High Waist, Single Seam or Custom: 5 Best Leggings Sewing Patterns

Store leggings often go wrong in one of two places: the waistband rolls down on the first squat, or the hem stops three inches above the ankle. Sewing your own lets you choose the waistband and set the length before cutting. A good leggings sewing pattern tells you the size range, the stretch fabric to buy and how the waistband goes on.

Two of the five are basic full-length pairs with very different amounts of guidance, one is a high-waisted pattern sold without instructions, one teaches you to draft leggings from two measurements, and the last is a pair of biker shorts. Below the cards I cover four-way stretch, how the seams are placed, waistbands and the stitches that hold up when you bend.

Five Takes on a Leggings Sewing Pattern

Doll and children’s leggings stayed out, so all five are adult patterns. One of them, the women’s tight leggings, says little about sizes in its listing, and its card points that out.

TL;DR: Five stretch patterns for adults: single seam Audrey leggings in Misses 4 to 12, plain tight leggings, high waist leggings in sizes 8 to 16 without instructions, a tutorial for drafting your own pair and biker shorts in 10 sizes.

• Audrey Collection – Misses Legging Sewing Pattern – Best easy leggings
• Women Tight Legging Pdf Sewing Pattern – Best everyday leggings
• High Waist Legging PDF Sewing Pattern – Best high waist
• Leggings Sewing Pattern Drafting DIY – Best custom fit
• Women Biker Shorts Sewing Pattern – Best short version

Quick Comparison

Four-Way Stretch, Recovery and the Squat Test

Leggings are usually drafted smaller than the body, by an amount that depends on the stretch and recovery of the knit, so the fabric has to stretch to fit, both around the leg and along it. That is what four-way stretch means: the knit gives crosswise and lengthwise. Without the lengthwise give, a pair can pull down at the back when you bend or sit.

Free leggings patterns often give similar examples: a medium-weight knit with at least 40 to 50 percent four-way stretch, and a cotton jersey with about 5 percent spandex or Lycra so the knit springs back instead of bagging at the knees; double brushed polyester comes up often as well. Treat those as a guide and follow the fabric note on your own pattern. Here the Audrey leggings name poly-cotton, spandex and rayon blends, and the high waist pattern cotton jersey, spandex or Lycra.

One more check before cutting: stretch the fabric over your hand or knee in good light, by about the percentage the pattern asks for. A knit that turns see-through at that stretch will do the same on the seat of the leggings.

Where the Seams Go on a Pair of Leggings

The Audrey pattern is a single seam legging: each leg has one inseam and no seam down the outer leg, which gives a smooth line along the hip. The drafting tutorial works the same way, with the front and back of the leg joined in one piece. Other patterns split the leg into front and back pieces, which lets the side be shaped as well.

On a single seam pair the order is short. Sew the inseam of each leg, turn one leg right side out and slide it inside the other, then sew the crotch seam in one curve, matching the inseams where they meet. A suitable stretch stitch or a well-adjusted 4-thread serger seam is enough here; a stiff extra row can take away some of the give.

Elastic Casing or a Fold-Over Waistband

Leggings close at the waist in one of two ways. An elastic casing is the top edge folded down over the elastic, and the safety pin in the biker shorts’ supply list suggests that is how they are built, with 1 inch elastic. A fold-over waistband, often called a yoga waistband, is a separate knit band, folded in half and quartered with pins. It is often cut shorter than the top of the leggings, by the amount the pattern gives, and stretched to match as you sew.

The biker shorts listing gives an elastic length for each size, from 23.6 to 41.3 inches. Elastic varies in how much it stretches, so treat the chart as a starting point: wrap the elastic around your waist, pin it where it feels snug but comfortable, and try the leggings on before you stitch the ends together.

Stretch and Stitch Questions

What stitch is best for leggings?

A stretch stitch, often shown as a lightning bolt on the machine dial, or a narrow zigzag if your machine has no stretch stitch. Both let the seam give as the fabric stretches, which reduces the risk of the seam thread breaking. A 4-thread serger seam does the same job, and hems can take a twin needle or a coverstitch.

What type of thread is used for leggings?

An all-purpose polyester thread is the common choice, since it has a little give. Some sewists put woolly nylon in the serger loopers for extra stretch and a softer seam against the skin.

How much fabric do I need for leggings?

For full-length leggings it depends on the leg length and on whether both legs fit side by side across the width. The biker shorts show how quickly that changes: 26.6 inches of 55 inch wide knit for sizes 36 to 44, but 57.5 inches for sizes 46 to 54. Buy by the chart for your size.

How do you draft a legging pattern?

The drafting tutorial here starts from two measurements, hip circumference and crotch height, and builds a one-piece leg from them. Plan on a test pair in inexpensive knit, since a first draft often needs small changes at the crotch or the waist.

Keep the Stretch: Washing Handmade Leggings

Spandex and Lycra can lose their spring with heat. Wash the fabric once before cutting, the same way you will wash the finished pair, then keep to a cool wash and a low dryer setting or a drying rack. Follow the fabric or garment care instructions; fabric softener can impair the moisture-management finish on some sportswear knits.

Because a pair cut from a leggings sewing pattern depends on recovery, high heat can affect its fit over time. Pants in woven fabrics are collected in the skirts and pants section.

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