Sewing: Wrap-around Double-tie Sarong-style Thai Pants

About 8 years ago was the first time I wore genuine Thai pants - at least it came from Thailand - and loved the pattern very much even if it doesn't flatter my frame much despite deftly wrapping the lower body in elegant fabric.

And since then, I've worn those pants only a few times a year, not because I don't like them, but because the style I was given is hard to put on - it is a double-tie wrap-around sarong-style pants. Ties are such that one fastens in the front and one ties in the back, and together they cover the legs in that elegant way that loose pantaloons tend to, but provide the elegance of a wrap-around.

Why not more often? Well, using the bathroom always turned out more of a challenge than I wanted it to be. Although that can be handled by smartly wrapping the front over the back and tying it in the back first, then tying up the front. And even then, the weather here is so cold that I have to wear leggings underneath and that poses a whole new level of challenge to use the bathroom.

However, I love the style as it is so simple to sew. So, this summer, I sewed one for my 7 year old. Only, rather than ties, I used hook-and-loop fasteners so she doesn't have to fumble with the ties.

And I got to recycle an old dupatta (shawl) that was part of a Salwar-Kameez outfit, that I wasn't using anymore.

It is not quite the loose pants with a tie that is popularly known as Thai Fisherman Pants, but a wrap-around one; but it was easy to sew with some reverse engineering to extract a reusable pattern.

And, the peasant tops she is sporting in the picture below is also recycled salwar, sewn a few summers ago.