DIY Sew Your Own Tailored Jogger/Track Pants
Relaxed casual takes on a whole new look with tailored jogger/track pants. We start with the Christine Jonson Cuff Pant, which has that essential relaxed yet refined look - the smooth banded waist over the pleated front gives just the right ease in the hips. Tapering the pant at the hem to a 13" finished circumference (14.25 before the 5/8" seam allowances) gives the right slim leg shape. You'll want to crop your jogger / track pants at the ankle - keeping the cuff, so measure to your ankle bone and use the lengthen / shorten line to adjust the pant length. The Cuff Pant's smooth back is very flattering (no gathers to add pouf!) and the banded stretch waist is very comfortable. These pants will need a knit fabric with Lycra, so choose ponte, ITY or ITY prints for the best results.
Trace the pant off onto a large sheet of paper (you can even used taped-together newspaper!) using a marker, marking all notches and the lengthen-shorten line. Since this is a no-side-seam pant (with a clever darted pocket!) you'll have just one pattern piece to alter for the track pant version. Pockets and facing plus the waistband remain the same.
Make a mark at the center of the pant's hem.
Measure from the center of the pant's cuff outward 7 1/8" on each side of the centerline. This is your new cut line.
Draw a straight line up from this point to the crotch, tapering to 0 at the crotch. This is your new slim-leg line.
Measure your inseam length to your ankle bone- you can do this step by yourself by standing in front of a floor-length mirror and stepping on the tape measure. You should be able to read your inseam at your ankle bone in the mirror.
Fold the pattern piece on the lengthen/shorten line, keeping in mind you have to keep the cuff/hem length in addition to your ankle bone inseam measurement.
Sew the pants as usual - you'll end up with a cute cropped pair of jogger/track pants. We love these in black ITY or a small print ITY or poly/lycra knit blend.
If you want to create a banded or elasticized jogger/track pant at the hem:
For an elasticized hem, keep the cuff length. Use 1" wide elastic, measure loosely around your ankle bone (make sure you can pull this on over your foot) for the right elastic measurement. Sew the cuff into a casing and insert the elastic.
For a cuffed/banded hem, measure loosely around your ankle bone, and create a cuff that is your measurement plus 1.25 (for seam allowance) x 6" (this creates a 2.5" deep cuff, you can go deeper if you wish).
Sew the short ends of the cuff together, then fold with the wrong sides together, creating a tubular band.
Trim the pants at the hem so that your band will be at your desired finished inseam length plus 2". If you are unsure where it will land on your lower leg, pin the band to the pants at the desired level, fold up the excess pant inside the banded cuff and look at the length in the mirror.
Align the inner leg seam with the band's inner leg seam and stretch and sew the band to the pant leg.
Here are a couple of inspiration photos from Nordstrom. The jogger pant looks best with a tee and a chic cardi or jacket in a shorter length. You can also do the tee as a 'half tuck', tucking in just a small portion at the front to show off the pleats and waistband, while keeping the tee loose in back. Three Tees looks awesome with the track pant, as does the Banded Neck Tee from Travel Trio One.
If you're making the cuffed version, you can absolutely wear these to work. If you're making the banded cuff or elastic cuff version - this is a more youthful look - you can still pull it off for work; select a modern leather jacket (shown on the model) to keep the look sharp. Pair it with ballet flats or heels for the best look. Check out our blog post for fun inspiration for printed track pants.
