Leggings are such a great baby item, boy or girl. When making myself a dress recently I had loads of scraps of organic jersey that could easily make a few pairs. Since I have gained a brand new Nephew this week, it seemed a great excuse to make these up and share the pattern with you. The pattern I made for my dude when he was little and I made several pairs, one of which I have included in the gallery. They are a nice easy project that will take an hour to an hour and a half to make.
This size will fit around 6-9 months however, I have found the cuffs on the legs mean you can get lots more wear out of them and may be good up to 9-12 too.
YOU WILL NEED
Half metre (or left overs like mine!) of jersey fabric
16" of 1" wide elastic
Pattern weights
Overlocker or sewing machine
Eloflex thread (optional)
Rotary cutter and mat
1. Cut two of your pattern out on the fold. I use pattern weights and a rotary cutter when using jersey because it slides around a lot which I find can make pins and scissors a little less accurate.
2. Unfold your fabric and place right sides together (where the clips are in the picture below). I have used clips to keep them in place. Sew with 1/2" seam allowance.
There are a few options for sewing jersey. If you have an overlocker set up, use that. Some sewing machines have a stitch for stretchy fabric which allows the thread to stretch with the fabric. The only downside I find with this is on my machine is it is a lot slower.
I heard about this thread Eloflex that stretches and allows you to use your regular machine and straight stitch. It took me a while to get the tension right on my machine to use it but once I got it sorted, it was a game changer!
3. With your newly sewn seams together, fold your leggings in half, clip and sew to form the legs. I have still finished my seams on the overlocker or with pinking shears however, jersey is quite forgiving and does not tend to fray.
4. Cut out two rectangles measuring 8" x 4". Fold in half, right sides together and sew the short edges together. Turn the right way and fold in half to create your leg cuff with all your open seams hidden.
5. The cuffs are slightly narrower so you will need to stretch and manipulate your fabric to make it fit. Clip to the right side of your legs, as shown and sew.
6. I have used the overlocker on the exposed edge of the waist band. Fold the waistband over by just over 1" to allow enough space for the elastic. Sew close to the edge, leaving a gap to thread the elastic.
7. Attach a safety pin to one end of the elastic, thread though and make sure you keep hold of the other end! Overlap the ends of the elastic by around 1/2" and sew them together. Sew the gap closed.
Turn to the right way and your leggings are done! I would love to see your creations if you use any of my tutorials. Any pictures you are happy to share will be added to my gallery and entered into my Facebook Maker of the Month for the chance to win fabric or vouchers each month.
