Pattern Testing Tights

5:58 pm

tights 4

I can honestly say I've never really had an urge to make tights, so when Marilla Walker asked me to test her new tights pattern I was not really convinced. Having seen the ones she had made though, I was intrigued, and agreed to the testing.
The pattern arrived in my inbox, and having carefully selected my size, I printed off the appropriate pages. There are two styles of tights included in the pattern, a one piece, and a two piece with heel turn, plus a leggings option. Each come in three leg lengths, my legs were unsurprisingly short!
So far I have only made the one piece variation, and am currently waiting on a fabric delivery so that I can try the two piece, with heel turn and the leggings option.


tights 5

I rummaged through my fabric stash for suitable fabrics with mixed results, and browsed the cheap rolls section of Manchester Abakhan, where I found this sage green 100% polyester knit lace/mesh fabric. It has a really good amount of stretch in both directions so was ideal for this pattern which requires fabric with a 50% stretch.
The tights stitched up quickly and easily on my sewing machine. I am still overlocker less after my Brother 1034 died, but that wasn't a problem. The stretch stitch on my sewing machine worked perfectly.
The instructions with the pattern are clear, although I admit to rarely looking at them, other than to check details like the seam allowance ( 5mm ).

 tights 9

tights 8

I wore my completed tights all of New Years Eve (day), and they were so comfortable. I really like the high waist. I hate tights that skimp on the waist and inevitably roll down. I did wear them over a pair of black opaque tights simply because I thought the sage colour looked better with a dark background rather than my lily white legs, plus it was jolly cold!
You can see in the above photos though how the tights looked without the black opaques underneath.

tights 3

I'm now anxiously waiting for more fabric to arrive to make more tights, and will report back on the other styles included in the pattern as soon as I can.
I did try and stitch up a couple of extra pairs with fabric from my stash that I knew was risky as the stretch was only about 35%, and they didn't work at all sadly. The pattern clearly states that a stretch of 50% is required in both directions though, so I wasn't surprised or dissapointed.

Stats: I made the short length one piece tights in a size 6 with no alterations. I used 100% polyester knit lace/mesh with a good amount of stretch in both directions (at least 50%) .The fit is excellent.


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18 comments

  1. I think they look great! I would never have thought to make my own either but it is tempting now I have seen yours!

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    1. Thanks Mary, I think I'll be nipping in to Abakhan again soon to see what else I can find that might work.

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  2. Ooh tights! I've also never thought of making my own but I like the sound of the high waist and comfortable fit. Yours look really high end and professionally made too. x

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    1. They do look a lot better than i expected them to, if I'm honest. I can't quite believe I've never bothered to try making tights before.

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  3. Anonymous8:54 pm

    These look great!

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  4. Wow they are lovely! Especially with that dress. Is the seam at the back or side? Can't quite make it out from the photos...

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    1. The seam is on the inside. I was worried it would look untidy, especially as I used my sewing machine, but actually they are neater than I expected.

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  5. These are amazing. I am also chronically short of leg and find that tights are often just way too long so I have to hike them up pretty much under the armpit to stop them sagging at the knees - this doesn't, obviously, work with the baffling 'low rise' tights I have occasionally accidentally bought. I could be very tempted to try making some.

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    1. Give it a try Emma, I think this pattern is being released later this month.

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  6. Oo, absolutely love these. Just my colour! Very impressed you've made tights, something I wouldn't dream of, but maybe I should especially as I like high waists.

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  7. I saw someone who had made tights and I hated them as they had a seam across the ankle and it just screamed at me, but these I really like. My problem with tights is always that I am so big of hip/thigh that I end up getting larger than the rest of me needs so this might be a fun thing for me to try. I am also very dull with tights as they are quite expensive for nicer ones and I worry about having any pattern stretched to the limit over my thighs compared to the rest of my legs. Does your fabric have lycra to prevent 'later in the day droop'? I have often seen fabric like that at Abakhans but never thought of anything I could do with them as I was always thinking tops - maybe fresh eyes are required.

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    1. Finding the right fabric is the key, I've had mixed results when I've tried to use fabrics with not enough stretch, but the pattern clearly describes which fabrics to use, and they are not that hard to come by. This particular fabric doesn't have lycra, or at least the label didn't mention it if it did. I wore these all day without any sagging, which was a nice surprise.I think it's a case of having a good feel of the fabrics in the store, giving them a good stretch and seeing how well they recover. I took a risk on this one which was only £2 a metre, so not much of a risk at all really. x

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  8. Amazing!! I really can't wait to sew some of these up! They look fab and I love that fabric.

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  9. Happy New Year! AND YOU TOTALLY ROCK THOSE TIGHTS!!!!

    I have wardrobe envy and wish i had a modicum of your talent :-)

    love to you

    San xx

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