Made By Meg: Men's Hudson Pants

Pattern: True Bias's Men's Hudson Pants

Fabric: 2 yds French Terry

Cost: $15

Around the house, I wear my True Bias Hudson Pants just about every night. They are probably my most worn me-made garment ever by sheer virtue of their comfiness and ease of wear, and the fact that you can wear the same jammies over and over again, and no one will see.

I asked Mr. Made if he would like a pair. He said no. So of course I signed right up to test the Men's Hudson pants and make him a pair. I figured he doesn't know what he's missing.

Now, he doesn't read this blog, so I am going to let you in on a little secret: his loungewear is far from cute. We're talking plaid fleece with an all-over dog paw print, or grey sweatpants that hit just above the ankle as if he's outgrown them. So although no one will ever see his pajamas, I decided his were getting a makeover anyway. As a bonus, I figured he might be able to wear these to the climbing gym, another area in his wardrobe that is lacking.

Like the Women's Hudson Pants, the Men's Pants are easy to cut out and sew. The tester version of the pattern was just 25 pages to print out (compare to some Burda patterns which are 60+), and is comprised of only a few pattern pieces. I had the whole thing cut out and nearly sewn up in one short evening.

The sizing is a nice range, too, going two whole sizes below Mr. Made's size, which is impressive because many of the Big 4 patterns are all too big for him. While Kelli has released a kids' version of the Hudson pants, it seems that the men's pattern would work well for teens as well because the sizing extends all the way down to a 28" waist. It's really nice to get such a wide range in a pattern.

Unfortunately for me, the one area I didn't plan out was the length. The pattern comes with inseam measurements, but silly me didn't stop to think that if his store-bought pants were too short, then the pattern might be as well. While I haven't had an issue with other jeans patterns, it isn't uncommon for store-bought clothes to be a bit short on him. Kelli has extended the length of the pattern by about an inch from this tester version, and for mine Mr. Made requested a good four inches (he wanted them extra long). To achieve this, I created diagonal knee patches for a sort of motorcycle look. It's subtle, and doesn't look like a total mistake, and he is now very happy with the length (although I think they're a touch too long).

As with the women's pants, one of the fun parts of this pattern is the ability to add contrasting colors. It works nicely on a men's pattern, too, because it gives it a touch of style without getting too frilly. On these, I did the cuffs, waistband, and pocket using the wrong side of the fabric.

Shortly after finishing these, the weather turned cold and Mr. Made got sick. These were all he wore. We also received his favorite catalog in the mail that featured a similar pair of trendy sweatpants, so I think I've won him over. The best part is, made up in different fabrics few people would be able to spot that we're virtually wearing the same pants.

With gift-giving season coming up, this would be a very easy and quick pattern for the man or teenager in your life!