How to Sew Night Pants (Pajama Pants) with Elasticated Waist for 18-Inch Dolls + Free PDF Printable Sewing Pattern

Earlier, I had posted the free PDF printable sewing pattern for doll night pants. 

Here's how to sew night pants for an 18-inch doll. It's very easy to make. This can be an easy beginner-friendly sewing project.

The measurements of the doll I used are

Chest 11.5 inches

Waist 11 inches

Hip 11.75 inches

This pattern will fit most of the18-inch dolls like Our Generation dolls and American Girl© dolls.

Materials needed:

1. Free 18-inch doll night pants PDF sewing pattern

2. Fabric

3. Elastic (width 3/8 inch, length 10 inches)

4. Scissors

5. Sewing machine

6. Matching thread

7. Measuring tape

8. Serger (optional) or pinking shears

How to cut the pattern pieces?

Print out the pattern on A4 papers. There is a step-by-tutorial on how to print and assemble the pattern pages at this link:

Click here to learn how to print and assemble the PDF pattern pages. 

Trim the left edge of Page 2 of the pattern. 

Glue or tape the pages together aligning the pattern lines, and then cut out your pattern pieces.

Here's how you cut out the pattern pieces from the fabric.

Place the front pattern piece of the pants on a folded fabric.

Trace around the pattern on the fabric. 

Cut out the traced pattern. Make sure you keep the fabrics together by pinning them together or placing a weight over the traced pattern. 

This how it looks once you cut it out.

Once you are done, cut through the center fold (the white line in the above picture), so you get two pattern pieces for the front left and right.

Repeat this step for the back of the pants as well.

Now we are ready with the pattern pieces to make the night pants:

Front pieces

Back pieces

How to sew the pants?

Let's start sewing. 

Step 1: Join the sides.

Usually we finish the hemline as the last step as the hemline fold conceals the side seam from peeking out . But if you think you have to sew around a narrow round of hemline, you can finish Step 4 now and then proceed with Step 1. I didn't find any difficulty sewing the hemline in Step 4. 

Place the back pieces right side up. Place the front pieces (right side down) over the back pieces, as shown in the picture below. 

Now, join the sides of the pants (with a 0.25-inch seam allowance). 

Finish the seam edges with a serger or using zig-zag stitches, or clip the seam edges with pinking shears.

Step 2: Join the crotch seams.

After joining the side seams, this is how it looks like on the wrong side. 

With right sides together align both the pieces, such that back aligns with back and front aligns with front, so we can sew the front and back crotch curve seams. 

Sew the crotch seams with 0.25 inch seam allowance.

Serge the raw edges or use your preferred method to finish the raw edges.

Bring the crotch curve seam to the center. The leg seam is open now. 

This is how the pants will look like now:

Step 3: Join the leg seams.

Pin the the leg seams together and sew (with a 0.25-inch seam allowance) as shown in the image below.

Serge the raw edges of the leg seam.

Step 4: Hem the bottom edge of each leg of the pants.

Fold the right leg hemline 0.25 inch to the wrong side and press.

Then fold again 0.5 inch inward and press. 

Sew along the folded edge. Repeat the same steps for the left leg.

Step 5: Create casing at the waistline and insert the elastic.

Fold the waistline down by 0.25 inch and again by 0.50 inch. Sew along the folded edge leaving a 2-inch gap to insert the elastic.

Take a 3/8-inch-wide, 10-inch-long elastic.

Insert the elastic through the casing using a safety pin, Overlap the edges of the elastic by 0.5 inch, and secure the ends of the elastic by running zig-zag stitches back and forth on the overlap a few times. Then, sew the 2-inch gap closed.

Turn the pants inside out. Done!

You have made a beautiful pair of pants for your little girl's doll.

I have posted lots of free PDF printable sewing patterns on this page on my blog. Browse through this page to find the patterns you are looking for. You can download and use them to make your own clothes.

You can also click the Free Sewing Patterns Page at the top of this blog page (under the blog title) to find more free sewing patterns.

Click the below links to browse through all the pattern drafting and sewing tutorials on my blog.

Pattern drafting tutorials

Sewing tutorials

These links appear at the top of my blog on the navigation bar as well.

These links appear at the top of my blog as well.

Happy sewing!  

---Flora