Monkey Pants-orama: Maxaloones and Opulent Monsters Comparison
UPDATE 14 November 2018: It is my understanding Max & Meena have completely redesigned their Maxaloones pattern. Please note this review is for the original release and not the new and revised pattern. Also, Crystal of Opulent Monsters is back in fashion design school and is rebranding as Sewcery. In the meantime, her patterns can still be found in her Etsy shop. If you would like me to sew up the new Maxaloones pattern and do an entirely new blog post, please note in the comments below (I wouldn’t be opposed to being sponsored either :P)
I’m having a hard time deciding which of these pants to offer. I have yet a third pattern I make these pants from. But it’s a sized pattern with a hemmed leg and elasticized waist. It’s perfect for those that prefer an exacting and more “tailored” fit.
I’m curious everyone’s thoughts…My son is small. He’s 23 months and probably as many pounds. I went with the Twiggy cut of the Opulent Monsters pants and made them in a size large. The Maxaloones are Size 1. I’ll summarize some random thoughts at the end.
Here’s a quick jump link to the side by side photos. He is wearing a pocket diaper so both of these pants would fill out a bit more if he had a fitted on.
Best Fabric to Use to Make “Monkey Butt” Pants
UPDATE: My site statistics tell me what people have searched and what landing page they get. One search term that comes up a lot is “best material for maxaloones” so I will tell you. By the way, “maxaloones” I think is used a lot generically to describe monkey butt pants, or circle bum pants, or “grow with me” pants. Maxaloones is the name of a specific pattern FYI…. but either way, this is my opinion of the best fabric to use for these types of pants regardless of what you call them.
Since the Maxaloones pattern is a tighter fit, I would be hesitant to use anything that is a one-way stretch. This for sure means 100% cotton jersey. I have used interlock for the main part of these pants just fine. They have just the slightest bit more stretch than 100% cotton jersey but they just do not have the same amount of stretch as the 95% cotton/5% spandex jersey does. Which is what I would recommend for the Maxaloones: something with spandex. You can use a 100% cotton jersey, just don’t expect the sizing to last very long and you *may* have issues with popping seams…And just a quick fabric lesson: jersey is a single knit, interlock is a double knit. While interlock is mostly 100% cotton, jersey is most seen in the 95/5 combo I mention. And just FYI, since I see this mistake a lot, spandex is the generic term for Lycra® which is a brand of spandex. And to further confuse you, elastane is what they call spandex in Europe, so if you’re shopping for euro fabric, you might see that listed instead of spandex. FOR SURE use cotton/spandex for the cuffs…do NOT use 100% cotton jersey or interlock. It does not have the stretch or recovery needed for these applications.
For the Monster Bunz, the beauty of the different styles of fits is you can use a wider variety of materials (I go over these styles below). There’s a fit just for fleece, for example. The same rules will apply for fabrics as with the Maxaloones but with the different fit styles, you do have a little bit more lee-way with the types of knits you use. I would still recommend a 95/5 jersey for the cuffs and waistband. Except for the Baggy fit which can be used for fleece; you might be able to use fleece for the cuffs and such but don’t quote me on that since I haven’t made that style.
As a general note, the cuffs and waistband can be made with 100% cotton rib knit. You will need to be sure, though, to decrease the lengths since it has more stretch but a hair less recovery than jersey. The Opulent Monsters pattern has a separate cut guide for cotton rib, Maxaloones does not just FYI.
Max & Meena Maxaloones | Pattern Here
Facts: One pattern is all you need at $9.95. It includes 3 sizes: NB, Size 1, and Size 2. According to the pattern maker the NB fits NB-6 months, Size 1 fits 3m-3y, and Size 2 fits 1y-5y. Straight leg from waist to ankle. Back is the same height as front. *To clarify: for the most part this pattern is meant to be a “one size fits most” pattern with Size 1 probably being the “size” that’s made the most. **Please note: If you are going to sell from this pattern and in order to call your pants Maxaloones, you need to be an approved seller. Otherwise, you cannot use the name Maxaloones. Please contact Max and Meena for further information. Please double check me but I believe she removed this requirement.
From their listing: “If you would like to be an authorized reseller of “Squishiloones, Miniloones, Maxaloones, or Monster Maxaloones” you will need to submit pictures of your work to be inspected to make sure the quality of work meets the standards of Max&Meena. You are free to sell what you make from this pattern but it is against the law to sell or trade this pattern.”
Finished Pics: Click on a photo for larger size
Fit Pics: Click on a photo for larger size
**UPDATE**
Here are a couple pics from Halloween of 2014…all the fabric used on these is cotton/spandex. Since he’s grown these are starting to fit a little better. I still get irritated with all the cuff material though since his legs are so short and no longer use the “grow with me” pants in my personal stash. They look great paired with a raglan tee though 😉
Opulent Monsters Monster Bunz| Patterns Here
Facts: Pattern is separated out by fit (Twiggy, Luxe, Seamless/Comfort, and Baggy) and you have the option of only purchasing the fit you want or buy the Mega Pack which includes all the fits at a reduced rate. Each fit has three sizes (S, M, L) and are $6.00. The Mega Pack is $16.00. According to the pattern maker, the Small fits NB-6 months, Medium fits 3m-18m, and the Large fits 1y-4yrs. The luxe fit will probably be the most popular as it will probably fit a wider variety of types. The pattern tapers in more at the waist and is angled outward more towards the ankle. It’s more of a true pants pattern in that the back is higher than the front providing more rise coverage in the back. The bum circle actually comes up to the front of the pants making a true gusset potentially easing stress common in the crotch area (I did want to note while it’s noticeable on the front of the pants when not worn – as seen in the photos – it actually isn’t really noticeable when worn).
Finished Pics: Click on a photo for larger size
Fit Pics: Click on a photo for larger size
COMPARISON: Maxaloones on the Left, Monster Bunz on the Right
MONSTER BUNZ ON LEFT MAXALOONES ON RIGHT (SORRY ABOUT THE SWITCH UP)
I should mention I made the waistband and cuffs with a rib knit which does not have quite the recovery as a cotton/spandex (c/s) and does look a little looser. I did cut the waist and cuffs shorter to compensate. But here’s a (bad) pic of the Opulent Monsters with c/s:
I am of the opinion the Maxaloones look better “on the hanger,” so to speak, however I am finding the Monster Bunz have a better fit at the moment for my son. I know Size 1 Maxaloones are specified to fit down to 3 months but I have not been recommending the published size range to my customers. The specific fit issues I have with the Maxaloones are that they are almost too long in the leg cuff and the waistband doesn’t quite have the right fit. However the straight leg of this pattern does have a nice look. And those are certainly easy modifications to make. After giving this some thought, to me, if you want more of a legging go with the Maxaloones and if you want something that’s more like pants go with the Monster Bunz. Modifying the cuffs and waistband of the Maxaloones would be easy to do if you needed a tighter fit or cuffs and a waistband that didn’t go as high. Here’s a picture of the waistband unfolded on the Maxaloones (in all fairness I forgot to take a pic of it unfolded on the Monster Bunz. It does go up high but not this high):
Neither pattern is harder to make than the other and both take about the same amount of time. It seems while the Maxaloones might not take as much main fabric (strictly comparing the Maxaloones size 1 to the Monster Bunz Twiggy in size large and is probably negligible) it uses more of the waistband and cuff material.
Still not quite sure which one to make…feel free to add your thoughts.
I definitely prefer the look of the Maxaloons. Thanks for this post!
I prefer the fit of the monster bunz. The pattern instructions are easier to follow as well. I made three pairs of maxaloones and never got a good fit with the maxaloones. I made one pair of the monster bunz and they fit perfectly 🙂
Thank you for the “Awesome” review!
I really like the fit of the monster bunz on my oldest girl, but I’ve only made a few pairs so far. I do agree that the maxaloones look better on the hanger, and I think they have more of a “leggings” look, that a lot of people don’t like for boys, which is where I like the Monster bunz pattern better. It’s a little looser fitting, and more universal in my experience.
I haven’t tried the monster buzz but one thing I like about the maxaloones is that when it is really cold I can pull the waistband all the way up for an added layer. I don’t care for the lower rise of the back though. My dd is a very small 3 and the size 1’s fit except for the back rise. I may have to invest in the Monster bunz.
Love my Monster bunz!! Fit my babies so much better! The waist band and cuffs on the maxaloons were way too huge on both my kiddos.
This was very helpful- thank you! I tried miniloones on my 3 month old and they are tiny. Going to try monster bunz size large instead. Thanks for the great review.
Thank you! The Mazaloones size 1 would probably start fitting now as well. I never tried the miniloones size so I’m not sure what the fit on those is like.
I’ve only made Maxaloones, but as mentioned in the article, if you want a legging that will accommodate a cloth diaper, it’s a great pattern. They were the first article of clothing I ever sewed and they were very manageable for me. I will be trying the Monster Bunz now after reading this article though as I found the Maxaloones do look a bit feminine on my son!
Can you please tell me where you get your fabric? It is perfect for boys! And I love the colors. ESP in the first pic 🙂 thanks!!
I buy mostly European fabrics. The rhinos in particular are Lillestoff.
This entire post helped me so much! Can’t wait to scrap some of my old leggings for my baby girl some pants. It’ll be my first time sewing this style so I’m going to definitely do a little more research, but you answered a bunch of my questions. Thank you for taking the time to write it all out!
I made the Monster Bunz baggy, in a size large 1-3yrs. As master G is almost 3 I widened the leg at least an inch down the side of the pattern front and back (so pattern is at least 4′ wider for more of a ” trackpant fit”) .. I also extended the leg to the length to a small size 3 (maybe 6-8′ longer than the pattern), before adding bands. He’s a chunky monster and I went with cotton spandex waistband of 18.5″ (as opposed to the 16″ listed in the pattern). It was a bit of guesswork, but my sister seems happy with the fit. I am hoping to get decent photos.
I Would love to see you do an updated pattern on the Maxaloones vs Monster Bunz.