I've always had a strong appreciation for comfortable clothing and during the last couple of years, that has only increased. Spending my days at home, my go-to garment is a pair of joggers or lounge pants. I'll occasionally wear leggings but my first choice is always the joggers. I realized recently that I've sewn joggers from four different patterns so I thought it would be fun to share all of them in today's post and do a little compare and contrast.
In the video, you’ll get to see how the jogger pants look on my body and I give a few thoughts on each pattern. I’m keeping my reviews pretty brief because I honestly loved and would recommend all of these patterns. Keep in mind, every pattern is going to fit each person differently because we all have such different proportions. For reference, my measurements are approximately: upper bust: 35.5”, bust: 38.5”, waist: 28.5” and hips 39.5”. I'm also 5’11" with a long torso.
Also it should be noted that I used completely different fabrics for each pair so it’s not a true one-to-one comparison. A different fabric will result in pretty different fits. So, this is just for fun, not a true 1-1 comparison.
Watch the video above, or if it's not working, you can also watch on YouTube. Scroll down for still photos, notes and links to patterns and previous blog posts.
Hudson Pants by True Bias
The Hudson Pants are a now classic slim fit jogger pant. It originally came out around 2014 but since then has had a size expansion (up to 59.5” hip for women) as well as versions for men and kids. The pattern has two views, a full length and a cropped length.
Above is the first pair that I made in a size 10 and the cropped length. I barely had enough fabric so I may have added to the length as much as I was able to. I made these way back in 2014 and they’re still holding up. You can even check out that old blog post here. The one thing I’d do differently is use a smaller cording at the waistband.
For my second version of the Hudson Pants (blogged here and also made in 2014), For this pair, I made the full length and added 3” to the length of the leg. I used a fair isle sweater knit fabric and contrasting black fabric for the cuffs, waistband and pocket detail. One of my tips for sewing joggers is that if your main fabric is a little less stretchy, I recommend using a very stretchy fabric for the cuffs and waistband because they’ll get the most strain when taking the pants on and off.
My third pair of Hudson Pants are made from a lightweight loop-back sweatshirt fabric. I made the same size as the last pair. These are a great basic pair for when it’s not super cold. I blogged them here along with a matching Ali Sweatshirt. I think maybe the fabric has stretched out a little since I made them. It has been three years and they’ve been worn a lot so that’s not to be unexpected.
Monsal Lounge Pants from A Beginner's Guide to Sewing with Knitted Fabric by Wendy Ward
I made these in 2018 as part of the book launch blog tour (blogged here). I made a size 39.5 to match my hip measurement and added 1.5” to the rise and 2” in length to the leg. The silhouette is a little looser than the Hudson Pants. I really like the long cuff and the curved pocket openings.
The fabric is a medium weight stretch velvet and the cuffs and waistband are a very stretchy black (probably the same fabric as the fair isle hudsons above). The fabric feels very luxurious and soft and they’re nice and warm. It’s too bad that they’re hard to photograph in the black though.
I think the only thing I would change on these is using a wider piece of elastic at the waistband. As I recall, I used something smaller than what the pattern called for because it’s what I had on hand. So that’s just my fault.
As I say in the video, I think this book is really fantastic and I recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about sewing with knits. You can get it on Amazon (affiliate link). The patterns in the book go up to a 51” hip measurement.
Seamwork Mel Joggers
The Mel Joggers are similar to the other pattern but have a looser fit through the leg and a mid-rise. Additionally, the cuffs are shorter and the pocket is finished with top stitching instead of a band detail. The pattern goes up to a 58” hip and I made a size 8. I’ve made these twice now but have not blogged about them.
For my first pair, this gold yellow medium weight fabric, I added 1.5" to rise and 2" to the length of the leg. This pair sits at my natural waist which I like the look of but sometimes I don’t like the feeling of the waistband on my body. Like the gray Hudson pants, these are looking a little saggy in the back. I think that’s because I had been wearing this pair recently. Btw, I do not worry about getting a perfect fit with casual clothing like sweatpants. My focus is comfort.
Another jogger sewing tip! For these, I did not put a drawstring in but I did sew the buttonholes in the waistband just in case I’d like to add a drawstring in the future.
I made this second pair of Mel joggers last month. These are made out of a heavy weight fleece backed sweatshirt fabric. They are super soft on the inside and very warm. For the waistband and cuffs, I used a stretchy navy fabric. For this pair, I used the original height on the rise but still added 2” to the leg. The only change I might make is to swap out the cuffs for longer ones.
Also, as of writing this, I have not top stitched the waistband (because I forgot). The next time I have navy thread in my machine though, I’d like to topstitch the waistband fabric to the elastic because it feels a little more secure when topstitched.
Summer Sweatsuit Jogger Hack
These joggers are a hack of my Summer Sweatsuit pattern. The pattern is for a pair of knit short shorts and in the hack, I extend the legs to make tapered jogger pants. You can check out the tutorial here.
These joggers are pretty different from the others because there is no side seam and no pockets. I really like wearing this pair for sleeping. (They are also a little stretched in the photos due to wearing.) Next time I make them, I’ll make the leg a bit longer.
I hope you enjoyed this video and post. Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to help. And if you haven’t already, you can subscribe to my YouTube channel, by clicking here. Happy sewing!
