Of course, I will break down the fit and alterations of a basic sweatpants pattern. This is what I do! I had some extra fabric and needed summer shorts, so I took the Cloud Sweatpants pattern and made them into shorts. I selected this pattern both because of the size range available but also because the pattern comes as either wide-legged or tapered. I used the wide-legged version (Version B) to make into cute summer shorts!
Fabric
I had 1 yard of leftover Bamboo Stretch fleece and wanted to make summer sweat shorts. I’m hoping that the fabric is still comfortable in the summer heat. The material is definitely soft enough to be comfortable year-round.
Size
The Cloud Sweatpants size range is extensive, and thankfully, Make by TFS will grade a size for you if you fall outside of this size range. I decided to make a size 16 since my hip measurement is 42.5 inches. When I’m sitting, my hip measurement is 47 inches. Check the finished garment measurement at the hip to ensure you have enough ease to sit.
I might be able to make a size 14, but that would only leave me 1.4 inches of ease at the hips when sitting, whereas a size 16 gives me 3.4 inches of ease. For a relaxed fit, you want 2-3 inches at least.
View
I decided to make View B and cut along the “shorten/lengthen” line to create shorts. I gave myself a 1.5-inch hem for the bottom.
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