Free girls leggings pattern

Leggings are the most comfortable thing to wear while on the move, so kids always love them! They are great for sports, playtime or for wearing around the house. In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to make comfy leggings for kids with my super easy girls leggings pattern.

Girls leggings pattern

Leggings pattern for girls

Kids leggings pattern are so fun and easy to sew! I made this girls leggings pattern using my daughter’s measurements, and then I graded up and down to get a size 2T to 16 pattern.

Leggings can be worn alone or under dresses, skirts, and with loose tunics, but they are not only for girls. Boys can also wear them under their shorts while practicing sports during colder seasons. They are also great sleepwear for everyone, so you can’t have too many leggings.

More girls sewing projects you’ll love:

Childrens leggings pattern

Leggings are also great in winter, made from thick and warm fabric. Think of those funny reindeer leggings or other winter-themed ones. You can adjust the length as you like, making them capri length or shorts.

This childrens leggings pattern is great for closely fitted leggings. If you want to make them a bit looser, just go one size up. This is a super easy and fast piece of clothing and you can sew a pair of leggings in under an hour, with basic sewing skills.

Leggings are usually made of stretchy fabrics like knits, and the best one is a 4-way stretch fabric. This way, you can make them fit very closely, while still being super-comfy. The brushed poly spandex knit is great for leggings, as it is super soft and has a great stretch.
Ideally, the fabric should have at least 50% stretch and a minimum of 4% lycra or spandex for better recovery.

Kids leggings pattern

Tips for sewing leggings with knit fabrics:

  • Only use ballpoint needles. They have rounded tips which allow them to move between the fibers without piercing the fabric.
  • Try loosening the thread tension a bit. You can experiment on scraps to find the best tension for your fabric;
  • For seams that need to stretch, use a narrow zig-zag or a special stretch stitch if your machine has one. If you’re not sure, check your machine manual;
  • Straight seams that don’t need to stretch can be easily done with a straight stitch. To avoid the fabric stretching as you sew, try using a longer stitch length and loosen the upper thread tension a bit. Check on a few scraps for the best result;
  • For fabrics that tend to curl, fabric starch will help, as it makes them less stretchy and helps feed through the machine more easily;
  • If your fabric is being drawn into the machine or is stretching even after changing the machine settings, put a layer of thin tissue paper between the feed dogs and the fabric. The paper can be torn away after stitching;
  • If the layers move away while sewing, you can try using a walking foot. The walking foot has an additional set of feed dogs that will feed all layers evenly and make the seams look more professional.
  • You can either add a separate waistband or leave an extra length of fabric at the waist for creating the waistband. This is the easier method, as you don’t have to do extra fitting and stitches. Hems can also be made by either folding the fabric on the inside and stitching, adding binding or leaving the edge raw. This last method is OK for casual leggings.

I hope you’ll like this girls leggings pattern and I’m eager to know about your tips or tricks for working with knit fabrics and making well-fitted leggings for kids.

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Leggings pattern for girls

Free leggings pattern for girls

Materials:

Directions:

Sew the crotch

  • Print out the pattern and cut 2 panels of fabric according to the pattern.

  • Place the fabrics right sides together.

  • Pin the top sides (the crotch).
  • Set your serger for sewing knit fabrics and sew the side seams. If you don’t have a serger, use a zig zag or stretch stitch.

Sew the legs

  • Match the two seams you’ve just sewn to shape the leggings.

  • Sew the bottom of legs with a serger to finish the seam (optional)
  • With the crotch seams matching, pin the insides of the legs and sew with a serger in one continuous seam.

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Sew the elastic

  • Measure the waist and cut the elastic 1 1/2″-2″ smaller. The elastic should feel a little tight but comfortable.
  • Sew the elastic ends with a zig zag stitch, 2-3 times.
  • With the leggings still wrong side out, place the elastic at the waist and pin.

  • Sew with a serger.

  • Fold the elastic in and pin.

  • Move to your sewing machine and insert a ball point twin needle.
  • Sew the waist onto the right side of the fabric, 1/8″ away from the bottom edge of the elastic.

Hem the leggings

  • Turn the leggings right side out and fold the bottom of the legs in about 1/2″ to form the hem.

  • Sew the hem onto the right side of the fabric, 1/8″ away from the raw edges of the fabric.

And you’re done! Your little one is ready to rock her new pair of fun, comfy leggings!

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Girls leggings pattern

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ABOUT PETRO

Hi, I’m Petro, author and founder of Easy Peasy Creative Ideas. Sewist, crafter, avid DIY-er, foodie, photographer, homemaker and mommy to one. I’m an expert at coming up with quick, clever sewing tips, recycling crafts and simple, easy recipes! You can find my ideas featured in reputable publications such as Country Living, Good House Keeping, Yahoo News, WikiHow, Shutterfly, Parade, Brit & Co and more. Thanks for stopping by and hope you’ll stay for a while, get to know me better and come back another time. Stick around for real fun projects! Read more…

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10 Comments

  1. Dorothea Garrett says:

    My pattern pieces don’t line up when printed. The 1″ square is the correct size on the printed sheet; however, some of the pages don’t align. Also, the size seems rather large. Are these loose leggings? Please help.

    1. Hi Dorothea! I’m sorry you’re having troubles with printing the pattern. Please make sure you print at 100% & your printer doesn’t add margins & lots of white space as this will distort the printing. As for the looseness, these shouldn’t be loose legging if correct size is chosen. I just measured the patterns again & here are some more details on sizing. Hope it helps with choosing the right pattern (you might need to adjust the leg length a little): Size 16, waist 27″ leg length 39″, size 14 waist 26 1/2″ length 37″, size 12 waist 26″ length 35″, size 10 waist 25 1/2″ length 33″, size 8 waist 25″ length 31″, size 6 waist 24″ length 29″, size 4 waist 23 1/2″ length 27″, size 4T waist 23″ length 25″, size 3T 22 1/2″ length 23″, size 2T waist 22″ length 21″.

  2. What are the measurements for the sizes? I don’t want to print it and find out it’s not big enough even with the largest size for my 10yo. Sizes are not always consistent in patterns/clothes. Thanks!

    1. Hi Shari. Size 16, waist 27″ length 39″, size 14 waist 26 1/2″ length 37″, size 12 waist 26″ length 35″, size 10 waist 25 1/2″ length 33″, size 8 waist 25″ length 31″, size 6 waist 24″ length 29″, size 4 waist 23 1/2″ length 27″, size 4T waist 23″ length 25″, size 3T 22 1/2″ length 23″, size 2T waist 22″ length 21″

      1. Thanks!

      2. After double checking her measurements, I’m going to have to adjust the pattern or something. My daughter is 30″ waist and 30″ leg length :(

      3. Yes, unfortunately we are not all the same & sometimes we need to make adjustments as one size doesn’t fit all. The patterns are numbers & drawings, people aren’t. Even though I made these patterns, I had to slightly adjust the one I used to make my daughter’s leggings, pictured un the tutorial. She has long legs & small waist for her age.

      4. Yup. I’m used to adjusting patterns for me (I have Dad’s shoulders lol). I’ll figure it out! Thanks!

  3. Thank you for the legging pattern in multiple sizes and the tutorial.
    It is explained in a very simple way for all sewing levels.

    1. Hi, Anna. Thanks for letting me know! I aim for simple & easy projects, even beginners can make. Glad you liked my pattern! xoxo