They've been really popular the last couple of years for little girls. I love them.
Love them because they bring new life to outgrown tights.
I find it painful to toss really cute tights, and I don't anymore. Now you don't have to either.
These are super easy to make. Like 15 mins tops!
Start by cutting the feet off. I usually just cut the feet off and my tights end up being really close to ankle length. In this case I bought some tights that were a size too small (I wanted them to go with her Valentine dress) so mine really were cropped. If you want them a little shorter, then just cut them a little shorter.
Now, I like using the sock to make the bands at the bottom of the tights. I like to do this so I know the bands will match perfectly but I know this isn't always an option. We end up with lots of tights where the feet are stained and yuck. Don't use the feet if they're like that.
If that ends up being the case just use a little piece of cotton lycra or stretchy interlock or rib knit. Cut a strip the width of the bottom of your tights X 2. Sew the ends into a tube and you will have what I have in this photo. I'm just going to use the middle piece and I normally cut 1.5 inches wide.
Fold your tube right sides together lengthwise, raw edges together.
Now, just put around the bottom of your tights and using a 1/4 inch seam allowance sew to the bottom of your tights. Raw edges should be together and the fold of your tube facing up. Use a small zig zag or stretch stitch.
Flip down, and your done!
Give them to your girl and hopefully you'll get a cute toothless smile, or at least a cute smile.
My 6 yr old says these are cool, and the tights with feet are for little girls. I thought she was a little girl?
Too bad little miss lives somewhere where we just can't wear these during the winter.
She'll be wearing these ones on Valentine's day though. All in the name of fashion.
If you'd like to make the dress...
Very clever. I'm going to run upstairs and look through the girls old tight right now!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteCute! They also make great little shorts to sew into your skirt waistline and turn them into skorts.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter skins her knees out of tights before she can outgrown them.
ReplyDeleteSo amazing! I am SO gonna do that!!!
ReplyDeleteso cool! THANKS for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea!! My daughter has a handful of tights that are too short, but are sooo cute I can't bear to get rid of them.
ReplyDeleteI linked to your tutorial over at Craft Gossip Sewing:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-make-cropped-footless-tights-from-outgrown-tights/2011/02/04/
--Anne
So great - Did you know you were linked on the farbenmix inspiration blog?!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, how COOL! I LOVE Farbenmix! :)
ReplyDeleteMy dd is wearing a Farbenmix Olivia in my most recent post!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea - thanks for the tutorial!!
ReplyDeleteThank you sooo much for this idea. I was searching for this exact thing. I made 2 pairs last night. The first took me 15 minutes, the 2nd even less time. You're amazing!
ReplyDeleteI just used this same technique to turn my daughter's cute long-sleeved shirt into a short sleeved shirt. So easy! Thank you thank you. Your model is darling btw. Love her shoes!
ReplyDeleteI was going to throw my daughter's winter tights away as she tried a pair on today and they were not long enough for her taller that average frame.
ReplyDeleteShe loves leggings and shorts, so here is my winter option (winters here in the UK are warmer than yours). Just need to convince daddy that these are a good idea.