Do you love wearing leggings? Yes, no, maybe? We are 100% team leggings in this house. My girls are on the slimmer side so, I've always had a hard time finding pants to fit them, even in their baby and toddler years. Enter in the legging fad that returned from the 80s. Yay!! I don't buy my youngest daughter any other kind of pants. Heck, they are even my go-to pants (that double as acceptable Pajama pants) to wear out of the house. So, if you aren't on board with making your own leggings yet, you will be after reading this. At least, I hope you'll be on board.

​If you're not interested in making leggings for yourself, scroll to the bottom. I share a tutorial I use for making little kid leggings.

If you've been dying to make leggings that actually fit your body, look no further. Grab this FREE pattern to get started. You'll be cozy and cute in no time. Lately, simple patterns have been more my jam. Take all your measurements and write them down on paper.

I measured my waist, hip, knee, calve, thigh, and ankle widths. The sizing put me into a size Large waist, Medium hips, and narrowed down to an X-Small in the ankle department. I love my weird body. Buying leggings from the store is never fun because they are baggy in all the wrong places. You might be the exact opposite. We're going to make these leg prisons according to your own measurements. Wooo!! 

My original plan was to follow a tutorial and draft my own pair. Well, my brain couldn't do all the math. So, in the end, I found this pattern that worked perfectly for me! Let's get started.

Click here for the FREE pattern. You will add to cart but, it is a free PDF. After you "purchase" you will be able to print out the pattern. 
Match the lines and arrows, then tape everything together to form your pattern. Figure out where your measurements lie in the legging pattern size range. You might have to grade between sizes. Grading is easy and doesn't take any extra time. You simply blend the sizes to fit your unique body shape.

You can use a highlighter or other light colored marker to grade your sizing, directly onto the pattern. Or, Take your tracing paper and lay it over the pattern. Trace your new pattern size. Doing this saves the PDF for future use or if you decide to make a smaller or larger size for a friend. 

I suggest making a muslin before cutting into your beloved fabric. If you have stretch fabric you're not in love with, use that. you want to get the length correct too. If you're taller or shorter, you will need to make adjustments accordingly.

Sew each inner seam with right sides together. You can use your sewing machine or serger for this.
Then, take one leg and turn it right side out. Place your arm back through and feed the leg through the other leg, making sure right sides are touching. Straighten the leg, matching the seams together. You're going to sew the large "U" shape crotch seam from one side to the other. Use pins or clips to keep the layers from shifting around. You can use the sewing machine or serger for this as well. After the crotch seam is sewn, pull out the legs.

If done correctly, it should look like a pair of pants. If not, grab that seam ripper because something went wrong. Uh-oh!

Try them on. They should fit nicely. 

• If they fit too snugly, use your seam ripper to let out the seam in the snug areas.  
• If they fit too loose, go back over those spots with the sewing machine to make them fit more snug.

If the length is too long, you can shorten them at the ankle hems. If you want them to have a lower rise, shorten the waist. If you need more length, add those inches to the pattern. 

All you have to do is sew the hems at the ankles and put in your elastic waistband. Comfy and super simple. 
Hopefully, you found the PDF pattern easy to print out, tape together, and use. I will be making more leggings for myself soon.
I LOOOVE leggings!! And, now they will fit my funky shaped bottom half of my body. Hahaha!!!

Will you be making leggings for yourself? If not, keep reading. I include a tutorial for making leggings for a little one.

Maybe leggings still aren't your cup of tea. But, they are great for kids.

Followthis fun tutorial on how to make a pair for a child. My youngest daughter wears leggings every day. They are the only leg prisons she allows in her dresser. When we go camping, she may or may not wear the one pair of jeans we keep in our RV for her. Yep, she's that committed. Ha!

• The tutorial
• Elastic for the waistband
• 1 Yard of knit fabric
• Sewing machine or serger
• Thread
• Ball point needle
• All the regular notions
• A small child ;)

You use a pair of leggings that already fit or are too short. You trace off the pattern based on that pair of leggings. Add length if needed. Sewing them is the same as the adult pair I made. Easy-peasy. I've made quite a few pairs for my daughter. She loves them. Mom-win!

So, that's it. Go make some new leggings for yourself and everyone around you. Hooray for comfy pants!! 

Check out my Bat wing top here. It's fun and makes a quick costume! Oh, and it's perfect for those chilly October evenings.

Thanks for hanging out today,
Annette

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Halloween is almost here! Can you believe it? 
I mean, it's finally October, which is Halloween month. We start decorating around mid-September and my whole house gets transformed into a "haunted mansion". Halloween is my most favorite holiday ever!! After Thanksgiving of course, because... mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. Yum! 

Any-who, I want to share a fun top that you can make in a jiffy. You can wear it at home or around town, to the office, or trick or treating with your little ones. I recently made it and had to share it! It's too dang cute to keep it a secret.

Quick, grab the FREE Gone Batty top from Patterns for Pirates here. Then, click here for the sewingtutorial. It's the cutest!! Talk about a last-minute costume that's appropriate for work and/or school. You can wear it as an everyday top as well. It comes in one size fits most, so no fussy fitting issues to worry about. All the wins with this one! Yes, please!!

I've had a long history of bats through caving experiences and I've grown to love them most of all. Bats are my favorite Halloween creature. When I saw this pattern last year (why did I wait so long??) I had to have it. Umm... a shirt with bat wings, yes please! Bonus, you could even sew white topstitching thread to make it a spiderweb instead, if you wanted. Oooohhh maybe that'll be next year's project. 

• P4P Gone Batty PDF pattern 
• 1 5/8 yard of Knit fabric
• Sewing machine with zigzag stitch
• Sewing supplies and notions
• Halloween music playing in the background (this is a must)

Wow, sewing sure seems to have made a popular comeback!
Let's debunk some common misconceptions about sewing and the people who do it. Whether you're new to sewing or a seasoned seamstress, you may have heard some of these tall tales. Let's put an end to them, now. Since more people are sewing nowadays, it'll be easier to make new sewing friends. Yay! 

Let's dive into some myths and bust them up! 

A common sewing myth is that sewing is for an older generation only. I'm here to tell ya, more young people are learning how to sew. And, men sew too. My husband learned to sew when I put him to work for mask making. If you don't know where to start, you can find online classes, head to your local college and sewing shops, or even ask a friend to teach you. Sewing people are everywhere, you just gotta look. 

I have taught a handful of friends and family that I don't consider "old ladies". Although, I do refer to sewing as one of my old lady hobbies. LOL. Oh and kids sew too. I have taught all 4 of my kids to sew at a young age. It's a good life skill to have and it's not being taught in school anymore. Here's an article I found online about young people sewing more and more. I'm not crazy, I swear! Sewing is for everyone.

​Busted!

LOL! I always laugh at this one. Sewing is often more expensive. A lot more expensive. 
Making something from start to finish is costly. You walk into the fabric store and buy a pattern (or online) for roughly $12. You need a minimum of 1-2 yards (for most garments) of fabric which costs roughly $20+. A spool of electric blue thread to match your new fabric, $3. You need a new pack of needles too, $5. Not to mention the price you paid for your machine and all those other glorious notions you've put hard-earned money into. The cost is $40+ just for the 4 items I mentioned. And, I didn't include the price for your time. Time is money and you know it doesn't take 10 minutes to whip up a dress for little Suzie.

You can buy a nice top or pair of shorts for $25 at a big box retail shop.   
This misconception always gets me and it hurts my feelings sometimes. I love making gifts but, I've gotten looks and questions asking why I didn't buy something instead. Sigh. It takes a lot of time and energy to sew something. It ends up costing more than if you purchased the same item in the store, usually.
Let's spread the word and lay this myth to rest. 

​Busted!

Do you have a fabric designer or pattern maker you simply adore? Maybe you have a few. 
Gretchen Hirsch aka Gertie is one of my favorites. 

There are quite a few fabric designers I'm obsessed with! Almost stalker-status. ;) I love almost every piece they design. And I must own it all. Insert fabric hoarding music. Haha!
​
As you might know, my favorite pattern designer is Gertie. She is a one-woman show and encouraged me (through her blog, tv, and books) to start sewing things for myself. GASP! Moms can sew for themselves? Yes, yes we can.

I was watching a PBS sewing show and she popped up. I can't remember what she shared on the show. But, I couldn't get past the fact that she didn't look like a typical sewing lady. She was young and had a fun style. I was instantly hooked! I found her blog, bought her books, and started a new sewing journey-sewing for myself. I still sew for my kids and shop, but I LOVE making my things more.

Gertie has her own pattern company, along with fabrics designed by her. She also has patterns with Butterick and Simplicity. Charms Patterns, Simplicity and, Butterick patterns.  I love it all!

The top I'm wearing above is from the book, Gertie Sews Vintage Casual. It's the 40's-Style Blouse made using the Sleeveless Blouse variation, pg 134.
The fit is great in this top! Why haven't I made more? I don't know but, I need to.
It was an easy afternoon project. I made this top a few years ago during a friendly sewing day. This was my first top with center buttons and a placket. As you can see, they should have been placed 1/2" closer to the edge.
Oh well. I still wear it all the time.

It's an easy style to wear over pants or tucked in. The darts are placed perfectly and make for a very flattering fit. 
The fabric is semi sheer in black with pink bows and was purchased from Joann fabrics. It is from Gertie's fabric line.

Pattern changes
I increased the armscye area. I don't consider myself to have large arms, but her patterns are usually tight in my armpits, so I size up with sleeveless patterns. 

Are you ready for Spring? I've been playing (cleaning) in the yard  lately. We planted 5 new rose bushes, hydrangeas, and various berry bushes. Ahh, it feels so good to be outdoors after the long winter we've had. The daytime temps in my corner of Southern California are rising and the weather got me thinking about all the outfits and bags I plan to make for summer. 

Cue the Laundry day tee dress by Love Notions. The dress comes in a great size range XS-5X. Yay! I snatched up the pattern for $5. What a steal!! I had never heard of this pattern company until I went to the Arizona Sewcial. Boy, I was excited when I went to their website. Give me all the knit patterns. I bought the Sabrina Slims pants pattern as well. Stay tuned for that review. 

This post isn't a sewing tutorial so much as it's more of a pattern review. So, here ya go.

PROS 

This pattern can be made in many variations. I loved the dress version most. I have a few lightweight dresses I constantly reach for during summer. Flouncy and bouncy without zippers or waistbands to contend with. They keep me happy and comfy during the humid months. So, I knew I wanted to make an easy knit dress for Summer.

The pattern lets you choose from long sleeves, 3/4 sleeves, short sleeves, or a tank style. You can make a top or dress, long, short, tunic length-whichever you fancy. Oh, and it has an optional cowl neckline too. Whew! So many options.
I chose the dress length, short sleeves, and the V neckline.

The pattern calls for stretch knit fabric and was a quick project on the serger. Cut to finish took 2 hours, minus the V-neck insertion of doom.
 
CONS

In choosing the V neck, I was surprised as to how confusing that whole ordeal was. I've made a handful of V-neck tops and they've been easy as pie. This one was not. Maybe it was a combo of the fabric and my sewing brain, but I won't follow that insertion again. I had to make it twice and it still isn't centered into the V. Ugh

I printed and cut the full bust front piece. I usually do an FBA on all my dresses and tops, so I thought this was a neat option. However, in trying the dress on, it looked frumpy. Maternity-like if you will. My husband and 2 older kids said it looked frumpy too and I didn't like how I looked in the dress. Frumpy is a four-letter word to me. Ha! 

So, I added a cinch belt, cute sweater, matching flats, and jewelry to turn the dress into a casual pinup look. Yay! Almost similar to the Popover dress I made.

I want to print out the regular front piece and see how that fits. I think it might fit a tad better. And, I want to size down next time as well.

Frumpiness aside, it's comfortable and easy to throw on. I see a few of these becoming Summer wardrobe staples. Heck, I might make a nightgown too. 

This pattern is perfect for beginners. 
Print, cut and tape the PDF pieces together. It has 2 main pieces-a front and back, a neckline piece, and sleeves or armband facings if you choose the tank version. Oh and that cowl piece too. 

Sew the shoulder seams, making sure to use clear elastic to support those seams. 
Attach the sleeves, easy enough making sure to match the notches. 
2 notches for the back, 1 notch for the front of the armscye. 
Attach the neckline, hem the sleeves and bottom hem and you're done. So easy!! 

So what do you think? Have you ever wanted to make a T-shirt dress? 

As always, thanks for hanging out. Please share this post and blog with your friends and family and follow me on Instagram.

Leave a comment below if you plan on making this pattern or have already made it, please. 

XO, 
Annette