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Friday, July 16, 2010

Mini Leg Warmers

Here's an idea I found at Married To The Military: Sewing baby leg covers. {See this post.} I made my first set of baby leg covers not that long ago. They didn't turn out quite like they were supposed to. However, it was from that mistake that I learned how to make ruffles...I'll explain how to do it this way, too. My sister {Sparrow} loved the idea and said we had to make more!


So here's what we did...Sparrow went and purchased some cute knee high socks.
{Above is the selection she found for girls.}
A little side note: She found the best selection of BOY'S socks at Goodwill, for about half the cost of what we spent at Target...


We then cut the socks as shown above and below...



...and placed them inside out.



...We rolled the hem over about 1/2 inch. For the plain stitch, we sewed down the middle of the 1/2 inch hem.
{If you like, you can place pins along the fabric to hold it steady.}



Pink thread...


...for cute baby girl leg covers!







To make these sweet ruffles, we use a zigzag stitch and a number 2 space. Sew right up to the "folded" (top) edge, as well as the "frayed" (bottom) edge of the hem, and then repeat this process one more time. Then, with the fabric right side out, use the zigzag stitch again, right over the same stitching.
{We found by doing this once again, that the ruffle was even more defined!}
Look~ instant ruffles!



Now for the baby boy leg covers...See the length of this sock? Much too long for a baby, so...


...I simply cut the sock in half.


Cute baby...


Cute legs!


Ready to wear: baby boy leg covers!
{If you're sewing baby leg covers for a boy, use a simple stitch on the number 2 space.}


More cute pictures...


{Love the way this stitch looks!}
While I finished sewing the baby leg covers for my baby boy...


...Sparrow was sewing these super cute leg covers for baby girls.


{See the adorable ruffles?}


So very pink!


Not only can you make these for babies, they can be made for young children, too.
{Here is Sparrow's daughter holding her cousin.}


To make these, use extra long socks. Cut the foot portion of each sock off, as shown above. Decide how much space you want between the top and the bottom ruffles. For the top ruffle: With the fabric turned inside out, pinch it a bit where you want to sew, just enough to stitch through. Then turn the sock right side out: sew once or twice on the same line. For the bottom ruffle: Right side out, sew once, or twice if desired, on the cut edge of the sock with zigzag stitch. Now you have a double ruffle!

Sparrow's daughter can't wait to wear these the first day of school!


How many days until September?


While sewing these baby leg covers, we found there are so many unique ways they can be sewed! The process was a lot of fun as well. We will definitely be making more of these!

If you have any questions about this project, feel free to ask by email or in the comments section!
Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit!

Blessings,

Belle & Sparrow

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17 comments:

  1. I did this for my little girl during the winter. So great and practical! Great job!

    http://alltheabcsofmylife.blogspot.com

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  2. that is so stinkin' cute....i am going to have to try this one!!

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  3. I love the ruffles! I was already planning on making a few pairs for my niece, now I'll have to do a couple with ruffles :)

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  4. Very cute! Now if you could do a vlog on how to actually use a sewing machine ;-) Kidding (or maybe not)!

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  5. I love your blog, I found you guys through Tatertots and Jello!

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  6. The ruffle is brilliant! I've only tried the socks into leg warmers once but hated them because it got all stretched out from sewing. This is an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing

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  7. Ok, I've been obsessing over this ever since I saw it, lol. I may need to run out to Target because I saw the two cutest pair of LONG socks on clearance that would be perfect. I'm looking at your pics and want to make sure I understand the lengthening tips...it sounds like you are putting the wrong sides of the sock and extra piece together to stitch/ruffle the ends together and then ruffling the very end again. Is that correct?

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  8. I love them!
    Saw you at Tatertots and Jello.

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  9. So so so cute! I'm loving this blog!

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  10. Thanks for sharing this adorable idea. I'd like to try these for my granddaughter!

    Warmly, Michelle

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  11. Whoa! What a another crazy coincidence! I make these too!! Here's the link if you want to see, http://findingmyaloha.blogspot.com/2010/09/diy-2-ruffled-baby-legs.html

    So neat we both live in WA!! I love the pics of your baby legs too....so cute!

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  12. Leg warmers not only serve to keep legs warm and cozy, they can add a stylish element to almost any outfit. When you have a little diva who likes tulle and ruffles, make kids' leg warmers with tulle on the bottom as an added frilly touch.

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  13. I have been wanting to make some baby leg warmers for a while now - thanks for the how to. (By the way, did you use a ball pointed needle to sew with - one for knits - or just a regular one?)

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