Leggings seem to be coming back around again.  Maybe they have been around and I am just slow to noticing.  I decided that I would make my own leggings because they seemed pretty simple to make – and they really are.  The way I made mine there are only 3 seams then a waistband casing for your elastic and then the hem.

I chose to make mine with a little more ease in them than those you buy.  I really don’t like super tight things on my legs.  I like the way these fit me and they are comfortable to wear.  That is one of the things I love about sewing my own clothes – I can make things the way I want.

I did not really use a pattern to make these.  I consulted pinterest first on how to sew leggings and found a couple of good blogs with this info.  You can look at my Sewing board on pinterest to see these pins-blogs.  This helped me figure out how to use an existing pattern for just some basic pants and turn it into a leggings pattern.  What I did was take my measurements and then using the My Label pattern I have for pants, I butted the front and back pieces together on the outer sides and then adjusted the size per my measurements, making sure I added in approx. 1/2 inch for a seam allowance.  I then took some pattern drafting interfacing, I by this at Joann, and laid it over the two pieces and traced around to make a pattern for the leggings.  This way there is no outer seam only an inner seam and the front and back crotch seam.

Sewing these is so fast and easy!  You just sew with right sides together your inner leg seams and then sew the crotch seam.  Then, turn over your casing for your elastic waistband – I use 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 inch elastic so the casing is fairly wide.  You also turn up 1 inch for your hem on the legs.  You are done!  So simple.  I have serger so sewing these is super fast but you could also use a regular sewing machine and a zigzag stitch.  I sometimes use a twin needle for the hems but this time I chose to use a narrow zigzag to sew the hem and the casing.  I think this gives it a little better stretch.

To make leggings you will need some fabric that is stretchy with a little bit of spandex or lycra in it.  I think mine was from Joann and called Ponte Roma Sew Classic knits.  The gray ones I made below that I use to workouts in are the Sweatshirt Performance fabric from Joann.  Both fabrics have a little lycra or spandex and retain their stretch after hours of wear.

I have made four pair of leggings now and have some camel color fabric to make one more pair.  Two of the pair I use as my workout pants in the morning.

I have lots of other sewing projects and ideas for 2014.  Please follow my blog via bloglovin or RSS to receive future updates.  I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!