Now I know we don't all have the same pair of ill-fitting pants, nor do we all have a willing 2-year-old, so I am going to offer some refashion guidelines and pointers for a successful refashion.

a the first refashion I did, I prided myself on the fact you couldn't tell what the new article used to be. I took a different approach with this project and incorporated and used to my advantage, features already constructed such as the buttons and zipper from the fly*. You can also omit features from the pattern like the buttons for the straps--I just sewed the straps as the zipper allows the in and out a 2-year-old needs from clothes.

b I liked the fly, but obviously the whole pattern piece I needed wouldn't fit there, so I added a seam. Simply cut your pattern piece [or trace on some freezer paper] and add a seam allowance to keep the piece as a whole the same size.

c the pattern called for a facing, but corduroy is so sturdy, it doesn't necessarily need any additional layers, so I finished the armholes with a strip of bias cut from the bottom of the leg.

d inspect the construction of the original piece and try to used similar methods, such as double stitching seams, which is often done on pants and jackets.

e I couldn't fit the two front pieces on a section of the pants without seams. This really bothered me at first, but then I thought, this is what I have to work with and decided to place the pattern piece right over the leg seam to add visual interest.

f use existing features to your advantage. Instead of adding another casing for the elastic in the center back, I inserted the elastic in the sides of the existing waistband.*

g once again adding seams in order to include the features on the pants, double stitching to match the original construction.

*note: If you use the original finished edges in your refashion, be sure to take out those hem/seam allowances from your pattern piece[s].

not shown in the layout: the straps and the bias strips cut from the lower leg

One more feature: Claim your Refashion! Add your own tag, or even sew a contrasting color
ribbon loop in one of the seams

shirt pattern information

The pattern I used for the jumper is a vintage pattern no longer in print, but you could use this McCall's pattern [view E], removing the leg seam and adjusting the outer seams to an A-line instead of straight.

The model I used was found wandering around, as she has now learned to escape from her bed.

Thank you, Cheri, for making me use my brain.

It was refreshing ;)