• Finished Projects

On a whim, I picked up this floral stretch fabric covered with gold paint dots last week. It looks like a the illustrations in a picture book I had when I was young.

Nothing screams professional blog like selfies of your legs.

The fabric is very opaque, but otherwise it’s not really ideal for leggings. It’s 97% polyester, with just two-way stretch and it’s only mildly stretchy at that. Also, it’s only printed on the surface of an otherwise white fabric. When the fabric is stretched, the white shows through and the colors look faded.

Because of these factors, I decided to include a side seam as well as an inseam so that I could had more control over the shaping. I traced off a favorite pair of skinny jeans for the pattern, but it still took a lot of fiddling to get the fit right, especially the crotch curve. Once I got that, serging these up was easy, and I zig-zagged them onto a wide piece of elastic for the waistband.

I think I’ve worn these six out of seven days this week. I love how silly and decadent floral leggings with gold dots look, and they’re comfortable, of course!

Let me assure you, I usually wear them with a baggy sweater or a little skirt for more coverage, but somebody has to appreciate the crotch curve fit.

I’d love to make some more leggings for the winter, especially if I can find more great prints! I got this fabric at a department store, Karstadt, but it was the only knit I liked. I’m not sure where to look for more fabric like this – do you happen to know any websites where I can find whimsical printed knits? Please tell me if you do!