As soon as I saw the new Avery Leggings that were released by Helen's Closet last week, I knew I needed to figure out a way to make a colorblock version...because why decide between two colors when you can just use both?!
I used the Heavyweight Activewear Jersey that we carry in the shop. As you guys know, I don't carry any fabric that I don't absolutely love and want to use myself - and this is no exception. I love how thick and opaque this fabric is! I actually like it better than a lot of the ready-to-wear leggings that I've seen...because of its weight, it feels more substantial, like it's holding me in. I love that.
After looking at lots of inspiration pictures, I decided to angle the seams to be higher at the outside of the leg. It creates a pretty slimming line and adds a little bit of visual interest.
But some of you might be realizing the challenge...but wait, the Avery Leggings don't have a side seam! How in the world are you going to create a sharp point? Good question.
Unless you add a side seam to the pattern (which is totally doable and not too challenging), you're not going to get a super sharp point. The negative ease in the legging will smooth out the point just a bit, not matter how carefully you sew. That said, after some trial and error, I was able to create a point that I'm really happy with.
For my first pair, I wanted to combine our aqua and coral colorways for a summery version of the Avery's. At the lengthen/shorten line of the leg, I marked the halfway point. I then measured straight up 2" and made another mark. From there, I connected the mark back to the lengthen and shorten line (see image below).
Then I simply cut along this line, making notes to remind myself to add the seam allowance back in when I'm cutting the fabric. I then cut out the top part leg in the aqua and the bottom part in coral.
When sewing the leg back together, I decide to cut a notch in the aqua to be able to sew each side of the V. Don't do it! I found that by sewing one side of the V and then the other (without a notch), you end up with a sharper point. You can see the difference if you compare the aqua pair vs. the black pair - the point on the aqua pair is much more smoothed out and not nearly as sharp.
I will say that because I didn't notch the V, there is a little bit of a pucker. However, the negative ease that's built into the pattern smooths it back out when I'm wearing them, so it doesn't bother me too much. You could also probably sew more carefully and avoid the pucker...I was just too excited.
Once you've sewn the leg pieces back together, you can follow the rest of the pattern as written!
I followed the same process for the black and grey version of these leggings, I just added in another V-shaped cut about an inch and a half about the first. Again, I needed to add the seam allowance back in when cutting out the fabric, so I left myself reminders on the pattern pieces after they were cut.
The only other change that I made to the pattern was to leave out the elastic at the waist. I personally just don't like the feeling of elastic at my waist and would prefer a smoother fit. It's totally personal preference. This does mean that I'll probably be adjusting them more often, as they won't stay up quite as well, but it's worth it to me for comfort.
These are the first of many, many pairs of the Avery Leggings! They are so quick to sew, which is just so satisfying. The addition of the gusset gives them a huge range of motion, making them incredibly comfortable. Maybe they'll inspire me to actually start working out more? Fingers crossed.
