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7.18.2010

S4S- The Basics, Part 3

I love spring clothes.


I just can't help it-- the colors, the styles. . . yummy!


So, when it comes to dressing for winter, 'The Basics' MUST include layering tanks and leggings.



Three of my long sleeve shirts became these:





Yep! They cost nada.



To make the leggings, you can use the sleeves of your shirt. The knit that works the best is a cotton/lycra blend. It has the best recovery and will stretch the best. The green lacey ones on K2 fit the best and didn't stretch out as bad as the rib knit yellow ones.



The shirts were women's medium-ish sizes with tight sleeves. You will have to use your judgement to decide if the shirts you have will fit your little one.



I used a set of leggings I had in the girlies closet to measure out the length I wanted.



Set the hemline of the sleeve even with the hemline of the leggings.


Cut the sleeve 1/2 inch above the top of the legging, minus the top band-- we will add a waistband later.






Use the cut sleeve to cut the second sleeve the same length.



Measure the length of the seam on your leggings from the crotch seam to the top edge on the bum.







Cut the sleeve seam down from the top the length you measured. Repeat for the second sleeve.






Turn one sleeve wrong side out. Insert the right-side out sleeve inside the wrong side out sleeve with the cut seams together like this:








Match up and pin the inseams together. Stitch the sleeves together using a straight stitch and then a serged seam or zigzag to finish and stabilize the edges.






Measure the waist of your leggings. Cut a strip of knit from the body of the shirt that measures 4 inches by the length of the waist minus an inch or two, depending on the stretch of your knit and the size of your kiddo.


*** NOTE: If you want to use the shirt to make the tank top as well, cut your waistband strip from the TOP of the shirt, between the sleeves. The hemline will be used for the tank top.


Sew the waistband strip together into a circle. Fold in half lengthwise. Pin the waistband onto the leggings with the raw edges together. Sew the waistband to your leggings. Serge or zigzag the edges.






If you are like me and also just LOVE knit yardage, a great pattern for making leggings is Lil Blue Boo's Lil Leggings pattern located here.




Come back on Wednesday for the tank top tutorial.



Linked here.

14 comments:

Beth said...

I have been going crazy looking for bike-style shorts for my 7yo to wear under her skirts. Thank you for this fabulous idea--it will be so simple to modify it for a pair of shorts!

Kara Henry said...

Such a cute idea! I seriously need to do this for my daughter! Your turned out just darling. :)

Amanda Fetters said...

Totally, totally awesome. Thanks for the idea - I have a few long sleeved shirts that are still in good shape, but the colors are just kind of blah for me. This will be a great way to put them to work. :)

Braden and Cheri said...

I am having a bear of a time finding good knit that wears well, doesn't hug in unflattering places, doesn't droop, doesn't get holes easily, etc. Any suggestions?

bradenandcheri(at)gmail(dot)com

Emily said...

Along the same lines as your post, I just used the sleeves from a long-sleeved t-shirt to make PJ pants for my little guy last week! It worked great to have the ribbing all ready to go at the bottom. I have to admit I thought it was absolutely brilliant to think of using the sleeves, and it appears great minds think alike!

Ashlee Marie said...

What a great idea! I'd love it if you'd join my tuesday link party (tomorrow)! http://imtopsyturvy.com

emmylou said...

Love it! I just found your blog & now I need to go explore some more!

http://emmylouhart.blogspot.com/

Grace @ WhimsyLoft dot com said...

i love ur idea! :D thank u so much. my niece would love one of these.
hugz,grace

Misty @Creative Itch said...

What a clever idea!! Thanks for linking @Creative Itch's "Sew Cute Tuesday"!

Heather said...

WOW! This is so easy and I totally love it. Thank you so much for sharing it!

Melissa @Lilac Lane said...

This is just brilliant. Way to go Leisel.

Kaysi @ Keeping it Simple said...

Those are adorable and I love the colors. They look so comfy too!

More Than "Just Mom" said...

I made some leggins out of this tutorial - thanks! they are my first pair - not great but not half bad!
http://amijustmom.blogspot.com/2010/07/jammies-jam.html

stephaniegiese said...

I made a pair of these today for my daughter. I also learned how to do ruffles for the first time and gave them a ruffled seat. They turned out great. Thanks so much for the tutorial! You can see mine here (I mentioned you, of course)

http://binkiesandbriefcases.blogspot.com/2010/08/ruffle-pants.html