Baby leggings pattern round-up

I'm pleased to be back here today sharing my latest make with you, and to talk more generally about baby and kids legging patterns in a little round-up. Trust me, you'll want to read this one till the end

First up, a pair of cheetah bum panel leggings! Purr! Yep, you read that right - did you know that cheetahs don't roar, they purr? How utterly adorable is that? 

Where was I? Right, sewing project. I really loved a pair of bum panel leggings that Freya has outgrown, so I've been on a mission to create some more. Having spent a fair bit of time at baby classes and playgroups, and seeing similar designs by Joules, Blade & Rose, Jojo, to name a few, I have it on good authority that they might be in fashion, too!

The fabric choice was simple. I had a bit of the lining fabric leftover from my baby jacket project, and it's the perfect weight and feel for a pair of fun baby leggings. There's no question to my mind as to what the matching fabric would be. Of course, it's the cheetah print jersey. #matchmadeinheaven 

But have you seen the scales and mermaid jerseys? Or the glitter and roses jerseys? How about a solid with the Minnie stripes? 

The pattern I used is the Mother Grimm Lockley leggings , which comes with a whole host of options, including plain leggings without the bum panel. I made the size 9-12 months straight out of the envelope (so to speak, as it's a pdf pattern), with bum panel, hemmed legs and single (rather than folded) waistband. The instructions were great, fit true to size, and the pdf included layers, so no complaints from me!  

This is my second time making these, and I wanted to try a new technique. I did an overlocker flatlock last time (see my possibly overly comprehensive tutorial here), and wanted to fake it this time with just the sewing machine. I followed Taisia's excellent tutorial, and love the result. 

I even did a matching hem to boot. 

When I was looking for baby and kids legging patterns, I was overwhelmed by all the options. It is such a wardrobe essential, especially, (although not exclusively) for girls, so inevitably all pattern companies seem to have their own version. I thought I'd attempt to summarise what I've found, to show you the best of what's out there, focusing on some excellent free options. 

One of the patterns that is tried and tested in my household is the leggings pattern by Brindille & Twig. These go from preemie up to 5-6T, and the pdf costs $7.50 to buy. I bought this when Freya still looked like a potato, and 4 pairs of leggings later (bearing in mind that Freya is only 10 months old), obviously think that this is a great pattern. That said, if I were to be 100% honest, I'm not sure that I would spend the money again. Why? Because there are so many good FREE options out there. Let me show you the best that I've found in each category. 

Halla leggings for kids. This pattern spans from 0-3 months to 12-14 years, and come with and without cuffs. You can print this on A0, for those (myself included) who takes no pleasure from taping pages together. The best bit is, you can get it for free by signing up to the Halla facebook group. When you are at it, don't forget to check out the other amazing freebies, too!  

Love Notions has a pattern from 2T through to 14T, with layers, and trimless assembly when it comes to the PDF. 

Made for Mermaids has the Bonny leggings, which come in ankle, capri, shorties and boy shorts lengths.  This is available from 6 months to 14 years. The PDF has layers, and can be print on A0 paper. 

Sew Much Ado has 2 great options here. One with feet and one with knee pads. Although both are only in newborn size, they would make such cute baby presents! 

Patterns for Pirates has the Petite Pegs, available in sizes preemie-12 months. They come with a fabric waistband, and there are cutting lines for ankle, capri, bike and shorties lengths. You can make matching adult versions with the Peg Legs pattern, also free, and there are even pocket and maternity add-ons that are free, too. It's a good place to get you started when you have a new baby to sew for. 

In addition to the Locksley leggings that I used here, Titchy Threads also has Fancy Pants Leggings that are of a similar design (but excluding the plain/none bum panel option). This one has a larger size range (to 10 years rather than 6), and priced at $10. I am obviously a big fan of this style -- it is scrap busting and adorable, so personally think an investment one of these patterns, even with so many great free options, is worthwhile, particularly considering the cost of ready to wear leggings in this style. 

I'm gonna be honest with you. I had initially rounded up all of the above, and some more, including some free PJ sets (matching PJs for the whole family, including pets, anyone?) to give you even more options. But just as I was putting the final touches to this, what do you know? Bam! Made by Jack's Mum, one of my favourite pattern companies, landed a FREE Lightning Leggings pattern, with endless options! Leggings for boys? Tick! Cloth nappy? Tick! Disposable nappies? Tick! Cuffs? Tick! Different lengths? Tick! A more relaxed fit (like PJ bottoms)? Tick! In fact, there are so many options that there was a decision tree in the instructions! 

So really, Jack's Mum, you left me with no choice but to include the Lightning Leggings here. Heck, I almost rewrote this whole post, as this so clearly is the mummy of all legging patterns! The only catch is that you'll need to join their Facebook group to download the files (which even include an A0 version) for free in the UK and the rest of the EU (as Etsy does not allow for free listings), but if you are not on Facebook, you can still pick this up on Etsy for a nominal £1.20 including VAT. Worth every penny, in my opinion!

On that note, I will leave you guys for now. I hope you've enjoyed the little round-up, and are off sewing some fabulous leggings!

Alice from Queen of Darts