The moment I saw the Know Me ME2041 Convertible Pants from Donny Q (@_donnyq), I immediately knew I would make the pattern. Several years ago, I made the Green Pepper Sunset Bay zip-leg pants, and there were a few things about the pattern that I didn’t love. First was the lack of a side seam. This made fitting the Sunset Bay pants a little more complicated. Second, the pockets, although nice, are overly complex. For example, the back pockets on the Sunset Bay pants have two separate compartments. The zipper at the hem was not designed well since you had to cut into the fabric and add facing to cover the zipper. This made the hem bulky and uncomfortable to wear.
The Know Me ME2041 pattern fixes all of my nit-picky issues. The pattern has a side seam. There are plenty of pockets that are simply constructed. And the zipper at the hem is a lapped zipped along the inseam, so no extra fabric is needed.
Analyzing Style and Fit
The pattern is labeled as a men’s pattern, but I hate gender labels and wish we could label patterns based on body shapes instead. While waiting for the fabric to arrive, I tested the pattern with two avatars in VStitcher to see how the pattern fit across various body shapes. There are only a handful of examples of this pattern on the internet, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Based on the VStitcher avatar and the few examples online, the pants have a lovely, relaxed fit through the lower torso and legs. I would consider the style to be straight-legs. There is a lot of ease and mobility through the crotch curve. The waistband should sit 1 inch below your natural waistline. These pants are not high-rise or low-rise.
The pants come with a fly front zipper, side pockets, cargo style back pockets, curved waistband with belt loops, the option to add an integrated belt inside the waistband, zip-off legs, and a zipper at the hem so you can pull the legs off over shoes.
Materials and Notions
I had been using Taslan 2ply 3oz fabric from sellfabric.com. But that fabric can be challenging to sew. I struggled with skipped stitches even though I used a microtex needle. I wanted to try the new 3.4 oz Nylon/Taslan Supplex fabric from Ripstop by the Roll for this project. The Taslan from RBTR has a softer hand and was easier to sew than the fabric from sellfabric.com. Both fabrics are 2-ply and have a DWR finish, but RBTR uses a DWR finish that’s better.
You have to be careful, though, because the lighter colors of either fabric are not entirely opaque. These pants are navy, and I have plans to make a second pair in burnt orange. However, I might have to be careful about what color underwear I wear in the burnt orange.
I also purchased 3/4 inch MIL-SPEC 5038 Type 4 Polyester Replica Webbing and 20 mm Fidlock SNAP Buckle for the integrated belt from RBTR.
I used 36-inch YKK® #3 Vislon molded separating zippers for the leg zipper. For the zipper fly and two lapped zippers at the hem, I used 9-inch YKK® #3 skirt and dress zippers. I had to shorten the 36-inch zipper, so make sure to grab zipper top stops. I purchased my zippers from zipperstop.com
I used Organ microtex size 80/12 needles and Gutermann Mara 70 Poly Wrapped Poly Core Thread for sewing.
Finally, I used size 20 utility metal snaps from Kamsnaps for my top button.
Sizing and Version
Size Charts
I was rather frustrated about the lack of inclusive sizing from the Green Pepper pattern, but the pattern is nearly 22 years old, so I don’t expect the pattern to change.
| Size | Small | Medium | Large | X-Large | 2X-Large | 3X-Large |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waist | 28-30 | 32-34 | 36-38 | 40-42 | 44-46 | 48-50 |
| Hip | 34-36 | 38-40 | 42-44 | 46-48 | 49-50 | 52-54 |
However, the ME2041 pattern isn’t any more size-inclusive, which is a real shame. Since this is a relatively new pattern, I would love to see this pattern updated with more sizes.
| Size | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 44 | 46 | 48 | 50 | 52 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waist | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 39 | 42 | 44 | 46 | 48 |
| Hip | 35 | 37 | 39 | 41 | 43 | 45 | 47 | 49 | 51 | 53 |
Body Measurements
Using my measuring band, my overall circumference is 46.5 inches. My waist measures 37 inches. Based on my torso circumference, I made size 46 (42 waist, 47 hip) knowing I was going to have to take in the waistline.
Version
I made version A, the full-length pants with zip-off legs. I didn’t include the front patch on the legs because I didn’t want the extra weight.
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