I'm Cheap and Easy: Quick Upcycled Fancy Pants Tutorial

Bonus post! 😊 This tutorial used to be up on my old blog before I took it down. It still sadly gets passed around Pinterest pointing to a now-dead link. Hopefully this re-post will slowly take over!
These are great for wearing on their own or under a dress. You can change the feel of them easily based on the materials you choose to use. I made this tutorial as a minimal sewing for beginners project. If you have any questions, let me know! I hope you enjoy!

Materials List:

pair of pants that are the basic fit and length for what you want. I recommend thrift stores, and getting either pajama capri pants or regular capri pants. You want pants that fit loosely around whatever part of the leg you plan to make into the ruffle at the bottom of you pants.
Scissors
thread to match your project
a chalk or some other washable fabric making tool
enough elastic to comfortably go around your leg in the place you want the leg ruffle to be
sewing machine capable of zig-zag stitch
enough ruffled trim or ruffled lace to go across your bum as many times as desired, and the same for the ruffle at the bottom of the pants leg.
any extra embellishments you might want: ribbons for little bows, fancy buttons, appliques, etc

Step One: Prepare the pants

I am going to be using a pair of full length pants I found at Goodwill. They had really cute fabric, and some nice design elements.

Pic 1. Marking where you will cut.

No matter where you bought your pants, always pre-wash. Some things shrink when they wash, and you won't get a true idea of where it will sit unless you do this before altering the item. The next thing you need to do is put them on, and decide where you want to cut them for length (if you need to at all). Be sure to add about 1/2 inch extra for hemming, and be sure you take into account the width of the trim you plan to use. You can mark the place with your chalk on one leg, and then take off the pants. line up the bottom cuffs of you pants, and cut them at your desired length, one at a time.

Pic 2. cutting method

Step Two: Hem the leg

This is exactly as it sounds. Fold the raw cut edge inward about 1/2 inch and sew it down.

Pic 3. Hemming

Step Three: Add trim to bottom of leg

Sew the leg trim on the bottom of the leg cuff. You can sew it to the outside or the inside as you prefer. In the pic 4 below, I have chosen to sew it to the inside. Be sure you fold over the trim a little bit when you first start sewing it down, as in pic 5, then sew more trim over the fold when you come back around to it.

Pic 4. Adding cuff trim

Pic 5. Illustrating how to fold lace over

Step Four: Making the leg ruffle

You will need to decide where you want the elastic gathering for the leg. Cut a piece of elastic big enough to go around your leg at the right point, and add a little extra for overlap. Don't make this too tight, or it will get uncomfortable! Set your machine to a zig zag stitch, and place the elastic on the inside of the leg cuff where you would like. Do a few stitches to tack the elastic in place. Then gently pull the elastic toward you as you sew it down. This will cause the ruffle to happen as the elastic goes back to it's relaxed length. Sew all the way around, and overlap your elastic a bit when you meet it at the beginning again.

pic 6. Adding elastic while pulling toward you

Step Five: Bum ruffles!

Arguably the most fun part! decide where and how many bum ruffles you would like. Draw placement lines with chalk, using a ruler for even spacing if necessary. Then you will stitch your lace or trim right along those lines, being sure to fold it inwards on both the beginning and end of each row for a better finished look.