Tutorial: How to Make Joggers from Scratch (pattern and sewing tutorial)

This tutorial will walk you through how to make your own joggers from scratch. I’ll start by showing you how to create your pants sewing pattern using your own measurements. Then, follow along with the step-by-step tutorial showing you how to put it all together. I’ve also included a patch pocket pattern you can print out to make sure your pants have pockets.

This page contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. That being said, I encourage you to use your local sewing shop whenever possible, or to look for supplies second hand.

Supplies Needed:

1.5 – 2.5 yards of fabric (a basic cotton or twill will work well)
1/2″ elastic
Something to use as a drawstring (twill tape, ribbon, some string, or even an old shoelace can work)

Pattern PIeces

Pocket Pattern

PDF pattern

How to Make your pattern:

First, take your measurements:

Hip: The largest measurement around your hips, thighs, and butt
Divide this number by 4
Then add 1.5 inches
Crotch depth:
Start from a point 1 inch below your belly button for the waistline
Measure from your waist to the floor.
Then measure the inside of your leg from your crotch to the floor. Subtract this from the full length measurement for the crotch depth.
Then add 2 inches
Thigh: Circumference around your upper thigh about 3 inches down from the crotch
Divide this number by 2
Subtract 1 inch for the front thigh
Add 1 inch for the back thigh measurement
Base Length: Typically the base length will be around 20 inches, but you can make this as wide as you like depending on how you like your pants to fit.
Divide by 2
Add 2 inches to the front measurement
Add 3 inches to the back measurement
Length:
from waist to hip
From crotch to thigh
From waist to desired length of the pants + 2 inches

Make your grid. Use your length measurements from above to draw horizontal lines for the length between the waist, hip, crotch , thigh, and bottom length of the pants. Then draw a straight line down for your center front.

Add your full hip point according to your calculations above. The measurement around your hips divided by 4, then add 1.5 inches.

Draw a line straight up from the hip to the waist line.

Draw the crotch line and connect it to the center front with a curve. Take your full hip measurement and divide it by 4 again. Then measure that distance out from the center front on the crotch line.

Don’t worry too much about this curve, you’ll can fine-tune it in a later step.

Draw a vertical guideline halfway in between the center front and the side of the pant leg.

Draw the front base of the pant leg. Make sure the center of this line connects with the guideline.

Connect the base to the sides of the pants. Try to make right angles at the bottom of the pant legs.

At this point, you also want to check the thigh measurement. Make sure the length from one side of the pant to the other on the thigh line is bigger than the calculation for the front thigh you made earlier.

copy the side seam and base the the back

Trace the side and bottom of the front pant to the back.

shift the side half and inch and add half an inch the the inside of the base

Move the side seams over half an inch. Keep the same shape, just move the side over half and inch on the outseam and move the inner point over half an inch at the base.

Make a line straight down from the waist to the hip half an inch in from the center back line.

Draw the crotch line and connect it to the hip with a curve. Take your full hip calculation and divide it by 2 again. Then measure that distance out from the center back on the crotch line.

Draw the inseam on the back of the pants the same way you did on the front.

Check to make sure the thigh line from side seam to inseam is greater than your back thigh measurement from earlier.

Check the crotch curve. This part is a little bit tricky, but you want the seam to create a straight line through the front and back crotch. Place the points of seams together as they would be if you are sewing them. If it’s not straight, just draw a straight line and adjust the point of both sides.

You’ll also need to make sure the inseams of the front and back are the same length. It’s totally normal if you need to adjust the crotch points a couple of times as measure, to make sure the front and back will fit together.

Measure the front and back waistlines of your pattern and add them together. Create a waistband using that measurement. Make the waistband 4.5 inches thick and cut it out with one side on the fold.

Don’t forget to add seam allowance to your pattern pieces!

Step 1

Get the pockets ready

Hem the diagonal side of the pockets. Then fold and press the seam allowance (1/2″) on the two sides that are opposite the diagonal. You may want to baste them in place to keep them folded under.

Step 2

sew the pockets to the front pants

Place the pockets face up on the front pants pieces. Line up the top of the pocket with the top of the pants. Line up the side of the pocket with the side of the pants (it’s okay it some pocket hangs over the edge).
Topstitch the pocket along the bottom and inner side. Then baste the pocket to the top and side of the pants. Only the diagonal side is left open.

Step 3

clip the overhanging part of the pocket

The side of your pants probably won’t line up with the side of the pocket. Just clip off any excess overhanging parts of the pocket so it lines up with the side of your pants.

Step 4

Sew front and back of pants

With right sides together, sew the front shorts and the back pants together on both side seams.

Step 5

sew the crotch seam

Turn one pant leg inside out and place the other inside it so they have right sides together. Then sew the crotch seam. Turn the pants to the right side.

Step 6

apply interfacing to the center front of the waistband

We are going to create button holes for the drawstring of the pant. To do that, you will need to apply a patch of interfacing on the center front of the waistband.

Step 7

mark the drawstring holes

Since the waistband is going to be folded in half, the holes for the drawstring only need to be on the front half of the waistband. So fold the waist band in half.

Basically you want to center the drawstring holes on the front half of the waistband, but you have to take the bottom seam allowance into account.

Make a mark 3/4 inches down from the folded edge. Then make a mark 1 + 1/4 up from the bottom (to account for seam allowance). Place your two button holes between these two marks about 1/2 inch away from the center front of the waistband.

Step 8

make the button holes

Making the button holes for the drawstring will vary depending on your sewing machine. The end result should be two horizontal button holes that are approximately 1/2″ wide.

Note: you can also use grommets instead of button holes for your drawstring.

Step 9

fold the waistband in half and sew into a loop

Fold the waistband in half with right sides together. You want to sew the short side to form a loop, but you also want to leave a gap for inserting the elastic into the waistband later. To do this, sew only half of the waistband. Leave the other side unsewn, except for the seam allowance.

Step 10

fold the waistband in half

Fold the waistband in half lengthwise. The side with the button holes is the ‘right side’ and should be placed at the center front seam

Step 11

sew the waistband to the pants

Place the raw edges of the waistband in line with the raw edges of the pants, then sew all the way around. Sew with right sides together, so the small gap in waistband will end up on the inside of the pants and the button holes will end up on the outside.

Step 12

Stitch around the waistband to create casings

Make two lines of stitches all the way around the waistband to create 3 casings for the elastic and the drawstring. One should be 5/8 inch from the top, and the other should be 5/8 inch from the seam at the bottom of the waistband.

Step 13

insert the elastic

Cut 2 pieces of elastic that are a couple inches longer than the size of your waist. Using the gap in the back of the waistband, insert the elastic through the top and bottom casings. Try on the pants and pull the elastic until the waistband feels comfortable. Then cut off any excess elastic and sew it into a loop.

Then, you can to thread a string or twill tape through the center casing. Start at one button hole and come back out around the to the other. Once you’re finished, hand sew the gap in the back of the waistband closed.

Step 14

make elastic casings at the bottom of the pant legs

Fold the bottom of each pant leg over 5/8 inch and then another 5/8 inch and stitch around in to create a channel for the elastic. Leave a small gap in the stitches so you can insert the elastic.

sew casing at bottom of pants, leave gap

Step 15

add elastic to the pant legs

Cut two pieces of elastic about 10 inches long (or pieces that will comfortably fit around your ankle). Then insert it through the casing at the bottom of the pant legs. Sew the elastic into a loop, and then sew up the gap in the casings.