How to Make Bell-Bottoms!

My Quilty Box for August arrived a few weeks ago and included a beautiful collection of denim fabric. I decided it was time to create a tutorial for bell-bottom pants or flare pants that I used to make all the time when I was a kid. Enjoy this new video!

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Bell-bottoms sewing tutorial video by Leah Day

The jean material came in a beautiful array of fall colors. I choose to add the flares to my pants using the purple fabric, and I’m tempted to add machine embroidered flowers with the green!

I’ve shared a lot more details and tips for sewing bell-bottoms right here at LeahDay.com.

I began making bell-bottoms back in 7th grade because my jeans didn’t fit well. They were too short in the leg and pulled up when I sat down. When I began changing my pants and altering them to fit better and showcase my personality, it was the first time sewing really made a difference in how I felt about myself.

Whether you made bell-bottoms back in the 1970s or the 90s like I did, I think the style is coming back around for another go. While I probably won’t sew bells into all my pants, having a few special, modified jeans will be a fun way to spice up my fashion and dress up for the fall.

Do you have any other ideas for using the jean fabric in this month’s Quilty Box? Have you ever modified jeans to make them fit and express you better?

Share your experience in the comments below!

Let’s go quilt,

Leah Day

LeahDay

Leah Day has been teaching online since 2009. She's the creator of the Free Motion Quilting Project, a blog filled with thousands of quilting tutorial videos. Leah has written several books including 365 Free Motion Quilting Designs, Explore Walking Foot Quilting with Leah Day, and Mally the Maker and the Queen in the Quilt.

3 Responses

  1. Cat says:

    Oh gosh! I lived through the bell bottoms in the 60's & I sincerely hope they aren't making a comeback. Some things should stay in the past, like Nehru shirts! But, I must say your pants are cute.

  2. These are brilliant. I'm fairly new to clothes sewing, but I'm so tempted to give this a go!

  3. straythreads says:

    Blast from the my past! That's what the tall girls had to do to wear their jeans long enough. Clothes were so much more fun when I was in Hugh school.

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