How to Make a Leggings Pattern

[@cathyshafer8962]

This is the best tutorial on diy leggings. You speak clearly, slow enough for viewers to follow, you define terms, you follow an organized sequence. You are well prepared and your visuals are almost perfect. Learner friendly! Thank you for doing a professional job

[@Mellysews]

Glad it was helpful!

[@FVG_alex_garcia]

Now this is the best tutorial video in human history. Thank you so much

[@Mellysews]

Glad it's helpful!

[@samanthaschoonover305]

I absolutely agree. I've never made clothing before; followed this video and my leggings were nearly perfect first try 😍

[@kristinaallemand2504]

I finally understand all the lines and measurements when drafting a pattern! Thank you so much for this! Over watch atleast 10 other videos and had to pass on them because I couldn't understand!

[@Mellysews]

Glad it was helpful!

[@shanaazmohammed7713]

Same here I watched A LOT of other videos and they were only showing to trace over pattern from one that you have already, but that wasn't working for me

[@ericagdesigns]

OMG, I love this so much! The realism of our body differences alone make this worth everything! The customization of this is amazing.

[@Mellysews]

Thanks for watching!

[@SB-rs1rj]

Literally the best, thorough, and educational video ever. Please don’t stop making seeing videos. No one ever describes things like you do. You’re so smart 😭 we need more people like u on KZbin

[@Mellysews]

Thanks for watching!

[@sykusch]

This is the best tutorial on leggings!! Thank you so much! You are a fantastic teacher!

[@Mellysews]

All the years I spent teaching high school helped!

[@andreavillarrealg]

Wow! I just finished my leggings and they fit excellent! Like never before. Using the thigh measurement made a huge difference for me. Thank you so much! You are a wonderful teacher!

[@Mellysews]

Glad you like them!

[@TheMssiobhan]

I love the way you explain things in your video!❤

[@Mellysews]

I'm so glad!

[@olguniek]

The best tutorial on leggings, thank you!

[@Mellysews]

Thank you!

[@momgrandma5496]

Wonderful tutorial, especially for those of us who don’t have a partner to assist in measuring.

[@Mellysews]

Glad to help!

[@RhondaLogan123]

I love the math. I totally want to try this now. I just need to find some inexpensive 4 way stretch fabric. Thanks for being so clear.

[@Mellysews]

Glad it's helpful!

[@kalynnkallweit7940]

excellent totorial Melly. So nice and clearly explained without unnecessarily repeating anything. subscribed based purely on my appreciation of your time efficiency in this tutorial.

[@Mellysews]

Thanks for subbing!

[@kalynnkallweit7940]

@@Mellysews Thanks for the excellent tutorial! I read your article on pants fitting and saved it! So well explained. Pants are the bane of sewing projects LOL Especially for women I think..

[@monikita777]

Great video Melly, you are awesome. I'm working on the jogger pattern, so excited :) love ur patterns!

[@Mellysews]

Thanks! Hope you love the joggers.

[@katesterling8915]

Fantastic tutorial. Thank you. So well explained. Looking forward to the next one ☆

[@Mellysews]

Glad to help!

[@rohitkrishnan4429]

Thank you for such a detailed explanation of the whole process. 💯

[@Mellysews]

Glad it was helpful!

[@daraharper2003]

Thank you Melly. This is so well explained and now I know how to find the front rise on pants.

[@Mellysews]

Thanks for watching!

[@angelikakopek]

Wow, what an amazing video!! Thank you so much! The reason I want to sew my own clothes in the first place is because nothing fits my body!!

[@Mellysews]

Glad it was helpful!

[@GabrielaLopez-cn8qm]

Thank you for sharing this tutorial, Melly! It's super useful and clear. I love your instructions.

[@Mellysews]

Glad it was helpful!

[@maryjokruer6127]

Great video! Thanks!

[@Mellysews]

You're welcome!

[@melirose20]

Great tutorial! I will definitely be adding this to my to-do list! Thank you for sharing!

[@Mellysews]

Thanks for watching!

[@ceruliashores705]

I am doing an AOT cosplay and this is really helpful to do my jeggings!

[@Mellysews]

I'm so glad!

[@gemamed9933]

Great video!

[@Mellysews]

Thanks!

[@Mellysews]

Thanks!

[@erikamacaluso1222]

Hi great video! At 7:10 you draw the line for your rise. Do you use the front rise measurement or back rise? Thanks!

[@Mellysews]

The rise as I demonstrate measuring around 4 min in

[@dallasjansen2226]

Melly Sews which is it? I did front, but the back doesn’t fit right. Do you do both?

[@yadicarlos8500]

I had the same question- which rise to use if my front rise is 5 and back is 8? I’m pregnant so adjusting the waist to be below my belly and then I’ll make a longer belly band.

[@ThisismeDesign]

Thank you! This was a perfect tutorial, easy to follow and straight forward. If I use a fabric with less stretch, what should i keep in mind before I start?

[@Mellysews]

You'd want less negative ease. Also leggings without vertical stretch are uncomfortable, so I don't suggest that.

[@mgharvey21]

Great video. One question so far...when you take front and back rise measurements, do you use the greater number to measure down from the waist?

[@Mellysews]

You ultimately want the front rise to match and the back rise to match. So whichever one you use, you'll either have to raise or lower the waistline for the other side.

[@cecilemagnier7113]

@@Mellysews oh.... I am only getting this now after reading your comment !!! The video did not make sense to me for this step.

[@taebug_cosplayz2261]

@@Mellysews This also answered my question, thank you!

[@thenewnormaljazzensemble-nu5dv]

@@cecilemagnier7113 yes good thing I read the comments because I wondered the same.

[@how_about_naw]

As someone with a lot more butt and thigh than waist this video is giving me LIFE.

[@Mellysews]

Glad it's helpful

[@how_about_naw]

@@Mellysews I watched the whole playlist and I cannot wait to try making the leggings of my dreams

[@raizellelilly965]

How many yards of fabric did you use? I’m newer to sewing and still have a hard time eyeballing how many yards of fabric to use per project. 😅 thank you! Your video was awesome! It was exactly what I needed!

[@Mellysews]

Don't eyeball, measure it. After you draft your pattern lay it out on a table or the floor and measure, remembering that stretch fabric is generally 58 inches wide when laid flat or 29 inches wide when folded, and the measurement in the other direction is what you use for the yardage.

[@shanaazmohammed7713]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, sooo much for this

[@Mellysews]

No problem 😊

[@lemoncalippo1554]

This is a phenomenal video! Thank you so much

[@Mellysews]

Glad it's helpful!

[@mitruper]

Thank you very much. Learn a lot. Expecting your next tutorial

[@Mellysews]

Thanks for watching!

[@Marialla.]

I love that fabric you're using as test/fit fabric. I hope you make your "fit" leggings over into real leggings! What would that take? Re-sewing the seams with stretch stitching? Waistband and cuffs... tweak the fit in places you said... That's about it right?

[@Mellysews]

Yes, stretch stitching, adding a waist treatment, and hemming the bottoms at minimum.

[@Misssnowflake684]

Hey I love your videos Can u tell how to sew the black fleece legging Becuz if I sew it it'll tear more 😢❤

[@Mellysews]

If your fabric is ripping when sewn you either need to replace the fabric or add more fabric because something is too tight.

[@ايمي-ر9ط3ي]

Thank you very much 😍😍

[@Mellysews]

Thanks for watching!

[@ankywibowo]

Great tutorial @Melly Sews… May i know what fabric do you used ?

[@Mellysews]

mellysews.com/types-of-leggings-fabric-and-where-to-buy-fabric-for-leggings/

[@ankywibowo]

Thank you 👍🏻👍🏻

[@lindawalsh606]

Good pattern

[@Mellysews]

Thank you

[@skullspoon3408]

i think i did everything wrong haha, i think you have to do the waist double half? so half one side and half the other side but half of that again?... i'm not really making sence i think. My waist was 31 inches. so do you do 15,5 on the on side of the waist to ankle line or 7,75 on one side?

[@skullspoon3408]

i think i did it

[@Mellysews]

Sorry, just seeing this comment. Hope you got it figured out!

[@NoonSkyWings]

Thank you very much!

[@Mellysews]

Thanks for watching!

[@MsLovelylindsayann]

Omg i love you! You are my new fav KZbinr!

[@Mellysews]

Thanks for watching!

[@hollyh7443]

Hi Melissa. Would this tutorial work to make skinny pants/leggings from lambskin? Just not include the negative ease? Any other adjustments? They need to be tight to allow for the leather to stretch and still fit after stretching.

[@Mellysews]

I would not; lambskin and poly spandex jersey are very different fabrics and would need different drafting and ease.

[@barbarak413]

Great video. So how can you adjust this when using woven fabric to make pants.

[@Mellysews]

A draft for woven pants is completely different.

[@taebug_cosplayz2261]

If I measured both my front rise and my back rise and they are different, which one do I use for this tutorial?

[@Mellysews]

Watch to the end when the back and front rise get adjusted.

[@tdodo3026]

Thanks so much for the tutorial. Can you pls share the link to how to adjust the wrinkle at the crotch line as you mentioned? Sorry I don’t see the link that you mentioned. Thank you

[@Mellysews]

mellysews.com/how-to-fit-pants-when-sewing-pants-fitting-issues/

[@tdodo3026]

Thank you so much

[@michelefaulkner6821]

Mine do not reach my waist . I have not put the waistband on yet but I wanted them higher to begin with. I did all the measurements correctly or I thought I did and they fit every wear else . Why are they not coming up high enough and how should I adjust the pattern before I cut the good fabric?

[@Mellysews]

If they don't reach your waist, you likely measured incorrectly somewhere with the rise, or waist to ankle measurement, or you need to adjust your crotch depth.

[@michelefaulkner6821]

Actually once the waistband was done they are pretty near perfect - I am just adjusting the waist to ankle a little for my real pair - this is for a lion king dance costume - so exciting to be creating my own They will have a long sleeve turtleneck top that matches

[@foklore_and_stories]

What is the best material to use?

[@Mellysews]

More here mellysews.com/types-of-leggings-fabric-and-where-to-buy-fabric-for-leggings/

[@karinlickers4750]

This is great, but I'm missing what type of stitch you use when you want to create the finished leggings. you mention a basting stitch isn't strong enough but not what you should use... I'm a total newbie to sewing clothing, let alone stretch fabric so I have zero idea what would be appropriate on my own, but I would love to try this out for my daughter.

[@Mellysews]

This playlist should help kzbin.info/aero/PLSMi9yj9ru8ZYvC7mvwzwsE8RtR4brGOt

[@pamelarivera5058]

Can you make a video to do the shirt you have in this podcsst?

[@Mellysews]

I'm assuming you mean the black t-shirt? I have a pattern with complete instructions available here: blankslatepatterns.com/collections/women/products/abrazo-tee

[@daniellelybrand433]

Am I missing something or what is the calculation for knee/thigh/ankle? Is it the same as the waist? Or do we do half on each side instead of one fourth! SOS

[@Mellysews]

I don’t understand your question. I’d suggest going to the blog post linked in the description for a more detailed explanation.

[@JenniferHill7]

My daughter gave me some ponte (I think that's what it's called) and I want to make some leggings. My question relates to the stretch. It only stretches in one direction; should I put the stretch horizontally or vertically in the leggings? Thanks!

[@Mellysews]

I don't recommend making leggings with only two way stretch. They will pull down every time you sit.

[@JenniferHill7]

@@Mellysews oh bummer. Thanks for the reply. I'll have to research what I can make with it.

[@Mellysews]

@@JenniferHill7 You can make pants, but they'll need positive ease above your body measurements so that you can sit without them pulling. Leggings have negative ease and therefore need 4 way stretch.

[@hounamao7140]

question: why is the line from hip to waist straight ? considering our butt is round, and our front isn't really completely flat

[@Mellysews]

It's not straight, the curve for waist to hips is part the crotch curve.

[@mycats7321]

Thank you. The measurement part of this alone is very helpful. My natural waist is definitely not the smallest part between my ribs and my hips. LOL. But I can see the bending point on you so it helps me to figure out where my waist is. I think my waist is 46". I was slouching while trying to look at the measuring tape so I don't know if that affected the measurement or not. LOL. I'm going to need a friend to help me with the back measurement as I can't reach behind my back with my right arm due to a shoulder injury. I know cardboard can't bend very easily, but I have tons of cardboard and not much paper. We don't keep wrapping paper around. I keep having to pause the video to take notes. LOL. French curve. I wondered what that was called. For the knee position, is that the position of the smallest part of your knee? or is it for the center of the knee? Would I subtract from the measurement if using less stretchy fabric and making looser pants? (I need to look through your other videos-- I think I saw some for other types of pants). One thing I thought of is that some people don't have evenly sized thighs, so it might be a good idea to measure both & go with the larger one. I know people with medical conditions that cause them to have one huge leg and one slightly smaller leg. If size difference is not obvious, it's best to err on the side of caution. Putting one leg inside the other rightside out of the wrong-side out leg is something that never occurred to me. Makes things a lot simpler. Watching you pull the other leg out and having it be almost full leggings was like watching a magic trick. Tada! Two legs!

[@Mellysews]

A mirror can be helpful so you can keep good posture while measuring

[@mycats7321]

@@Mellysews I'll have to see if I can find the right size/height mirror. We don't have a lot of mirrors in the house and most of them are about face level. I may end up just having to use my cellphone's camera.

[@wm6441]

Can I use a 2 way stretch fabric?

[@Mellysews]

I don't recommend it. It will pull when you bend because it doesn't stretch vertically.

[@sarasarta]

Thanks👍

[@Mellysews]

Thanks for watching!

[@letaforbister4907]

What about sewing with stretchy velvet?

[@Mellysews]

It would depend on if the velvet had similar stretch properties to athletic fabric.

[@letaforbister4907]

@@Mellysews I’l have to try again. It didn’t work out.

[@leesuvia7861]

I was okay with the video until you got to the curve. So my hip measurement is 36" (half is 18"). My thigh is 20". When I subtract the smaller amount from half my hip = 2". I divide the 2" by 3 = 0.6666. Where do i mark that on the pattern?

[@Mellysews]

On the front of the thigh line. Then mark the other 1.33 on the back.

[@ymlyml4638]

U also may making videos about how to keep fit (exercise & eating). Frankly, u look more fit (watched yr older videos) now, so amazing. Love and learned a lot from your videos. Thank you very much

[@Mellysews]

I'm the exact same size I am in my older videos. And also not interested in making exercise or nutrition videos, but thanks.

[@pamelarivera5058]

Love it

[@Mellysews]

Thanks for watching.

[@smallfootprint2961]

Love this video. I really want to make myself some leggings. I would never buy a pair of leggings, but would love to make some. Thank you for showing this, so far. I get it. Looking forward to the next video. I need to know the corrections and the waist band, finishing, etc. How much fabric do you think is required? Lynn

[@Mellysews]

Fabric requirements depend on your size; the best way to figure it out is to draft your pattern and then measure it.

[@refilwesedibe29]

Great video!! Please create a open back bodysuit ♡

[@Mellysews]

I don't have plans for that, but you could probably use this t-shirt pattern in my shop combined with the underwear pattern on this channel to make one. T-shirt here: blankslatepatterns.com/products/abrazo-tee Undies here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYGXlJyHptOWptU

[@rheaclarke1291]

I’m confused how do you take off a percentage?

[@Mellysews]

Multiply your measurement by the percentage and then subtract that amount.

[@shanaazmohammed7713]

That's where I was confused also

[@lightsobrite]

I would like to have seen a demonstration of how you altered the front crotch seem to eliminate the wrinkles across the upper part of the thigh

[@Mellysews]

I have a detailed video about pants fitting here kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKqraISwm7ygsNE

[@estervavrova357]

How much cloth i will need?

[@Mellysews]

It depends on your size. Somewhere between 1-2 yards of 58 inch wide fabric is an estimate.

[@yamatocoaching7864]

So its half of half of waist measurement.. so a 1/4 of waist size?

[@Mellysews]

I'm not sure where you got 1/2 of 1/2

[@yamatocoaching7864]

Melly Sews I didn't explain it properly. so my biggest size for my waist is 37. That means I divided 37 by 2 and 18.5 by 2?

[@steeveelee7631]

Okay but how many yards did you need of fabric 😭

[@Mellysews]

It totally depends on your measurements. Make the pattern first and then lay it out on the floor to measure how much yardage you'll need.

[@ani5158]

Please do tutorial in How to trim length of yoga pants and sew

[@Mellysews]

Here's how to hem knits, you would choose one of these methods. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXnKaJmmidynZq8

[@tiffanystoppelmoor8226]

This is great! However, is there a tutorial you could do creating the leggings without the seam going up through the crotch area and butt? I’d like to make these for my daughter who is a dancer, but she would freak out about a seam showing in her “butt crack”. Most of the dance leggings seem to have less seams.... how is that possible??

[@Mellysews]

I don't have that specific tutorial planned, but you can move any seam by sewing or taping the pattern pieces together in the area you don't want a seam, and cutting the pattern somewhere else to add the seam. So to remove a back rise seam, you'd need to make two copies of the pattern, then either stitch them together like a fabric set or tape them together where they'd be stitched, and cut elsewhere for the seam.

[@tiffanystoppelmoor8226]

Thank you. I may just tell her “tough luck” lol Dancers can be so picky sometimes😉

[@dallasjansen2226]

That take ten percent off back fired big time on me. Not sure why

[@Mellysews]

I couldn't say either without having watched how you did it.

[@shanaazmohammed7713]

I am a little lost when you started saying something about 10% 5%

[@Mellysews]

It's math. Multiply by 0.10 for 10%

[@shanaazmohammed7713]

Awww I just watched back the video because i was wondering how is your pattern so small 🙈🙈🙈😁