two back legs and two front legs. For example:
- I need 20 patches for my back leg.
- I need 15 patches for my front leg.
- 20 + 20 + 15 + 15 = 70
Add ¼” (0.6 cm) of seam allowance to each patchwork piece, so my final patchwork size was 6” x 9.5” (15.2 x 24.1 cm) . You can cut out a template if desired, but I just used my quilting ruler.
Psssssst - math not your thing? No worries! You can just sew pieces of fabric together until you have a piece large enough to cut your pattern pieces from! You don’t need to line up seams or have all the patchwork pieces be the same size. You do you!
Sewing the Patchwork
The next step is deciding on fabrics and cutting out your patches. I used a bunch of leftover linen and cotton scraps from previous projects. I loved revisiting all these makes and remembering them all as I was sewing this patchwork!
You want to choose fabrics that are of a similar weight and type. For example, don’t pair rayon with mid weight linen. You can do thin fabrics like rayon or go with thicker fabrics like cotton twills. My cotton/linen scraps are all pretty light. You also want to pre-wash and dry all of your fabrics so they do not shrink after you make your patchwork.
You press all your scraps before cutting out the patchwork. Use a quilting ruler to help you cut out even pieces. Keep the grain in mind and cut on the lengthwise grain or cross grain. The amount of each is totally up to you! You just need to cut enough for the size as calculated above.
Assemble the patchwork in columns or rows and then sew the columns/rows together. Layout the patchwork to determine how many go in each row/column and to decide where to place the pieces. I decided to match my back and front pant legs along the side seam, but in hindsight this was not necessary. I think it would look better with mismatched patchwork. It’s easier that way too!
I serged all of my patchwork together and I did not sew it on the sewing machine. Make sure your tension is good if you want to do this! You need good tension on the top thread (the needle thread) to make it strong. I decided to put my serged seams on the outside of my pants for that hippie look.
Assembling the Pants
Now that our patchwork is done, we can cut the pattern pieces from the patchwork and assemble the pants! Line up the grainline with one of the vertical seams in the patchwork to ensure it is straight.
I also cut my pockets from some leftover fabric and did patchwork on my waistband, too (using leftovers from the legs). I cut mine longer and ever so slightly wider at the bottom, just to accentuate the wide-legged look. I wanted these to be full length.
For my side seams, I did my seams on the inside so I could sew the inseam pockets. I also made my waistband using scraps as well and I sewed this with the seams on the inside too. I wanted it to look nice and neat.
These turned out so great! I love how the patchwork looks with the exposed serged seams. It feels so good to have used all these scraps to make a new project! Patchwork clothing is pretty trendy right now and we sewists are in a perfect position to take advantage!
I considered adding elastic to the hem to cinch it in, but I decided to leave them wide. They have a fun 70s retro vibe this way. I’m happy with the look and think I’ll be wearing these loads over the summer.
I took all the offcuts from the pants and did some improv quilting to throw them together into this piece of patchwork. I’m not sure what I am going to do with it—maybe a pillow cover? If I wanted to complete this look I’d make a bandana style top to go with it. Dare I?
Let me know if you try making patchwork pants, too!
