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Tutorial // how to make midi Tania culottes!

YOU GUYS! i am so so excited to share this tutorial with you!!

I have had sooooo many requests for a tutorial on how to make the Tania culottes midi length, and i’ve tried out a couple of methods to find what i think works well, whilst still maintaining the original feel of the Tania culottes. The thing that makes the Tania culottes so special is the fact that they really look like a skirt and i wanted that effect to remain when lengthened.

OK so i’ve prepared two methods for you. The first method is for culottes that are very drapey, like the orange pair i shared in my last post, and have a very similar shape to the original culottes. This method will use more fabric, so keep that in mind. The second option is for culottes that are more structured, and have less flow. This is a great option for your more structured stiff fabrics, and also for any fabrics that are narrower. When i made the second option i was able to place my pattern pieces on folded fabric rather than single layer to cut, and that was really really nice.

Ready? click through for the details!

Before you make any changes trace your pattern pieces to preserve the original pattern. Mark the seamline along the waist of your pattern pieces, and draw slash lines to the hemline.

Cut along your slash lines from hem to seamline, and from waist to seamline, but being careful not to cut through the seamline. You want to leave a very small amount of paper intact so that we can pivot the pieces easily.

Decide how much ease you want at hip level. I still wanted a lot of flow, so i went for a total of 8″ ease, which is 2″ over each pattern piece. Measure horizontally at hip level and mark this point, it should equal (Hip/4) + (Ease/4) + seam allowance. For me this was 40/4 + 8/4 + 5/8 = 12 5/8″. Overlap the pattern pieces until the side seam reaches that point and tape it all together.

Extend the inseam and side seam till you reach midi length or your prefered length and redraw the hemline curve.

Now repeat for the back pattern piece and sew your culottes according to the Tania culottes pattern instructions

Before you make any changes trace your pattern pieces to preserve the original pattern. Mark the seamline along the waist of your pattern pieces, and draw slash lines to the hemline.

Cut along your slash lines from hem to seamline, and from waist to seamline, but being careful not to cut through the seamline. You want to leave a very small amount of paper intact so that we can pivot the pieces easily.

Decide how much ease you want at hip level. I wanted this pair to be more straight and less flowy so i used only 2″ of ease, which is 1/2″ over each pattern piece. Measure horizontally at hip level and mark this point, it should equal (Hip/4) + (Ease/4) + seam allowance. For me this was 40/4 + 2/4 + 5/8 = 11 1/8″. Overlap the pattern pieces until the side seam reaches that point and tape it all together. Curve the seamline from waist to hip and then straight down to the hemline. You can choose how wide you want your culottes to be – mine front pattern piece is 22″ at the hemline and my back pattern piece is 24″ at the hemline.

Now repeat for the back pattern piece and sew your culottes according to the Tania culottes pattern instructions. For this option i decided to use a nice wide hemline to maintain the structure of the linen.

I hope this helps you make your own midi culottes!! If you haven’t already purchased the Tania culottes pattern, stay tuned! Due to the overwhelming response to this variation,  I’m planning on including it in the next release of the Tania pattern.

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About Author

Meg is the Founder and Creative Director of Megan Nielsen Patterns, and is constantly dreaming up ideas for new sewing patterns and ways to make your sewing journey more enjoyable! She gets really excited about design details and is always trying to add way too many variations to our patterns.

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Kieran
Kieran
8 years ago

They look awesome! Can I ask why you needed to add extra width at the hip for the midi version? My instinct would have been to just lengthen…

Kieran
Kieran
8 years ago
Reply to  Meg

ah, thanks! After reading your reply I went back and reread the tutorial and realised that you did in fact slash and overlap…in my brain, it was slashing and spreading, and I had no idea why a longer pair of culottes also needed more ease. dur Kieran! Thanks for answering!

Jo
Jo
8 years ago

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! Love both these versions but most especially the more structured ones! And I was just thinking this morning that once I knew how to do this, I would make some in blue linen for summer. Great minds :-)

Kat Skinner
8 years ago

I can’t wait to try this out; it’s exactly what I have been thinking about making lately. Did you read my mind :P
Another one of your amazing tutorials to add to my ever growing to-do list; does anyone else find it hard to fit everything in?

Kat @ House of Lane
8 years ago

I love the orange version! I like that they aren’t super obvious as culottes. I am definitely adding these to my to sew list.

Anja
Anja
8 years ago

After having made midi culottes by extending the hemline to the max of my fabric and indeed using up 5 metres of fabric (!!!) I’m SO HAPPY you made this tutorial!!!!!!!!!!! I have a multicolored tweed for my second winterversion but that one is very heavy so I’ll be making them according to this tutorial :D:D:D

And ehm, I already have the pattern (obvs…) but I’d seriously consider buying it again just for the extra version :D

Nikki H
Nikki H
8 years ago

This tutorial is great, thank you! The Tania culottes were my #1 essential pair of shorts last summer and I JUST (literally yesterday, in fact I still have to give the hem one more press) got done making another pair to take on vacation next month. While I love the “mini without being indecent because they’re actually shorts” length, I’ve often wondered how I could lengthen them to the knee without having to add another seam, and here you are with the perfect answer to my question :) thank you!!

Jen
Jen
8 years ago

Thaaaaaaaaaannnnk yoooooooou!!!

Shelley
Shelley
8 years ago

Is there a ‘print at copy shop’ version of this pattern available? I bought the .pdf, but if there’s an option other than letter, it’d be great.

Kalyani
Kalyani
1 year ago

I realize I’m commenting on an old post, but I just adore the look of the blue Tanias! They look so sleek! I’ve been meaning to try out this look for some time, but wasn’t confident enough to tackle any kind of major pattern alteration, until now :)

So here’s my question. Would you still recommend the second method even though I have the newer version of the pattern (one that has a view C and a D)? I see no other way to achieve the significantly narrower hip and leg opening. I’m thinking if I begin with the less voluminous view D, I wouldn’t have to overlap the slashed pieces as much. Of course, I would still need to curve the seam line, mark the hem, etc. Am I on the right track? I worry I might be missing something important.

Thanks for such a beautiful and thoughtfully crafted pattern! Those magic pleats in the front and back alone make the Tanias my all-time favourite pattern.

Kalyani
Kalyani
1 year ago
Reply to  Meg

Thanks for such a quick reply, Meg! And yes, I’m going for the look of the blue pair — I forgot to mention, its mostly because I have this fabric which I think will suit that look perfectly. Ok, I know how to proceed now. Thanks again!