DIY: Five Minute Sweater Pants for Babies

Last year while visiting my sister-in-law, she showed me how to make baby pants out of old sweater sleeves.

Seriously? ...Seriously? ...Seriously!

And, what sweetens the deal even more? It can be done in 2 seams and five minutes! Now, grab an old sweater, a strip of elastic, your sewing machine and lets get busy! Read on to see the picture tutorial.


First step, find an old sweater. When my son was one year old and younger I could use my old sweaters but now that he is almost two, I've had to upgrade to a Men's XL that I picked up at Goodwill.

Next, you will need to find a pair of pants that fit your little one. Fold them lengthwise and place them on top of the sleeve of the sweater. Using the pants as a pattern, cut out along the curvature of the crotch seam. Be sure to give your self a hefty seam allowance.

Once the cuts are made, pin the two cut edges together from the inside.

Now that its pinned, its time to run a stitch to create the crotch seam. After you have sewn the basic stitch, you can go back over the frayed cut edges with a finishing stitch to prevent raveling if you wish.

Fold the top edge over your elastic band to create the waist band. Now, stitch just below where your elastic is. I left a small section of the waist band unhemmed so I could sew the ends of the elastic together and then complete the hem. You dont need to cinch the elastic too much, you dont want them to be too tight on those chubby little waists.

Ta-Da! Baby sweater pants!!! I suggest that there is nothing cuter in the world than a baby in sweater pants!

Can't part with your sweaters? You can use this technique with sweatshirts, shirts, and my favorite, suit blazers!

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