Item 9 for SWAP - McCalls Leggings

So pleased with these.  I love leggings and wear them loads, particularly in the winter with long sweaters.  However, I had no navy leggings and really wanted to make some, but its taken me three years to find some fabric to make them in. 

 

I finally got some ponte knit a week or so ago, in Leeds.  I wasn't sure this would work for the leggings, but I checked the knit stretch gauge on the pattern envelope and all seemed well, so I proceeded with some trepidation. 

However, I need not have worried, its worked really well.  Because they are a bit thicker fabric, they provide excellent coverage with no danger whatsoever of any inadvertent advertising of one's undergarments.  Always a key feature in a legging in my view.  I don't tend to wear mine with short sweaters the way some people do, but with these, they are thick enough that I think I probably could if I wanted to.

The pattern is McCalls 5394 which is a proportionate pattern.  Which is fab if you have long legs/short body, or long body/short legs etc.  I make a tall woman's pattern with one inch extra on the waist to make them sit on the waist.  As designed they sit one inch below the waist, but that annoys me in a legging so I  add an inch to bring them to my waist.  I am not actually all that tall but the crotch depth increases in this pattern with the height.  So the tall girl body length works for me and I have the legs folded up at the lengthen/shorten line on the leg and then again at the ankle, to make them fit.  I do leave the legs rather longer than is needed and scrunch them into my socks.   The pattern also has calf length leggings in it, but I've never made those.  This pattern also makes fabulous PJ bottoms and is my go to pattern.  I'd say I must have made this pattern about twenty times and they are sooooo quick to make its unbelievable.  Cut out the one pattern piece, twice.  Sew up the leg seams.  Put one leg inside the other, sew the crotch seam.  Overlock the top edge.  Fold the top edge down to make a casing.  Cover stitch to make casing.  Insert elastic.  Hem with coverstitch machine.  Put on leggings and wear with pride. 

The fabric went a bit further than expected;  there was enough fabric left after cutting the Marfy dress to make three pairs of leggings.  I've only cut out this one pair so far, as I wanted to wear them to make sure they were OK before I cut more.  They have been fully tested this past week and found to be satisfactory so I will be making the other two pairs.  Cutting out carefully in the hope that I can also squeeze out a little knit mini skirt with panels from any left overs.  Because you should not waste nice fabric should you?