Bottoms Up Pants by If Only Designs

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I have a trio of terrific tots today in our review, so I'm not going to delay with formalities in this intro. We are taking a look at the handsome Bottoms Up Pants from Jess at If Only They Would Nap. And a special shout out goes to Andrea from Boysterous for providing additional pics for this post! You can see those in the photo gallery in the middle! 

So without further ado . . . SHOW ME THE PANTS!

My first love and what really had me hooked on sewing was being able to make cute frilly dresses for my daughter. When we found out were having a BOY this time, I thought surely, there is no way sewing could be as much fun... but man was I wrong!!

I’m here today to share the Bottom’s Up pants from If Only Designs. These are a unisex pattern with lots of great options to customize just what you want. 

A few details first: 

  • available in sizes newborn to 6
  • 4 pocket options 
  • optional cuff
  • designed to fit over cloth diapers (still great for disposables too)
  • size chart plus finished measurements

This pattern is great for beginners or can be slightly more challenging as you add options like the welt pockets. 

As you can see even though these are designed to fit over a CD, they worked great for a less fluffy bottom also.

I opted to use the front pockets (without the bow since they are for my little man). I also went without the back welt pocket since I was using a pretty busy print. 

One thing I added was the star knee patch. There is a mainstream brand I love that does cute patches on the knees, and since he’s threatening to start crawling soon I thought that would be a cute addition. For the knee patches, I cut my stars out and appliqued them to the front panels BEFORE starting construction.

I do need to add that next to a good pattern the most important part that makes sewing for boys fun, is finding the perfect fabrics! This gorgeous star print is a Stenzo poplin that I got from Mabel Madison. They have an amazing selection of awesome boys prints (and girls) that you should really check out!

Thanks for joining us!! Happy boy sewing!!

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Hello! I'm Melissa, mom of 5, and woman behind the scenes at Sassy Fras.   Today I am reviewing the Bottoms Up Pants by If Only Designs.

If we're honest, pants patterns for children are pretty plentiful. But patterns that are great for boys (these are unisex) aren't as prevalent. And ones designed for use over cloth diapers? Like hen's teeth! (and if you're not from the Midwest, or it was only my father who used that saying, chickens don't need dentists!)

I would rate this pattern as suitable for a beginner. You can do a plain pant, with no options, and the only skill needed is being able to sew a straight line! If you're a little more adventurous, you can add front pockets & also faux welt back pockets for added interest and either add a cuff or not. I did the front pockets, with a solid front instead of both pocket pieces the same, so they'd look most like his big brothers at that big brother's request. I added cuffs to break up the monotony of tan, but didn't do the welt pockets.

Other perks to the pattern: It can be made using wovens or knits, making it very versatile. Great size range - newborn to size 6 with 11 sizes total in that range. I made the size 6 mo. for my 8 mo old per the measurement chart (he was a preemie, so that's about right). Next time I'll make a size 9 mo with 6 mo length. The pattern gives great directions on how to customize the sizes to fit your child's build. Directions are given for sewing machine or serger, there are no assumptions made about equipment or skill level, again making it suitable for a beginner. But, there are enough fun design elements & options to make this a good pattern for the more experienced.

The pattern is nested, and 14 pages of pattern pieces total. It includes a table to indicate which pages to print if you want just one size (which knocks it down to 6 pages of printing in many cases). I love that option!

Back to the cloth diaper part - they really do fit great over a fluffy tushy. They'd also work well for children who need a little more room in the booty for diapers or due to their build. The fact that they are designed with extra booty room means their construction is a bit different. As an experienced seamstress I went "really?" when I got to that part of the directions as it was a bit different than typical pants, but if you nod & agree, follow through, you end up with a pant that fits great, like intended. There is a reason for that difference!

Overall difficulty of the pants? On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being "pull your hair out" hard, I'd rate it about a 2 or 3. If only capturing a shot of a mobile, yet not able to stand little one was that easy!! This is a pattern that produces a great result in a naptime, even if your child is a quick napper!