Day three of the Thomas Track Pants is pockets day! The side seam pockets on the Thomas Track Pants are a bit different than most side seam pockets. They have some fun and functional topstitching along the opening. This allows the pockets to stay forward and keep a modern, sporty look that we love in athletic pants. However, sometimes this detail trips sewists up, especially if they have sewn side seam pockets multiple times before. Today, I have a video showing you exactly how to assemble the Thomas Track Pants pockets.
I LOVE the side seam pockets on the Thomas Track Pants
And so does my son. The topstitching on the front pocket opening keeps the pockets from shifting around to the back of the leg and helps them lay nice and flat even with knits. The video below walks you through the steps of sewing the Thomas Track Pants pockets.
How to use 1″ elastic with the Thomas Track Pants
So what if you want to sew some Thomas Track Pants, but you only have 1″ elastic on hand and you can’t get to the store and you want to sew NOW. I’m going to show you how you can use that 1″ elastic you have and sew your pants up right away.
The waistband on the Thomas Track Pants uses 2″ wide elastic. This keeps the pants in place and lends to the athletic look I was after when designing these pants. But sometimes, you need to sew now and you don’t have 2″ wide elastic. Or maybe you are wanting to sew some quick pajama pants and don’t feel you need to use the 2″ elastic. This is a really simple modification that you can make! And you can even do it after you cut your fabric! (Don’t you hate when you have your fabric cut out, and AFTER you find out you are out of the elastic size you need?!)
On both the front and back pieces, draw a line 1″ down from the top of the waist. Then fold back the pattern along this line (You can trim it off, but I am always in favor of keeping the original pattern pieces in tack whenever possible.) and then cut your fabric out. Nothing else needs to be modified! Assemble the pattern as written and use 1″ elastic when you sew the waistband. You probably would want to skip the topstitching along the elastic if you use the thinner elastic.
If you have already cut your fabric, just trim off 1″ from the top of the waistband before assembling and get to sewing.
We love sewing with friends!!
Join us over in our Facebook Support Group to sew right along with me! Share photos of your progress, and check out what others are sewing also. You can even ask questions and watch live videos as I sew each day’s step of the Thomas Track Pants!! We will also have a give away at the end of the sew along where one winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to Love Notions Pattern AND a $50 gift certificate to Surge Fabric Shop!! All of this only happens in our Facebook group, so join us today and don’t miss out!
- Day One: Fabric and supply shopping, measuring and blending sizes
- Day Two: How to sew basic pants, How to eliminate the side seam
- Day Three: How to sew the Thomas Track Pants pockets, Using 1″ elastic
- Day Four: How to sew pants with a lining, Sewing with piping
- Day Five: How to sew the zipper hem
