I had a major itch to have some better pants to wear and that kicked my butt into gear to sew these Free Range Slacks. I saw some really cute denim elastic waisted pants on Candace M. Read last October, and knew I had to recreate something similar.
Out of the few pants patterns that I’ve made so far, the tapered leg on the Free Range Slacks (click here if you prefer printed patterns) are the best, so I went with them again, and I’m very happy with how they turned out! I’ve worn them multiple times since I finished them last weekend.
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I made the same adjustments that I made to my first Free Range Slacks – taking 2″ from the rise, and adding 2″ to the length. I made my actual size, 12 – my waist is 33″ & hip is 42″.
My linen ones tend to slide down when I have my phone in my pocket, so I added button holes and a drawstring to these ones. I also saw a video by Kylie and the Machine where she stretched out her elastic really well before putting them in her waistband, so I tried that, and I think it helped! I was able to shorten the elastic by quite a bit and these stay up much better but are still comfortable.
One last thing I changed was the pocket length! On my first ones, I completely forgot to shorten the pockets, and since I made my pants mid-rise, the pocket went uncomfortably low down my leg. Haha. The pockets even have a lengthen/shorten line, so I don’t know how I missed that! But this time I shortened them by 1.5″ inches at the lengthen/shorten line, and it worked great.
This is an 8oz non-stretch bleached demin from Blackbird Fabrics. Style Maker has a 8oz non-stretch denim in a few other colors too. I really like the difference in feel between these and my linen ones. My linen ones are great for hot summer days, but they were just too light to wear during the winter. These denim ones are a nicer weight and don’t make my feel cold. It was a little tricky to get the flat felled seams nice on the side the pockets, but I honestly think I had a similar struggle with the linen. lol. I need more practice with those flat felled seams, I guess.
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This color of denim is a little out of my comfort zone because I usually wear darker colors and darker denim, but I’m excited to see how they fit into my wardrobe. I will probably end up scrolling Pinterest to see how other people wear light denim, and maybe I’ll share some of my outfit discoveries over on Instagram.
As always, if you have any questions just let me know! Happy denim pants making!
Your free range pants look so comfortable! I remember trying to make my first flat felled seams on pajamas. In those days we didn’t have serge sewing machines available for home use. That was about 1960.
Thanks Grandma! They really are – I even decided to wear them again today. 🙂 I bet you are a pro at flat felled seams now! Sergers do make things a lot easier, but flat felled seams just look really nice.
I love the fit of your slacks, and the drawstring adds a really great look as well as functionality!
Thanks Amie! I feel lucky that I didn’t have to make any fit changes. The drawstring really does help a lot and it wasn’t hard at all to add!
Great job! I’ve had that pattern since it came out and have yet to make it. I guess other sewing carrots are ever dangling before me. I like the look of these in light denim. Congrats on a sewing win.
Thanks Kristi! I completely understand other sewing carrots. lol. I hope yours turn out amazing too when you get around to making them!
your fit looks great. Thanks for sharing your notes. I like the addition of drawstring. I’ve made 4 pair, but could use a slightly shorter pocket, I didn’t see that pattern note either. Do you think this would work up in a stable knit for exercise wear?
Thanks Barb! I’m glad you liked the post. I don’t see why a stable knit wouldn’t work! I think switching from a knit pattern to a woven is pretty complicated, but since this is a woven pattern, I think a stable knit could work nicely.