Sew Custom Fit Leggings
Do you love wearing leggings? How about sewing your own leggings? Yes, no, maybe? We are 100% team leggings in this house. I don't buy my youngest daughter any other kind of pants. Heck, they are even my go-to pants (read: secret pajama pants) to wear out of the house. So, if you aren't on board with making your own leggings yet, you will be after reading this. At least, I hope you will.
If you're not interested in making leggings for yourself, scroll down to the bottom. I share a tutorial I use for making little kid leggings.
If you've been dying to make leggings that actually fit your body, look no further. Grab this FREE pattern to get started. You'll be cozy and cute in no time. Lately, simple patterns have been more my jam. Take all your measurements and write them down on paper.
I measured my waist, hip, knee, calve, thigh, and ankle widths. The sizing put me into a size Large waist, Medium hips, and narrowed down to an X-Small in the ankle department. I love my weird body. Buying leggings from the store is never fun because they are baggy in all the wrong places. You might be the exact opposite. We're going to make these leg prisons according to your own measurements. Wooo!!
My original plan was to follow a tutorial and draft my own pair. Well, my brain couldn't do all the math. So, in the end, I found this pattern that worked perfectly for me! Let's get started.
What You’ll Need
Just over a yard of knit fabric
Thread
Measuring tape
Stretch or ball-point needle
Twin needle (optional for leg hem)
1 inch thick elastic for the waistband (I prefer non-roll)
Sewing machine that can do a Zigzag stitch
Serger (optional)
Roll of tracing paper, medical paper, or freezer paper (my preferred paper for tracing)
Pencil and pens for tracing
Seam ripper because, let's be honest...
Tape for taping pattern pieces together
Printer to print out the PDF pages
All the other sewing notions you usually use ;)
Pattern Set-up
Click here for the FREE pattern. You will add to cart but, it is a free PDF. After you "purchase" you will be able to print out the pattern.
Match the lines and arrows, then tape everything together to form your pattern. Figure out where your measurements lie in the legging pattern size range. You might have to grade between sizes. Grading is easy and doesn't take any extra time. You simply blend the sizes to fit your unique body shape.
You can use a highlighter or other light colored marker to grade your sizing, directly onto the pattern. Or, Take your tracing paper and lay it over the pattern. Trace your new pattern size. Doing this saves the PDF for future use or if you decide to make a smaller or larger size for a friend.
I suggest making a muslin before cutting into your beloved fabric. If you have stretch fabric you're not in love with, use that. you want to get the length correct too. If you're taller or shorter, you will need to make adjustments accordingly.
Sewing the Leggings
Sew each inner seam with right sides together. You can use your sewing machine or serger for this.
Then, take one leg and turn it right side out. Place your arm back through and feed the leg through the other leg, making sure right sides are touching. Straighten the leg, matching the seams together. You're going to sew the large "U" shape crotch seam from one side to the other. Use pins or clips to keep the layers from shifting around. You can use the sewing machine or serger for this as well. After the crotch seam is sewn, pull out the legs.
If done correctly, it should look like a pair of pants. If not, grab that seam ripper because something went wrong. Uh-oh!
Perfecting the length
Try them on. They should fit nicely.
If they fit too snugly, use your seam ripper to let out the seam in the snug areas.
If they fit too loose, go back over those spots with the sewing machine to make them fit more snug.
If the length is too long, you can shorten them at the ankle hems. If you want them to have a lower rise, shorten the waist. If you need more length, add those inches to the pattern.
All you have to do is sew the hems at the ankles and put in your elastic waistband. Comfy and super simple.
Hopefully, you found the PDF pattern easy to print out, tape together, and use. I will be making more leggings for myself soon.
I LOOOVE leggings!! And, now they will fit my funky shaped bottom half of my body. Hahaha!!!
Will you be making leggings for yourself? If not, keep reading. I include a tutorial for making leggings for a little one.
Leggings for Little Ones
Maybe leggings still aren't your cup of tea. But, they are great for kids.
Follow this fun tutorial on how to make a pair for a child. My youngest daughter wears leggings every day. They are the only leg prisons she allows in her dresser. When we go camping, she may or may not wear the one pair of jeans we keep in our RV for her. Yep, she's that committed. Ha!
What You Need
The tutorial
Elastic for the waistband
1 Yard of knit fabric
Sewing machine or serger
Thread
Ballpoint needle
All the regular notions
A small child ;)
You use a pair of leggings that already fit or are too short. You trace off the pattern based on that pair of leggings. Add length if needed. Sewing them is the same as the adult pair I made. Easy-peasy. I've made quite a few pairs for my daughter. She loves them. Mom-win!
So, that's it. Go make some new leggings for yourself and everyone around you. Hooray for comfy pants!!
Check out my Batwing top here. It's fun and makes a quick costume! Oh, and it's perfect for those chilly October evenings.
Thanks for hanging out today and happy cozy sewing,
Annette