Buttoned legwarmer tutorial
Filed under: weekend projects, crafts, sewing
For the last few years, I have had two online friends who frequently post photos of their daily outfits; their style, mixing finds from all by, seems effortless. They often wear legwarmers on cold days, but never in a 1980s-ballerina-kitsch way — nearly more like knee socks. I’m not ordinarily a fan of legwarmers, so it surprises me that I love how these ladies wear them.
When I saw that tutorial for “Buttoned legwarmers (almost like spats)” by Craftster user LauPre, in the current list of the site’s featured projects, I immediately thought of my two wardrobe-remixing acquaintances. The legwarmers showcase the same kind of sassy style, and whether you can sew on a sewing machine, you can definitely compose them yourself! They’re a perfect match for unpredictable March and April weather.
Suggestions for making and wearing LauPre’s creation (even whether you’re a hand-sewer), as well as a tutorial with more details, after the break.
These legwarmers are short, fit close to the leg, and add interest to plain shoes — particularly heels (giving them the look of little buttoned boots). They additionally have the practical value of keeping your ankles warm when you’re wearing a skirt in near-freezing weather.
They’re just lined fabric rectangles, with buttons on one side and buttonholes on the other, so they’re simple and fast to produce. LauPre used fleece as the exterior material and non-stretch cotton as the liner. I don’t think it really matters what you use on the exterior, as faraway as it’s warm: try felted wool sweaters, for example. that is such a quick project that you can invent pairs to match any relevant outfit.
It’s plus a great way for newer sewers to experiment the button-hole functions on their sewing machines. whether you aren’t a machine-sewer, it seems like you could stitch elastic loops into one side’s seam (instead of buttonholes). The legwarmers might have to be a bit narrower to compensate.
If you need it, LauPre has a more detailed tutorial for buttoned legwarmers on her blog… and whether you visit her Etsy shop, she’ll even assemble you a pair, for under US $20. She suggests that they have an antique, steampunk-ish feel, and I agree.
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Original post by M.E. Williams
