Brace yourself for too much cute.
Seriously.
I pattern tested for new designer Bella Sunshine Desings recently. She has these great ideas, by the time I finished sewing 7 (yes 7) pairs of leggings, I had them down to a science. The bow tie leggings are easy to sew, and they are a really nice kids’ wardrobe builder. They come in two styles – slim fit and traditional legging fit – and four lengths – shorts, knee-shorts, capri, and full length. That gives you a lot of options.
Five of the seven pairs I made came from shirts and a maternity dress I had. The other two pairs were made out of thrifted fabric. Thus, aside from needing to buy elastic to make these, I spent under $5.00 for the entire set. That’s not bad considering how expensive one pair of baby leggings can be at retail price.
These leggings are so cute. I love the little bow tie details on them. I hand stitched all of the bows so that they would look great. The pattern uses so little fabric that I was able to use size small shirts that I’d ehem outgrown, to make her some leggings.
The pair with the pandas was the first pair. The fit on them was solid, but since it was the first version of the pattern, they were just a tiny bit loose. I made them wtih the blue and white plaid and panda bear fabric you see in the image above. The bows were made from the same fabric I used on the bodice of the Sofilantes wrap dress I made last week. They were easy to make and sew into place and oh-so cute!
When I went to make another pair – because these are so easy they are addictive, I decided I wanted to dig into my bin of clothes to cut up. In that bin are a few of my favorite shirts, including the one to the right – that’s me wearing it while I was getting ready for my first Valentine’s Day with Wining Husband – as a dating couple – just over three years ago.
When you become attached to something, it’s so scarey to cut into it! But I did. I cut right into that shirt. After all, it doesn’t currently fit me, and I’d rather it become something useful rather than have it hang, unworn, in my cloeset reminding me of days past.
I think the shirt made some super-cute leggings. There they are in the photo to the left, before I sewed the bows on. I used another shirt, one I wore a bunch, including while I was in Seattle, to create a pair of legging shorts and the bows for this pair.
I used a purple maternity dress for a third pair, and my favorite brown shirt for a fourth pair. A shirt I wore for salsa dancing lessons (to the left) became a pair of capri pants. The final pair was made from some royal blue stretch terry I found while out and about.
It was a lot of fun sewing up the pattern in the different lengths and fit styles. I photographed a lot of the leggings before I sewed the bows on, and because she’s been turned around on her sleep schedule (we’ve been vampires over here 😉 ) I haven’t managed to get the pictures with the bows on the upcycled pairs yet. I’ll be taking her out in the morning to get those. So you’ll get a special treat with a double post about these fun leggings!
Meanwhile, enjoy the preliminary pictures – and be sure to scroll through to the end so you can grab a code and purchase the pattern if you’re interested.
Black and white check with pandas with black bows
*These photos are from the upcycled shirts. They don’t include the jersey pair or the bows yet. Come back tomorrow for those pictures. The bows really make the leggings into something truly spectacular (and supremely cute!)
*This is an affiliate link. Should you click on it and make a purchase, I will be compensated. I shared the information about this pattern, however, because I believe it’s a great pattern for beginners. Use code “LAUNCHPARTY ” to receive 25% off your purchase of the Bow Tie Leggings. Click here to go to Bella Sunshine Designs and purchase the pattern. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next!
