Over the past few months, I have tried and failed several times to make a suitable pair of fall-front breeches from scratch, and I am feeling very over it.
Then I found these yoga pants at Goodwill, and the pocket positioning is such I figured they'd pass for fall-front breeches once I add some strategic buttons (spoiler alert: I was correct).
My friend Nox came over and helped me figure out roughly how much I needed to take them in and where to cut them, and then I took out my French curve and connected their pins into a more cohesive shape. Then I basted the seams in so I could try them on and make adjustments to stitches that are easy to remove, since sewing stretch fabric is a bitch and a half and I’d rather do it once right than have to seam rip it.
I also went ahead and cut them off at this stage, leaving them a bit long for safety (though I still cut them off a bit shorter than I'd intended to, whoops).
Here’s what they look like on with just the based seams.
I then made a few adjustments to smooth the transition from the existing seams to where I’m taking it in. In the photos below (which are mirror selfies) I only adjusted the right leg to illustrate the before and after.
Because I am Like That ™️ & had a breeches pattern and some scrap stretch interfacing already, I decided to be extra and add the button plackets at the knee.
I wasn't sure the jersey knit could support this kind of structure, but it actually worked out great! Probably because this piece is hugging the calf, so it minimally interferes with the drape and stretch of the rest of it.
Since I hadn't originally planned on doing the calf buttons, I hadn't bought any. However, the tuxedo shirt I used to make a faux-Regency shirt came with a strip of four buttons to use if you didn't have shirt studs. And they were conveniently a suitable color, so I sewed 2 to each leg and then did my best to find matching buttons at the fabric store the following weekend. 😅
While I was at the store, I grabbed some ribbon to use for the cuff closure since I didn't want to fiddle with a buckle. Because the fabric was stretchy, I used a drawstring method rather than just sewing the ribbon to the edges of the cuff.
The button holes for the drawstring are hand-sewn because there wasn't any facing to give the fabric a bit more structure like with the placket button holes, and I did not trust my machine's button hole setting on fabric this stretchy and button holes that small. This was my first time hand sewing button holes, so they're not super great, but they get the job done.
I then used some fabric scraps to cut out the front-flap edge pieces from my pattern and fell-stitched them onto the front of the pants. I also hand sewed some fake button holes on the faux-front flap to help sell the illusion that these were fall-front breeches. I also added buttons and fake button-hole stitching to the tops of the pockets to make them look a little more vintage.
And voila! The finished 'yoga' breeches! Unfortunately, I can't really wear my ruffled Regency shirt with them because jersey hides nothing and that shirt has so much fabric to tuck in, that it ends up looking like major diaper but. However! The Regency shirt I made from a modern tuxedo shirt works perfectly.
Tips For Doing This Yourself
1. Get the right pair of yoga pants
The waistband should hit your belly button (cover it, ideally) and already fit you in the waist so you don't have to tailor an elastic waistband.
The fabric shouldn't look too modern. Go for something that can pass as a wool or cotton jersey, or a faux suede.
They should be plain and free of modern modern accents like zippers or logos.
Ideally, the only pockets are side-slit pockets that pass the squint test. If you can't avoid back pockets, weft pockets are preferable to patch pockets.
Bonus points if you can find a pair like mine that comes with an extra bit of fabric in the front to help smooth things out.
2. Get a walking foot
Seriously, it makes working with a stretch fabric so much easier. You can find them for between $20-$50 new depending on brand, but you can sometimes find vintage ones on eBay for cheaper. Madam Sew has a great instructional blog post about them.
3. Get your shirt and stockings first
Not all yoga pants look good with a shirt tucked into them, so best try it out before you spend time and effort modifying them.
You also want to make sure you crop the pants at the correct length for the stockings you'll be wearing, so it's best have those on hand before you take scissors to your pants.
Conclusion
I had a lot of fun with this project and I'm really keen to make a black pair using this strategy since the pair of black capris I currently use are very old (like, I think I've had them for over 15 years) and on their last legs.
(March 1, 2023 edit: These breeches are stupidly comfortable, and I absolutely have taken to wearing them about the house as lounge clothes. 😂)
If you end up using this method, or have done something similar in the past, I'd love to hear about it in the comments! Pictures of how they turned out encouraged!
And as a treat for making to the end, here's a bonus pic of my cat, Toffee, supervising hand sewing.
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