Little Pants Club feels like such a natural extension of Colorful Bunch to us. We host it at our studio, which also doubles as our shop, at 700 Lombard in the heart of North Beach, San Francisco. We spend a lot of time thinking about how clothes are put together, and this gives us a way to open up that part of what we do and make something together.
The something, in this case, is a pair of little pants. Maybe for your own kid, maybe for a friend's baby, or maybe because you've been wanting to learn to sew and a small pair of pants feels like a good place to begin. You don't need any sewing experience to join us.
A first sewing class with a whole project to work on
We have three hours together, and we'll go through the sewing and finishing basics as we make the pants. Fabric, elastic, the pattern and the other materials are included, along with snacks and drinks. You can come curious without first having to figure out which supplies to buy.
If there's something you need to know about equipment, access or who a session is suitable for, please ask us before booking. The project is children's clothing; if you're hoping to bring a child to take part, check with us about that particular workshop.
Choosing the size and fabric
You'll choose the pants size when you reserve your spot. We email the available fabric choices closer to the workshop, so there's a little time to think about the pair you want to make.
It helps to have a real wearer in mind. For a gift, that might mean asking their grown-up what size they're wearing now, or whether a pair for a little further down the road would be more useful. If you're making pants for your own child, think about the pair they reach for already. How much room do they like? What do they tend to wear with them?
Then there's the fabric, which is a lovely part of making clothes yourself. You get to spend some time with a color or a print and imagine it as something more than a flat piece on a table. With a directional pattern, even deciding which way the little pictures should face becomes part of the project.
Why little pants, of all things?
Our Dark Stripe Studio Pants came out of working on our kids' pants pattern. We had been collecting vintage and one-off fabrics, and used those while refining the shape, so the samples became real pairs of pants. Once we had the shape where we wanted it, we kept going with those small runs.
We like how much a fabric can change the feeling of the same pattern. The Musical Mice Studio Pants, with their little green mice and musical notes, are a good example. An elastic waist and a familiar shape leave room for the fabric to be the thing you notice.
Making a pair also gives you a chance to see a few parts of garment construction come together: the flat pieces, the seams, the channel that holds the elastic, the hems. If you'd like a little background before class, our beginner pants walkthrough talks through those stages. You don't need to learn them in advance; that's what the time together is for.
A few notes for the next pair
As you go, jot down the size you're making and anything you'd like to remember. A photo of a step, or the name of a finish that finally makes sense, can be useful when you come back to sewing later. Keep the pattern and any fabric-care information with those notes.
We hope the workshop gives you a little more confidence to try another project, even if you're still figuring plenty of it out. If making pants with us sounds like a good way to spend an evening, you can find the upcoming sessions and book a place on the Little Pants Club page. We'd love to have you at the table.
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