Sometimes, you need a knicker, or some other relatively non-denominational short, slightly poofy pantlet with a cuff at the bottom, and you don’t have time to make it from scratch. (Perhaps, for example, you have a cast of 37, and 9 or 11 of them are kids in Fagin’s gang and most of them are too short for proper long pants… Hey, it can happen!) Here’s the cheater’s method:
Hie thyself off to Goodwill or some other charitable resale destination. You’re looking for women’s tapered, pleated pants. No, really, this is the one time in your life when you want to find this particular atrocity… For the record, a woman’s 6 is a good place to start to fit 8-12 year old kids of normal kid size. Go ahead and buy pairs that are in good condition, and don’t feel bad at all about the fact that you’re about to mutilate and render unwearable something that someone might otherwise have bought and worn – it’s a woman’s tapered, pleated pant, and you are saving someone from it. And you’re supporting a charitable organization. That’s double good karma points. (If you’re an overachiever, you can go for the triple score by involving a not-for-profit theater, charitable resale, and saving a stranger from bad fashion….)
Here’s the process:
Wish I’d seen this article about 2 months ago when working on the school play! I’ll remember it though!
The off-cuts from the legs can also become drawstring belt-pouches for fantasy or medieval/renaissance historical costumes…
Hey, great idea, AmyCat!
Thank you! Just used this for “Our Town” paperboy knicker-bockers!
You’re welcome! Glad it helped.
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[…] bit and sewed 2″ of the bottom cuff back on. There’s a good explanation of this method here. I didn’t worry about finding actual pleated pants – any pants that fit the kids […]