7 - Rex A & B - Ankle Cuff, Straps and Hemming / Construction

I’ll be demonstrating using Rex A, the ankle pant. The straight and ankle pant are the same in the waist, zipper, and upper thigh. The ankle tapers slightly as it grades towards the ankle. The cuff is added as a design element, but can be omitted if a slimmer pant is preferred.

B, the straight pant has the same construction methods, but includes a regular hem to finish.

*The leg tapers as mentioned above and gets wider. I removed 3” from my hem before adding the cuff. Measure the new circumference of the legs before you cut the cuff. My pants are cut at a 10 but the cuff needed to be cut at a 14 to fit the new opening width.

After cutting my cuff, I folded it in half and then pressed in the seam allowance for stitch in the ditch.

If you prefer a more structured cuff, add some lightweight interfacing to one side lengthways.

Stitch the edges at 5/8”

Slide the open cuff onto the leg and pin. Match the cuff seam to the inner pants seam.

Stitch at 5/8”.

Fold the cuff to the inside of the pant, and pin well. The pre-folded seam should cover the stitches as shown.

Flip your pants to the right side and sew along the seam, using the stitch in the ditch method,

This will catch the inside cuff and secure it.

My pattern maker and I went back and forth about how to create the straps to finish the ankle cuff.

We have included a buckle and strap with the pattern but I wanted to also offer a second option. While making my linen pants recently, I realized that there were long strips of fabric left, from the leg sections which would make lovely straps.

I’ll include the full linen pant sew along in this section when I finish editing it.

But for now I have added some pics below and a quick video with the straps. I highly recommend these, simple and quick and highly functional!

These are cut on grain, and 28” long with a 1.5” width. I did use a bias tape maker which made this process quick…

Once the straps are made, run a stitch up both edges, and press again.

I did leave the ends raw as they won’t fray.