Sewing culottes: Many sewing fans dream of it. But it doesn't have to stay just a dream. With my instructions and pattern, you can easily sew these wide-leg culottes yourself!
A culotte is an especially wide-leg pair of trousers that looks like a skirt. Because it has a crotch seam, the culotte simultaneously provides all the positive attributes of trousers. An ankle-length culotte (7/8 length) is called a culotte. A floor-length culotte is called palazzo pants.
YouTube video: How to sew culottes
Summer, sun, tight pants? That just doesn't work! Especially in summer, I like things to be wide, voluminous, and cool. Even around the legs. While I love skirts in every form (especially supple jersey skirts like our Livia with a contoured waistband; you can check out my blog post Sewing a jersey skirt for that), I sometimes find trousers to be clearly more practical.
For example, when riding a bike or on outings. A pair of trousers just feels more "dressed up" in those situations.
So is a culotte just a compromise? Not a bit! A culotte brings the best of both trousers and skirts. And adds an underestimated little something extra: a touch of elegant extravagance!
Of course, such a culotte is also a great match for many pieces already in your wardrobe. You really don't need more reasons to finally sew such a light, flowing pair of legwear, do you?
What skills do you need to sew a culotte?
You should already be a little familiar with your sewing machine and have had some initial experience with non-stretch fabrics. By non-stretch fabrics, I mean woven fabrics that have little or no elasticity. If you still feel insecure at the sewing machine, why not take my online sewing course? It's called "The SewSimple Sewing License" and answers all your questions about getting started with sewing.
The sewing books from SewSimple* are a perfect supplement and provide you with the knowledge, hacks, and projects you need for a relaxed start to sewing.
Feel free to read my post Sewing with cotton fabric as well. In it, I answer many questions about sewing with woven fabrics.
What does my sewing machine need to be able to do to sew culottes?
All your sewing machine needs to do are the basic stitch types. A straight stitch with an adjustable stitch length of 2.5 to 3.5 mm is great. For finishing seams, your sewing machine should have a zigzag stitch or an overlock stitch. Then, nothing stands in the way of your sewing pleasure. :)
What fabrics can you use to sew a culotte?
Beautifully draping woven fabrics are best suited for culottes. However, you can also sew the culotte out of many fabrics that you would normally use to sew a skirt.
| Fabric type | Pros | Cons | Sewing machine needle & foot | Care instructions |
| Viscose woven fabric* | smooth drape, doesn't add bulk, cooling (perfect for summer), natural, sustainable fiber | wrinkles easily, rather for summer clothing, slippery to work with | Universal needle, size 60-70, walking foot | Washable at 30 degrees, medium ironing temperature |
| Linen fabrics* | heavy drape, looks elegant, natural, sustainable fiber | wrinkles heavily (this effect is often desired), fabric frays easily at the edges | Universal needle, size 70-80, zigzag foot |
Washable at 40 degrees, high ironing temperature |
| Light trousers or skirt fabrics* | light to medium weight drape, hardly wrinkles, versatile, particularly easy to work with | often blends with synthetic fiber content | Universal needle, size 70-80, walking foot or zigzag foot |
Washable at 30-40 degrees, medium ironing temperature |
| Gabardine* | worsted fabric with light to medium drape, very easy care, durable, particularly elegant effect, easy for beginners to work with | blends e.g. of cotton, viscose, synthetic fiber and/or wool content | Universal needle, size 70-80, walking foot or zigzag foot |
Washable at 30-40 degrees, medium ironing temperature |
Depending on the pattern, not-too-thick denim or even corduroy are also very suitable materials for a culotte.
If you still feel a bit uneasy about sewing with slippery fabrics, read my post on the topic of Sewing viscose and other slippery fabrics.
For starters, choose a fabric that makes you feel comfortable and secure. Maybe nothing too slippery. An inexpensive cotton fabric is not a bad idea for the beginning. You can use the scraps as pocket lining. Or you can sew sustainable makeup remover pads out of them.
You can also tailor a trial model out of a discarded duvet cover and then dye it in a favorite color. For me, the "moulures" (that’s the technical jargon for trial models made of muslin fabric) are sometimes THE piece I love to wear most. It always feels like a "gift" when I give a duvet cover or an unloved piece of fabric a new life. I love wearing the finished piece even more. Funny, somehow. ;)
How do I prepare the fabrics?
Before you start sewing, you should wash and iron your fabrics beforehand. The problem with unwashed fabrics is that they shrink in the first wash. As long as you sew unwashed fabrics, it can certainly happen that your new culotte is too small after the first wash.
My tip: Wash the fabrics as hot as the care instructions allow. A fabric washed at 30 degrees that goes into the machine at 40 degrees after the first wear can certainly shrink again.
How much fabric do I need for a culotte?
You can read the exact fabric consumption for our DJUNA culottes in this table. Since it is a classic pattern, the consumption for many other patterns can be estimated similarly.
| Fabric consumption for Djuna culottes (all values in m) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Size | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 44 | 46 | 48 | 50 | 52 | 54 | 56 | 58 | 60 | 62 | 64 | 66 | 68 |
| open | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.9 | ||||||||
| on the fold | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.25 | 2.25 | 2.25 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 |
Open cutting means: The fabric layers are not doubled but single. Depending on the size, this can save a lot of fabric.
What other accessories do I need?
- lightweight, non-elastic fabrics or fabrics with a small stretch component
- elastic band, 5 cm wide, see pattern sheet for measurements
- rotary cutter and cutting mat
- pins
- Scissors* (Simone from Nähcafe am Wasserturm ordered the brilliant Paul scissors from the video for us!)
- matching sewing thread*
- safety pin*
- needle & thread (in fabric color)
- bodkin for the elastic band*
Note on the elastic band: After a long search, I finally found the matching 5 cm wide and nice sturdy elastic band at Buttinette. You can order the elastic band here*.
How do I get the elastic band into the casing?
There are several ways to pull the elastic band into the casing. If you don't like working with a safety pin (they sometimes open and snag), I advise you to use a bodkin.
The function of the bodkin (sometimes called a clamping needle) was unclear to me for a long time. Yet it's so easy. The front "mouth" of the clamp is serrated. It "bites" into the elastic. With the small metal ring, the clamp is then closed tightly.
Then the end of the bodkin is guided into the casing and the elastic band is pulled through. Child's play, really!
Culotte pattern
You can easily download a suitable pattern for a culotte here on the blog. There is a culotte pattern to print out yourself and alternatively a paper culotte pattern.
This pattern contains markings for sewing culottes and palazzo pants.
What can I combine culottes with?
Culottes or palazzo pants are naturally quite wide. To show off your figure and get the proportions right, you should choose a slim-cut top for the culotte. Wrap shirt Fillis is a perfect combo partner for a culotte because you can vary the width here.
But a slim-cut pointed shirt YULE can also be combined perfectly with the culotte. Great, by the way, also with a French tuck:
For this pattern, I predominantly used viscose fabrics. I found really cool viscose woven fabrics* at Stoffe-Hemmers.
For this wide-draping, ankle-length culotte, I used a very special cotton fabric from Hemmers. It is called "Vintage Cotton Fabric" and has a soft, dry, grainy feel. Overall, it is firmer than poplin, and: huge advantage: It doesn't wrinkle. And it is very pleasant on the skin. Ideal for people for whom linen is too prickly but who like to wear natural fabrics. HERE you can order the vintage cotton fabric.*
By the way, it's also a stunning fabric for tops, bags, decor, and accessories that is worth discovering (and hoarding).
Conclusion: Sewing a culotte isn't hard!
Ah, I'm so happy about my new culotte pattern! My summery, wide-swinging culottes and palazzo pants are simply awesome. Plus a nice self-sewn wrap shirt and the outfit is sorted.
I think you can see quite well in the photos how comfortable I feel in my airy, loose culotte, right?
My tip: Vary the lengths! Of course, you can also sew a cheeky knee-length skort with the pattern.
Skort? What’s that again? Well, a mixture of shorts and a skirt!
Do you also feel like breaking the mold again and sewing yourself a casual culotte? Then grab the pattern and get started! :)
Happy simple sewing,
your Sabine
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