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You are here: Home / Clothing / Custom Fit Leggings

Custom Fit Leggings

January 15, 2014 by Jodi 13 Comments

Custom Fit Leggings- SewFearless.com #scaredypants2014

Here it is! The first #scaredypants2014 post!

Don't be Scaredy Pants - 2014 sewing resolution - sewfearless.comI decided to ease my way into the pants sewing world by sewing up what I would consider the “t-shirt” of pants sewing – leggings!

Espresso Leggings by Cake Patterns

There are a number of “draft your own” leggings tutorials out there, including this one on One Little Minute, but after hearing the rave reviews for Cake Patterns’ Espresso Leggings pattern, I decided to make life easy on myself and try it out. (This pattern is available as an instant download or a paper pattern. I opted for paper and saved myself the hassle of printing and taping together the pattern.)

Make Custom Fit Leggings with the Espresso Legging Pattern- SewFearless.com #scaredypants2014

It looks nothing like any pattern you have seen before. Steph walks you through taking detailed measurements, and then, based on those measurements, you connect the dots corresponding with your measurements to create your very own custom fit pattern. This is such a clever idea! It  has all the ease of a predesigned pattern, but without having to fuss around with adjusting a pattern piece that is based on industry averages. You get “custom fit” without needing to complete a course in pattern-making yourself!

Custom Fit Leggings- SewFearless.com #scaredypants2014

When I finally pulled these leggings on, I couldn’t get over just how “right” they felt. They fit my (rather high) waist, my thighs, my knees, ankles, and they had the length my long legs need. I have never felt a pair of pants fit like this EVER in my adult life. There is nothing “average” about the ratios between all my curves and I am thrilled to death that I started off this year with such a successful project. THANK YOU,CAKE PATTERNS!

Custom pattern piece - Sewfearless.com

Legging Fabric

Custom Fit Leggings- SewFearless.com #scaredypants2014

Finding a good fabric was probably the trickiest part of this project. For my first attempt at this pattern, I used a cheap clearance jersey and it didn’t have enough width-wise stretch which caused the legs to pull up too short. Twitter consultants recommended finding some 2-way stretch knit instead. One my second Joann’s search, I was able to find the black cotton/spandex jersey. It is from their “performance” knit line and feels more like yoga pants fabric than a cheap t-shirt. If they had this in more colors, I would buy them all. It is just the right weight for leggings.

use a bit of satin ribbon to show which side is the back of homemade pants - sewfearless.com

On an aside, I put a bit of satin ribbon into the back waist bang. It’s always so hard to tell the front from the back for handmade garments. (I saw this tip on Pinterest and couldn’t find it again. I wish I could give proper credit!)

Custom Fit Leggings- SewFearless.com #scaredypants2014

That covers my January pant-sewing obligations! February is just around the corner. I better get cracking.

Don't be Scaredy Pants - 2014 sewing resolution - sewfearless.com

(Click for more Scaredy Pants posts.)

If any of you are diving into pant-sewing this year, make sure you leave a comment so I can cheer you on!

Filed Under: Clothing, Women's Clothing Tagged With: cake patterns, clothing, diy, espresso leggings, leggings, sewing

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lorena says

    January 15, 2014 at 8:36 am

    Great !! I’m going to take a look on this pattern.
    Thank you

    Reply
  2. Karen says

    January 15, 2014 at 9:09 am

    So awesome! You inspire me 🙂 (and I love your “scaredy pants” logo thing…)

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      January 17, 2014 at 1:37 pm

      Come visit me and I’ll help you draft yourself a pattern.:)

      Reply
  3. Meriel says

    January 15, 2014 at 2:42 pm

    Love this post; bookmarked the pattern for later, I will definitely have to try this! Thank you!

    Reply
  4. SeamstressErin says

    January 15, 2014 at 4:31 pm

    Awesomesauce! Love the leggings! (And the leopard print shoes 😉 !

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      January 17, 2014 at 1:36 pm

      I really really wuv those shoes.

      Reply
  5. Charity says

    January 15, 2014 at 5:11 pm

    Ooh, that is a cleverly designed pattern! And leggings… I actually do wear those, under skirts. Well done!

    Reply
  6. Emily says

    January 16, 2014 at 10:35 am

    They look great! Thanks for the inspiration.
    I just made myself some pajama bottoms, and I can’t believe how poorly they fit – and they are just pajama bottoms. However, I was able to drastically take in the legs and then lowered the front waistband, and I think they are wearable now. 🙂

    Maybe I need a pattern like this one that you did to help me get the right size!

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      January 17, 2014 at 1:36 pm

      If you used one of the “big four” pattern companies’ patterns, they have a HUGE amount of “ease” in their pajama pants, and they don’t have a modern fit. So I am not surprised you had to make the adjustments you did. Don’t give up! Mistakes are how we learn!

      Reply
  7. abby @ thingsforboys says

    January 16, 2014 at 9:05 pm

    yay! You sure are off to a great start! I need a leggings pattern that works. I tried to draft my own once without much luck.

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      January 17, 2014 at 1:34 pm

      then I would definitely recommend the pattern to you!

      Reply
  8. Ioanna says

    January 19, 2014 at 5:44 pm

    Thank you for sharing the ribbon tip! I am ALWAYS trying to figure which is front and which is back.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The View From Here says:
    January 24, 2014 at 6:02 am

    […] that I have completed January, I’m staring down the barrel at 11 more months of pants sewing. I’m not really sure […]

    Reply

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