Agave Pattern Hack: Ankle-Tie Pants, Part 1
The ankle-tie hack is an easy way to give your Agave Pants a completely new silhouette.
This version uses all of the standard pattern pieces with just a few simple modifications. It’s easy to switch between ties or buttons at the waist and ankles to bring your personal style to the look — even this hack has hacks.
The sizing, finished garment measurements, and fabric requirements are the same as the tie-waist pants (View A) from the standard pattern. The fabric requirements are slightly reduced if you choose buttons instead of ties at the waist and/or ankles.
The Agave Pants shown use front ties at the waist and ties at the ankles. I used sew-on snaps instead of buttons to fasten the sides at the waist and approximately 12” (30.5cm) down the side seam.
Get your Agave Pants / Shorts Pattern and follow along with the full sewalong!
Let’s start with the modified pieces: the Cuff Front and Cuff Back. The Cuff Front will become the Cuff of the pants, and the Cuff Back will be the Ankle Ties. You will need the Cuff Front and Cuff Back pattern pieces, a flexible tape measurer, scissors or another cutting tool (one for fabric and one for paper), and tape.
To modify the Cuff Front, measure your ankle circumference and then add 2 1/2” (6.35cm) for ease and overlap and 1 1/4” (3.2cm) for seam allowance. I will refer to this piece as the Cuff. Cut four pieces and apply interfacing to two of them.
To create the Ankle Ties, copy the Cuff Back piece so that you have two identical rectangles, then tape them together with a 1 1/4” (3.2cm) overlap. This eliminates the seam allowance that you would have needed with the two separate pieces. You will need a total of four Ankle Ties (two for each leg opening). Alternately, you can cut the standard pieces and sew them together to create a taller rectangle if it fits better in your cutting layout. You will need eight pieces if you are using the standard pattern piece, which will result in four Ankle Ties.
I used two of the modified pieces and four standard pieces to create my Ankle Ties. The ties are long enough to wrap around to the inside and back around to the outside where they can be knotted.
Next, cut the rest of your pattern pieces, including the interfacing for one of each of the Front Waistband and Back Waistband pieces and two of the Cuffs.
Apply your interfacing to one of each waistband piece and two of the Cuffs. (Step 1)
Fold and press the outer edge of the Pants Back according to the pattern instructions and then sew the button stands in place. (Steps 2-3)
Sew and press the darts.
To create a smoother dart, leave the thread tails loose at the dart point rather than backstitching. Tie off the threads on the inside of the garment.
Sew the darts and press them toward the center back. (Step 4)
Finish the two unnotched edges of the Buttonhole Facing pieces, and then use them to check the location of the small circle marking on the Pants Front pieces. The center of the circle should be just below the bottom edge of the Buttonhole Facing, but you may need to adjust slightly depending on how you finished the edges of your Buttonhole Facing pieces. (I used a rotary cutter with a pinking blade to cut my pieces, so I’ve chosen not to do any additional finishing.) When you have verified the location, clip 1/4” (6.5mm) in from the edge.
From the small circle to the bottom edge, fold over 1/4” (6.5mm) toward the wrong side and press. (Step 5 & 6)
Attach the Buttonhole Facings.
I use these Clover Fork Pins for most of my sewing projects. They’re extra fine so they don’t leave holes in even the most delicate fabric, and they always stay in place!
Line up the notches and pin the Buttonhole Facings to the Pants Front pieces with right sides together. Sew along the long edge. (Step 7)
Press the Buttonhole Facing seams away from the Pants Front, then turn them so that the wrong sides are together and press again. Doing the pressing in two steps makes it easier to get a crisp edge.
Continue to press the long outer edges of the Pants Fronts at 3/8” (9.5mm) from the folded edge from the small circle to the bottom edge. The seam allowance where you attached the Buttonhole Facing is 5/8” (16mm), so if you add up the previously pressed 1/4” (6.5mm) fold below the Buttonhole Facing and this new 3/8” (9.5mm) fold, you get the same 5/8” (16mm) all the way down the outer edge.
Topstitch 3/16” from the outer edge along the entire length of the Pants Front. Press to set stitches.
In Part 2, we’ll be starting with French seams to join the Pants Fronts and Pants Backs!