Classy but Casual Boy’s Pants

I’ve had this idea floating around in my head for a while to make formal boy’s pants in a casual fabric – dressy tracksuit pants. Something that would look smart, but be comfy and easy to play in. I like mixing different fabric types to make boy’s clothes more interesting. And so became the Classy Casual Boy’s Pants:

My original plan was to use fleece, but I didn’t have any in my stash (where did it go?). Working on a tight schedule, I had to get creative and went with a medium-weight knit fabric (quality polo shirt-type material) that I picked up in a boy’s fabric bundle on Freecycle (yep, I get fabric from all sorts of places!).

The print is Teeny Tiny Zoo from Alexander Henry. I’ve bought a few different boy prints, but I don’t like a whole lot of print on boy’s clothes (except pyjamas!). A little bit as accent fabric is just perfect to me.

Using cotton on the cuffs and inside the pockets also gives more structure to the pants (since the knit has a bit of stretch) and holds the formal features.

The pattern is the Little Heartbreaker Pants from the Sewing for Boys book. Jacob’s first pick of pants is always his train pants (even in a heatwave!), so I’m hopeful these become favourites too.

Next time, I’ll go with flat-front pants without the pleats – I think that would sit a little bit better. The knit doesn’t quite hold the pleats.

I’ve still got some fabric left, so a coordinating hoodie or jacket may be in my future.

Have you made any “formal” tracksuit pants?