The Lilium Pants – Free Sewing Pattern

As I took a look at the shows for Fall 2018, I was drooling over every plaid piece I saw. I have a (not so) secret love for plaids and stripes and anything else that reminds me of the punk rock era of the ’80s, which seems to be all over the runway lately.  Matching lines sounds like a bit of a nightmare though, so I wanted something incredibly simple for this project. The Lilium Pant reduces room for error, with no pockets and minimal seams. Typically, I’m all about pockets, but since these went together in about 45 minutes, I can’t find a reason to complain. Time to buy all the plaid!

Fabrics & materials used:

• 3 yards Dark Navy, Ribbon Red and White Swan Plaid Stretch Cotton Twill (Including extra to account for matching plaids)
• 2 yards Black Stretch Ponte Knit
• Bone 9″ Invisible Zipper
• MDF040 – The Lilium Pant Sewing Pattern (free download below!)

All seam allowances are 1/2″ unless otherwise stated. See chart below for sizing specifications. Note, this specific pattern is available up to a size 22.

Since I loved this plaid print so much, I kind of sacrificed style for practicality. The twill is a little bit on the thinner side, and while it might be the perfect weight for some skirts or shorts, I wanted a pair of pants I could wear year-round (not just in the warmer months).

To remedy the situation, I added a layer on ponte for some extra stability. Rather than sew the pants and a lining separately, I chose to treat both layers as if they were one fabric. I started with the darts, like you can see above, of which each pant panel has one.

Next, I attached the front panels to each other at the rise, followed by the two back panels. Since these don’t have a real lining, I used French seams (meaning I sewed the wrong sides together first and trimmed the seam allowance, like above, before sewing the right sides of the fabric together). Once you have the front and back of your pants assembled, you can sew them together at the outer seam and inseam, leaving about 12″ open on the outseam where you’ll be putting your zipper.

Insert your invisible zipper about 1/2″ from the top of your pants, as you’ll be adding a waistband facing in the next step and you’ll need room for seam allowance. Once the zipper is inserted, close the remainder of your outseam.

Connect your front and back waistband facing like you see above, on the edge opposite the side you placed your zipper.

Fabric faces together, sew the top edge of your waistband to the top of your pants. Flip it so the facing is on the inside of your garment, fold in your raw edges and slip-stitch along the loose edges, like you can see above.

It’s not completely necessary, but you may also want to add a hook & eye to the top of your invisible zip to keep it in place during wear.

Lastly, fold the hem of your pants inward and blind hem stitch them at your desired length.

I absolutely love the simplicity of this pattern! There are so many fabric types you can go with; twill, denim, ponte; and it’s basic design leaves room for crazy patterns and vibrant colors! Which ones are you considering using?