Free Pattern Friday: Lightning Leggings for Kids

Welcome to my monthly 'Free Pattern Friday' feature, where I road test a free sewing pattern or tutorial: sometimes a children's one, sometimes an adult's one. I try to publish these posts every first Friday of the month, timed to provide inspiration for those who plan to get their sew on over the weekend. I firmly believe that, if you pick your projects carefully, sewing doesn't have to be a crazy-expensive way to clothe yourself and your family. Thanks to all the amazing pattern designers who have offered up their hard work for us to enjoy for free.

Oh my goodness! I posted about this free pattern five years ago, and seeing the pictures of my kids so much smaller has slightly broken my heart! But the fact that I'm still banging on about this pattern should give you some clue as to how great it is. Back then, the designer was calling their brand Made By Jack's Mum. These days it goes by Waves & Wild. They have a number of free sewing patterns, but the Lightning Leggings pattern is particularly useful I feel. Thanks so much to them for sharing this excellent resource with the sewing community for free. To access it, you add it to your cart and go through their check out process, without having to pay, of course. 

(Image source: Waves & Wild)

Pattern type:

The Lightning Leggings pattern may appear, on the surface, like a basic leggings pattern. But the sheer amount of options makes this kind of the last word on kids' leggings patterns. There are three lengths (long, capri and knee length), two waist finishes (elasticated and cuffed), two hem finishes (hemmed and cuffed), two fits (relaxed fit which can work really well as PJ bottoms and traditional, slim fit) AND there is a separate version for nappy wearers. See what I mean? What else could you need?!

Sizing info:

The pattern is graded from prem baby right up to approx. 12 years (152cm height). My big kid, pictured here, is actually *just* off the size chart, so I basically graded up one size to make an age 13 (even though they're 11!). But when both my kids were smaller and in the 'proper' sizing, I found the fit to be accurate compared to their size chart. 

Fabric info:

It is advised to use knit fabric with 'good stretch and return (AKA recovery), including cotton/Lycra jersey'. The part about good recovery is key for leggings, ask me how I know.... The fabric I used here is some cotton/Lycra jersey as suggested and it works perfectly. Remember that different amounts of stretch and recovery might effect the fit and size of the finished garment. 

Findings:

It will not surprise you to hear that this pattern is a joy to use. The multiple options are great for kids who have strong opinions on how their clothes should look and feel, and for using up different quantities of fabric. 

If your child is smaller than the largest size, I would recommend getting a printout of this pattern, turning the layers off for all sizes smaller than your child's current size. Then you can trace off the pieces for the size and style options you need as they grow, without using up loads of printer ink each time. 

Would I make this again?

Probably not for my big kid, I'll find an adults pattern for them next so I don't have to keep grading out this one. But I'd definitely use the relaxed fit for my son of the right fabric crossed my path...

Free Pattern Friday: Women's T-shirt. Again

Welcome to my monthly 'Free Pattern Friday' feature, where I road test a free sewing pattern or tutorial: sometimes a children's one, sometimes an adult's one. I try to publish these posts every first Friday of the month, timed to provide inspiration for those who plan to get their sew on over the weekend. I firmly believe that, if you pick your projects carefully, sewing doesn't have to be a crazy-expensive way to clothe yourself and your family. Thanks to all the amazing pattern designers who have offered up their hard work for us to enjoy for free.

As you may have noticed if you've checked out my blog previously, sometimes I re-road test and re-review a free pattern or tutorial. Hopefully, this shows you which patterns I really think are worth your time! And the Free T-Shirt pattern by Closet Core Patterns is one such pattern. The first version I made using this pattern has been worn an absolute TON. The fit is ideal for wearing underneath dungarees and strappy dresses. It's become one of those garments that I really miss when it's in the wash, so I felt it made sense to use this pattern to make another in different fabric. I also took the opportunity to road test the fancy back neck and shoulder seam finishing that I didn't try last time. So, again, big thanks to Closet Core for sharing this pattern with the world for free. 

(image source: Closet Core Patterns)

Pattern type:

The Closet Core T-shirt is a standard crew neck style with set in sleeves. The fit is gently boxy, if that's a thing. View A is a slightly cropped length with short sleeves, and View B is hip-length with 3/4 length sleeves. Throw in a patch pocket piece, and with these options you can mix and match to your heart's content. The pattern files are split into two size ranges, and the larger range features a bust dart. 

Sizing info:

This pattern includes an impressive range of sizes, from 31" to 60" bust. Sizes 0-20 (full bust 31" - 46") are grouped together and sizes 14-32 (full bust 42" - 60") are grouped in together with the addition of a bust dart. 

Based on the size chart cross-referenced with the finished measurements charts, I decided to make a size 8 at the top, blended to a size 10 for my waist downwards. This worked perfectly in my first version, however, in this heavily and drape-y knit, I ended up having to skim quite a lot away from the side seams to achieve a similar fit. 

Previously I made the cropped version and wanted to make a longer one this time. However, due to my fabric limitations, I had to settle for a length almost dead in between the cropped and hip length. 

Fabric info:

As per the listing: 'This pattern can be made in a variety of knit fabrics with at least 30% crosswise stretch. For a more structured look, choose 100% cotton interlock and jersey. For a drapier effect, choose cotton/spandex blends, ribbed or rayon knits.' Basically, you have quite a bit of leeway with your choice of knits, but bear in mind that it will effect the fit (and somehow possibly also the size!) of your finished garment.   

About six years ago, my boss donated me a stripe-y RTW knit dress. I love stripes but rarely wear dresses, so it's stayed in my stash all this time with a view to using the fabric at some point. It's a heavier knit with viscose, polyester and elastane content. The dress had some inseam pockets that were positioned towards the front rather than a regular side seam position, making it a bit challenging to fit the pattern pieces out of it. With a bit of tweaking, I was able to cut out this top.

Findings:

As you suspect from a major, well-established indie pattern brand, this pattern was a dream to work with. The downloads included A4/letter sized as well as A0/copyshop pattern files. I treated myself to some A0 printing because my home printer is close to death, and was able to specify which size layers I wanted. That saved the printers some ink and sparing me from loads of confusing, unnecessary lines. 

The instructions include diagrams to illustrate the steps. Unlike last time, I followed the instructions to bind the back neck and shoulder seam, which is a feature I've always like on RTW garments. Because my knit was pretty thick, I didn't end up with the cleanest of finishes, but I think it looks ok. It also makes it super easy to tell which is the back! 

Customisation ideas:

• use a different colour or printed fabric for the front, or for the sleeves, or for each piece
• cut the backneck/shoulder stabilising band from contrast fabric
• create seamlines and colourblock using scraps and leftovers of jersey
• cut the neckband from a contrast colour to the rest of the garment for a 90s indie-kid look
• shorten the length of the body for an exaggerated crop, or lengthen the top to create a tunic length garment, or even a dress
• shorten the sleeves for a cap sleeve look, or lengthened them for full length sleeves

Would I make this again?

Absolutely! Next time I'd like to try the long sleeved version. 

Free Pattern Friday Is Taking a Month Off!

Hi all, apologies but due to the launch of this year's Me-Made-May, making Check Your Thread and many, many other tasks and commitments, I'm taking a break from Free Pattern Friday this month. 

See you next month!

Free Pattern Friday: Racerback Tank for Kids, Tweens & Teens

Welcome to my monthly 'Free Pattern Friday' feature, where I road test a free sewing pattern or tutorial: sometimes a children's one, sometimes an adult's one. I try to publish these posts every first Friday of the month, timed to provide inspiration for those who plan to get their sew on over the weekend. I firmly believe that, if you pick your projects carefully, sewing doesn't have to be a crazy-expensive way to clothe yourself and your family. Thanks to all the amazing pattern designers who have offered up their hard work for us to enjoy for free.

(image source: Life Sew Savoury)

Anyone who regularly sews for a child will have noticed that the number of pattern options for kids above ten years or so drops significantly. Of course, there are a whole bunch of companies catering for tweens and teens, and I've been meaning to collate them all in a blog post for yonks, but even so it's a small fraction compared to the offerings for younger kids. And if you're a maker who relies on free patterns here are there to make your sewing budget stretch further, the pickings are slim. That makes the Life Sew Savoury blog a valuable resource, because there are a bunch of free sewing patterns for kids, with many that span tweens and teens sizing. It seems that, as Emily's own kids get bigger, she releases patterns in bigger sizes! Thanks to Emily at Life Sew Savoury, and all pattern designers who release their work for free for us to enjoy. When my kids were small I made a load of the Life Sew Savoury tank tops, so when I came across the racerback version for older kids I was excited to give it a try...

Pattern type:

A classic, racerback tank designed for knit fabrics that includes two methods for the armhole and neck bindings. To access this pattern, you add it to your basket and go through the checkout. No payment is required but you are then automatically added to their mailing list, which is fair enough. The download includes the pattern pieces only, the instructions are shared as a blog post. 

Sizing info:

This pattern has been graded from approx. 4 - 18 years, which equates to 22.5" to 35" chest, or 39" to 64" tall. Going on my kid's measurements, I used the size 10/12 for the top part, grading out to the size 14/16 at the waist. 

Fabric info:

'Knit fabric' is the only specification on the blog post (with an affiliate link to an online fabric shop). I made two versions of this pattern (read on to find out why you only see one of them pictured in this post!), the first in a cotton/elastane single jersey that I harvested from an adult's rollneck top that I was no longer wearing because it was too tight in the arms. And the second I made in a 100% cotton single jersey (pictured) that was harvested from a toddler bed sheet. The fabric of the bed sheet had lost a fair bit of its mechanical stretch so probably wasn't the most suitable choice. But the print is super cute and reminds me of when my children were tiny, so it's nice to find a use for it.

You could also use a fine rib knit for this pattern I reckon, or even a thinner pointelle perhaps, which might be nice for nightwear. You cut your own strips for the bindings so the fabric you use for them does't need to have any particular percentage of stretch. Just be mindful as you apply them to not do so too tightly if the fabric doesn't have much stretch and recovery. 

Findings:

Accessing the pattern was easy, and it was simple to print out and put together. Generally speaking, I think the pattern is well drafted, but I did notice that the side seams weren't the same length, so I ended up trimming one down. As for the instructions, if you've been following this blog feature for a while, you know by now that I don't love instructions that are in the form of an ad-riddled blog post, including the extra distracting animated ads. Obviously, I understand the business model: that's one of the ways the designer makes their money, but there's also the affiliate links AND you've given them your email address to access the actual pattern. As Danny Price would say, moving on...

I did like being given two options for attaching the bindings, which they differentiate as 'bands vs bindings' (I prefer the bands method). And all in all the project was a fun, quick and satisfying sew. 

What didn't work out well, however, was the fit. My kid found the armholes to be too high in the first version, and in fact refused to wear that one at all because they found it too uncomfortable (I haven't plucked up the energy or motivation to unpick all that top stitching and overlocking yet). I lowered the armholes considerably for the second version and which worked out well and this second one has been worn to sleep in. 

Will I make this pattern again?

Possibly. There's also a question over whether or not my kid actually likes the racerback style after all (eye roll). 

Me-Made-May 2025!!! Time to plan your pledge...

 

Here we are again! Me-Made-May is a month away, so it's time to decide if you wish to participate. 

The fun and inclusive thing about this challenge is that it really is suitable for every maker. It doesn't matter if you have just one handmade item so far, or an entire wardrobe. You can set your own challenge so that it a bit tricky but do-able for you! So consider your goals and what aspect of your making you'd like to improve on. Once you've figure that out, you can record it by making a proper pledge if you wish:

There are two episodes of my podcast about the challenge that give ideas for pledges and include experiences of previous participants, they are: 

Ep 37: Pledges and Participants #1 with Rebecca and Meg

Ep 38: Pledges and Participants #2 with Amy and Judith

Here's a blank page if you'd like:

If you'd like to hear more about the creation and evolution of the challenge, as well as a longer explanation on what the challenge is, what it isn't, how you can participate and why you might want to, please check out Ep. #84 of my podcast, Check Your Thread. And if time is tight and you'd like a brief explanation, please check out this week's episode: Ep. #177: Me-Made-May Explained in Under 5 Minutes!

I have also created a helpful (but entirely optional!) workbook to accompany the challenge. It will help you capture the lessons you'll learn about your wardrobe so you can apply them to your future making. If you think this workbook would be useful but you can't afford £3.99 at this time, then please email me and I'd be happy to send it to you for free. If you have any questions, please get in contact via email (zoe at checkyourthread dot com). 

Free Pattern Friday: Duffle Bag

Welcome to my monthly 'Free Pattern Friday' feature, where I road test a free sewing pattern or tutorial: sometimes a children's one, sometimes an adult's one. I try to publish these posts every first Friday of the month, timed to provide inspiration for those who plan to get their sew on over the weekend. I firmly believe that, if you pick your projects carefully, sewing doesn't have to be a crazy-expensive way to clothe yourself and your family. Thanks to all the amazing pattern designers who have offered up their hard work for us to enjoy for free.

This month I'm sharing a pattern and tutorial that I'm hoping will have fairly broad appeal. I mean, who couldn't use a variety of different sized and shaped bags?! This project was born out of wanting to use up this remnant of pre-quilted fabric. The remnant was rectangular but not very big, so it took me some time to find a project/pattern that would make the most of what I had with very little leftover. Eventually I landed on this duffle bag tutorial by Free-Tutorial.net. Thanks to them for sharing this pattern and tutorial for free. 

(image source: Free-Tutorial.net)

Pattern type:

This project makes a basic, barrel-shaped duffle bag, AKA holdall. The measurements, quantities and step-by-step instructions are found in the blog post, and there's downloadable pattern pages for the circles that form the ends of the bag. There are no sign-ups or checkouts required to access this pattern, just a million distracting adverts and annoying pop-ups to navigate. Thus is the way with some free patterns...

Sizing info:

This bag comes with two sizes for you to choose from: Medium - 13” wide and 8.5” high and Mini – 11” wide and 6” high. I made the medium. However, if you're up for a bit of maths, you could alter the scale on your printer setup when printing the circle pattern pieces, and work out the ratio to alter the rest of the measurements to make different sizes of bag. However, if you wanted a different volume bag but didn't fancy doing the maths, you could simply alter the width of the side panel pieces to make it more or less roomy. 

I'm not sure how useful the mini version would be, although it would be very cute. The medium size seems ok as an overnight bag, or possibly for taking a change of clothes to a dancing class or similar. Although I didn't specifically make this for her, I envision my daughter using this to go to a sleepover at a pal's. 

Fabric info:

The choice of recommended exterior fabric is pretty broad (quilting cotton/canvas/vinyl) because you can then add fusible interfacing if necessary, and you're advised to use a layer of fusible fleece or foam stabiliser for structure. Those more experienced in bag making will probably know more about these products than I! There's no specific recommendation for what to use for the lining. 

For my bag, I was determined to only use what fabrics I already had. As I say, my exterior fabric was pre-quilted, so had a bit of bulk to it already. However, it wasn't very stiff, so I used some plasticised table cloth vinyl to form the lining. I didn't have enough of this in right size so I had to piece together what I had. I'm pretty sure that the table cloth vinyl gives the bag a similar structure to how the fusible fleece or foam stabiliser might work. I'm not sure how it'll hold up long-term, but it works pretty well right now. I also like that it makes the inside somewhat waterproof in case a water bottle or shampoo bottle or something leaks. 

Webbing of non-specified width is recommended for the straps. I bought some organic cotton webbing from James Tailoring. But you could also just make straps from long rectangles of fabric folded twice (like you would double-fold bias binding) and stitched down the edges. 

Findings:

I spent one evening prepping and cutting out my pieces, and another evening actually stitching the bag together. I haven't made a bag like this before, so it was fun to see it come together, which is did pretty quickly. In hindsight, the table cloth vinyl might not have been the best choice for the lining. It was pretty tricky to wrestle into place and can't easily be pinned, and I had/have a fear that it's going to tear. 

As for the pattern itself, the instructions were pretty good with fairly clear photographs showing the various steps, but not for every step that I thought could use one. One thing I found was that the seam allowances were a bit all over the place, 1/4" in some places, 1/2" somewhere else and 3/8" somewhere else. It's a pretty simple make, but a little bit more guidance would make it more beginner friendly. 

The finished bag looks super cute, and this style of bag is a great canvas for lovely fabric. My only real gripe, design-wise, is that I wish there was a tab to hold on to when I unzip the bag. I didn't realise I'd miss that until the bag was complete, and now I can't really be arsed to unpick it and add them. 

Will I make this pattern again?

Possibly! I'd definitely make a similar style bag if not this exact one, simply because I'd like to learn some other methods of bag construction.

Free Pattern Friday Guest Post: Zero Waste Knickers / Pants / Panty / Undies for Adults

(image source: Saara Jolkkonen)

Welcome to my monthly 'Free Pattern Friday' feature, where I road test a free sewing pattern or tutorial: sometimes a children's one, sometimes an adult's one. I try to publish these posts every first Friday of the month, timed to provide inspiration for those who plan to get their sew on over the weekend. I firmly believe that, if you pick your projects carefully, sewing doesn't have to be a crazy-expensive way to clothe yourself and your family. Thanks to all the amazing pattern designers who have offered up their hard work for us to enjoy for free.

This month's instalment of Free Pattern Friday is deviating from the usual format because this one has been written by a guest! A lovely maker called Catherine who has always been incredibly supportive of my work offered to write up her recent experience with a free sewing pattern. So I want to say massive thanks to both Catherine AND all the amazing and generous designers who share their work with the community for free. Let's hand it over to Catherine!...

So I suggest that other people might want to contribute towards the “free pattern Friday” posts, so that Zoe did not have not make things for the sake of it, and other patterns that Zoe might not be interested in could also be showcased. I then went on to test out a pattern that Zoe would probably be happy to try herself!!

Anyway on to Zero Waste patterns… inspired by The Check Your Thread podcast episodes on Zero Waste I tried my first zero waste pattern last year and loved it. So then I decided to try a knickers pattern – I must have spent more time “researching” and “falling down the rabbit hole” on the internet than I did actually making them. The delightful pattern I chose comes from designer Saara Jolkkonen. The open source collection of twelve ZW patterns, including these undies, can be found on this website. 

Through my research I also discovered this helpful post by Zebra Spider about making this pattern, plus three awesome blog posts by recent-Check Your Thread-guest Liz Haywood (1, 2 & 3).   

Pattern type:

A zero waste pattern in Finnish which can be printed out on two sheets of A4 paper and used. Translation on Google works Ok – but the above websites have lots of information too. The most important thing to remember is seam allowances are 6mm.

Catherine's pieces ready to stitch together

Sizing info:

According to Google Translate:

The briefs are serialized in five sizes: S, M, L, XL and XXL. S waist 61 cm, M waist 68 cm, L waist 74 cm, XL waist 80 cm, XXL waist 85 cm. The sizes may sound small in centimetres, but the material of the underpants should be flexible and the trousers should be tight.

Fabric info:

You will need to use a jersey stretch fabric with 4-way stretch. I used various scraps of left over fabric from T-shirts and Jersey PJ trousers I have made… I also used old T-shirts that are no longer wearable and white vests for gusset pieces…. All useful for toiles.

Catherine tried these on at this point and found there was not enough coverage over the backside so she went no further with this pair. 

Findings:

I am used to making underwear as I have been doing it for years. I found this an interesting pattern to use – though it was a little low rise at the backside for me..so then I tried Liz Haywood’s pattern (see below) – which was a bit low at the legs.. so like Goldilocks the third attempt was much better… I adapted the pattern making it minimal waste rather zero waste. Though I think there are a number of ways to be Zero waste, one is using a zero waste pattern, and another is to use fabric which has no other use (scraps from other projects, old T-shirts etc). So I still feel this is Zero waste!

Catherine's next version using Liz Haywood's reworking of the original ZW undies pattern

If you have not made Zero waste patterns, this might be an easy place to start.Equally, if you have never made underwear before, again this could be a good place to start – especially with all of the information on the above links and Zoe’s own knicker making tutorials!

Catherine's helpful comparison of the original pattern (on top) and Liz's version (underneath)

One point to note is that like many zero waste patterns, it might not be suitable for directional prints as the bottom and front are cut in different directions. However inspired by this I cut out some Acacia Knickers (also a free pattern) and turned one piece upside down to get two pairs from one old T-shirt rather than one pair…. Who’s looking at the underwear anyway? Does it matter if the print is upside down on my backside???

The changes Catherine made to Liz's version of the pattern

Will I make this pattern again?

After I made my adaptions, yes I will be making it again. I already make all of my knickers – fun fabrics, good use of leftover jersey and fit well! 

Catherine's Goldilocks version!