Little people need a lot of clothes. And they need to be as practical as possible. The Tangerine Trousers are super – designed by a Mum based on the clothing she found practical for her baby. The Tangerine Trousers are a tried and trusted baby sewing pattern for us – so far I’ve made 5 pairs! (Note: Two of them were made in fabric I received free of charge in return for a blog post on the supplier’s site and so I’ve decided not to share them here.)
This style of trousers is a staple basic in any baby’s wardrobe. The pattern provides comfy trousers in a stretch fabric, with the option to include feet covering, or simply finish at the ankle to make conventional trousers. Because of the loose fitting style, I find that the sizes in this pattern are bigger than the RTW equivalent – they seem more baggy and longer. Babies grow quickly so that’s not really a problem! I’ve made trousers in both French Terry and jersey for my baby, matched to the season she’ll be wearing them.
The pattern is a nice easy sew, depending on the version you make, there are just 5 or 9 pieces to sew together. The construction is pretty quick, the only slightly complex part is ensuring the top foot piece seam curves to match that of the front leg ankle seam. Even though I make these on my sewing machine (for me, the feet are a little too fiddly for an overlocker) I make these in less than two hours, including cutting time.
As these trousers are a basic, it’s fun to pair the pattern with a cute print. There are so many lovely fabrics available that would fit the bill – some are specialist in baby fabrics, but you can also buy them from your regular fabric shops. While pregnant I would add a half metre of print jersey to my fabric orders and am still working my way through these. Of course you don’t need to buy special fabrics for these, as they’re also great for scrap busting, particularly for the smaller sizes. There’s no reason why you couldn’t make them in plain jersey too!
The versions I’ve made were all sewn using print designs, and so I usually pair them with a plain vest for an easy, fun outfit. As she gets older, I will probably switch to the version without feet, and pair them with a t-shirt.
I’d really recommend this pattern. They’ve worked out great for us and I can see that they’d make a great gift too.
sew slow Sarah 
Hi, I love your blog on these trousers and yours look fab but I came to looking through the instructions to make them and don’t understand what’s going on with the upper and lower foot pieces, could I ask for your help. Gemma
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Hi Gemma, there’s a sewalong on YouTube – if you search tangerine trousers it’ll come up on the sew over it channel. Good luck!
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