DIY baby tights tutorial

So most of you know when I was pregnant with Penelope I was constantly browsing etsy for matching outfits for my soon to be 2 under 2. Because I'm as tacky as they come!

Anyway, approx $30 for a pair of tights multiplied by 2, and a $15 headband for her and hat for him were going to run me about $100 after shipping for one damn matching outfit. No way I could justify that to my husband. 

So I looked into making my own, having no experience with a sewing machine except a semester I spent stoned in 9th grade fashion making a butchered pair of PJ pants) I was skeptical so I didn't want to invest a lot into it. I bought fabric from girlcharlee.com for a couple dollars a yard and the cheapest sewing machine Walmart had to offer me. 

One pair of tights filled with gigantic errors (Such as sewing the seams on the OUTSIDE) and after that I was on my way! So I'm going to post how I did it, because I know some of you could do better and a lot of you have young multiples and could massively benefit from doing it yourself. 



Tools:

• scrap fabric (something with some stretch to it, like a jersey knit)
  
  
• baby legging pattern
• scissors
• pins
• sewing machine
• Elastic for waist (I bought underwear elastic because it's wide!)
• measuring tape

First I printed off this pattern, (don't click *scale to fit* so it stays full size, we'll call that error #1 for me) taped it together as per the instructions. 




Next I folded my fabric piece over, right sides touching. Trace and cut out through both layers of fabric, which means you’ll end up with 2 pieces. (This is just to save time but you could just as easily cut two separate pieces and skip the fold.)

Next is the hem. They say to fold it up a half inch and then iron, but I didn't have an iron so I used my hair straightener because I don't have an iron lol and it worked. (fuck you, Martha stewart.) But really after the first couple times I realized this "ironing" step was useless and just to be careful. Anyway fold up the bottom, make sure you're folding the pattern side up to the inside and then sew a straight line! Note: At this point you may notice that one of the sides is on a slanted angle, the slanted edge is the top, once it's together you'll understand because the bum part is larger than the front. 


(in this picture it's straight though so don't let that throw you off. Yours will be on an angle at the top)

Now, make a sandwich with your two perfectly hemmed pieces , putting the fabric on the inside of the sandwich and you'll be looking at the non-pattern side. And pin that bitch together. Or just sew really carefully idgaf. 


Okay so now we're done all the hard shit and the rest is simple. Sew along these lines, use whatever setting you want, but I just go with the straight one because the others are intimidating. 




This part gives me all the tingly feels because it goes from "wtf is this?" to "These kinda look like pants almost" in one quick motion. Fold fabric in half the other way – just grab the top piece in the middle and lay it flat to look like this.



Your's will be higher in the back because your pattern is better than her's and leaves some booty room. 



Sew this little triangle up, but don't close up the foot holes (Mistake #2 for me)

Now fold down the top about an inch because it's time to make a tunnel for the elastic! If you're using a smaller elastic than me, you don't need to fold it down a whole inch. Fold it towards the inside, or it's going to look fucked. 




And it's sewing time again! Sew straight across but don't sew it shut, you gotta just sew around the pants where the fold is. Leave a good gap in it though, because a couple steps back I said it was easy from here on out, but I lied. Because threading this god damn elastic through your tunnel is going to make you wish you didn't even have kids to make pants for. It sucks, I've heard a rumor that if you stick a safety pin in the one side it's easier to pull it through the tunnel. Prob bullshit though, whatever you'll get through it. 

So cut your elastic. I used ¾” elastic. Just match it up to all around your waistband, plus about ½” – 1”.



So weave your elastic through that tunnel and we're almost done! Overlap the elastic and sew that bitch up tight. 






Now close up that gap I told you to leave and turn your pants inside out, or outside in since we're now correcting our inside out job. 



Done!

Hopefully someone tries it, they're a lot of fun after the first disaster (or maybe I've saved you from disaster with my amazingly detailed tutorial!) I'd love to see if anyone makes any, or if anyone has made anything else I'd also love to see!

You could totally make these out of an old t-shirt or your own ripped leggings or an old pair of anything really! Hope some one enjoys this, if anyone does I'll do some headband tutorials next, they're like 2 steps lol so much simpler to make and tutorialize lol!