DIY Leggings Experiment Part 1: Making a Pattern
Will and I have been talking a lot recently about experimenting with designing our own clothes line for Reunion. We are both absolute beginners to clothing design - I mean, no experience whatsoever, except that Home-Ec class I took in 7th grade that left me frustrated and bitter a the prospect of sewing anything but a pair of hideous boxer shorts… Anyway, a recent trip to L.A. (and the discovery of Australian clothing line Black Milk) left me inspired to try my hand at creating leggings. As a test drive for my sewing skills, I decided to experiment with making a pair of leggings. Just simple, black, stretchy leggings. Ideally high waisted, fitted, and comfortable. Luckily, I have an idiot-proof sewing machine that has step-by-step threading instructions, and is basic enough not to leave me feeling utterly overwhelmed, like most other machines I’ve encountered.
I used the tutorial written by Cal Patch on the Etsy Blog “How-Tuesday: Design and Sew Your Own Leggings”.
I only had enough scrap stretch fabric to make 1/2 a pair of leggings, but I figured that would be enough to see if the basic measurements were correct. So, I followed the instructions step-by-step, improvising when I needed tools I didn’t have (a book instead of a ruler? Sure! Not enough paper? Tape some together!). It took a bit of re-measuring and re-sketching to finally get a draft pattern that I was happy with and that made sense logically. Finally I had something somewhat cohesive. The edges were very raw and I ended up sewing a little too far into the seams, which ended up in super-tight leggings, but overall it pretty much worked! I’m excited to have made something, even if it is only half a pair of poorly made leggings… its a step in the right direction. Next step, getting more fabric and using my design to make a complete pair of leggings!
