Ever since I got my serger for Christmas (which I am still excited about), I have been wanting to sew myself leggings. More specifically, out of the leftover fabric from my dress from last summer. I finally printed out and traced the Patterns for Pirates Peg Legs, so now I can start creating as many pairs of leggings as I want. This pattern is super quick, super straightforward, and fits me well.
To get the right size, I ended up blending 3 sizes. My waist and hips are a size L (yay for not needing to grade at the hips!), my thighs are an XL, and my calves are an XXL. I added 1 inch of length at the shorties length, 1 inch at the bike shorts length, and 1/2 inches at the capri length. I haven't yet tried an ankle length pair to see how accurate this is, but I like where everything hits me in the capri pair. Adding a bit of length when I make a full length pair would be easy anyway.
There is a robust extension pack available for this pattern, and while I wasn't ready to use it for this pair, I will definitely be using it for future pairs. I especially like the side panel with pocket (I have a pair of Victoria's Secret leggings with this feature, and I love it), since I can use up more different fabrics and it gives me a bit more flexibility with cutting. I might give the gusset a try for athletic leggings, and the waistband pocket would be great for a key (for example, the key to the house I just bought and moved into!)
I still love this fabric, but it is not the best for leggings. I can see my cellulite when wearing them, so they are not quite structured enough. I wore these to a spin class to see how to would go for exercise, and they are not great - they don't breathe at all, and my sweat was super visible (it was quite gross). So these will be primarily lounge leggings, I can wear them as athleisure, but not for intense athletics. I just need to decide whether the make a sports bra, a lounge bra/crop top, or just a shirt from the rest of the fabric. They might be alright for side panels for another pair of leggings as well.
Details
Pattern: Patterns for Pirates Peg Legs (Free when you join their facebook group!)Material: Scuba knit from Fabricville, leftover
Modifications: Graded out for my leg muscles (genetics and sports combine for a lot of weight in my lower half), added 2.5 inches overall in length
Learning: I can now start making leggings! It will likely now take me an hour or two per pair, I just need to figure out the best fabric.
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