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10.03.2013

Sunki Strikes Again

Is there anything more adorable (to me) than a girl in black and white striped leggings?

my ethiopian beauty -  in sunki leggings

Nope... unless it's three girls in black and white striped leggings.

sunki leggings x3

I really love this (Sunki) leggings pattern!  Although that's probably painfully obvious by now, isn't it?
These are Sunki legging numbers 5, 6, and 7 for me.  I had talked about looking for a one-piece leggings pattern, but I changed my mind.  I love the fit of these leggings so much and I think that's largely because they are made from two pattern pieces.  I think there'd be more sagging and bagging in a one-piece pattern.

I've noticed that knits shift a lot more than wovens during the cutting phase.  These leggings probably took longer to cut and pin than to sew.  I found it helpful to keep the fabric really smooth and make sure the stripes line up when the fabric is folded in half.  I (again) placed the bottom of both leg pieces on the same stripe.

sunki leggings

Matching stripes was initially a little tricky, but once I got the hang of it, I found it relaxing, actually.  I've read repetitive motions are calming to the mind.  I think matching stripes would qualify.  There's a rhythm to it for sure.  I started matching from the waist and pinned my way down.  Even though I was careful with my cutting, there was always some shifting, so I had to be sure the stripes matched in all directions while pinning.

I am certainly not an expert in sewing knits, but those were a few things that helped me.  Knits are actually very easy to sew.  I sure wish I wouldn't have been afraid of them for so long.  They're a lot of fun!

toddler sunki leggings


I added length to all three pairs, though Tia's didn't need it.  The fit is perfect on Indigo.  For Tarikua, I used a 5/8" seam allowance rather than a 3/8" to get that perfect fit.  For Iris, the leggings are on the tight side - like tights.  But I like them.  That said, I might add a 1/4" seam allowance to the pattern on the next pair I make for her.

my four loves

I used this fabric for the leggings.  It is definitely on the thin side.  It's a rayon-cotton-lycra blend and 7 oz weight. I would probably use something heavier next time.  Being I'm new to knits, I'm new to the concept of a fabric having an official 'weight'.  For leggings, I've found I prefer knits that have around a 9 oz weight.  They feel more substantial.

1A2A4072

That said, even though the fabric is lightweight, Iris took a pretty big spill on the blacktop with nary a snag in the fabric.  Given how hard she fell and that she landed on her knees,  I was expecting a hole.  I guess I'll have to wait and see how durable they are in the long run.  It might surprise me.  But, this fabric was only $5.75/yard and with 2 yards I was able to make these three leggings with some leftover - maybe a pair for Iris next year.  So, thin or not, I feel they were definitely worth making.

  my four loves

And here are my four loves.

14 comments:

  1. Wow! Your kids are so beautiful! And so are the leggings :)

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    1. thank you so much, aleshia. i hope you receive my package soon. :D

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  2. Yay you are right about the striped leggings (Em has 2 pair, one store-bought and one homemade). They're just so fun! And your kids are all gorgeous.

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    1. thanks so much, kristin. yeah, i have pretty much been obsessed with striped leggings since indigo was born. but they were hard to find then and the ones i liked the most were normally really expensive. even though it's getting easier to find them now, learning how to make them myself is pretty much thrilling to me. :)
      have a great weekend!

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  3. So cute! I love striped leggings! I just bought some striped fabric to make leggings with, and a different (one piece) pattern after reading your last post about the Sunki leggings. We'll see how they turn out from that pattern. We like our leggings tight (like tights), so hopefully no sagging! I made a t-shirt on Tuesday....my first project with knits, and it turned out great! I love seeing your four little loves. Have a lovely weekend!

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    1. Hi Fiona,
      I'm sorry I changed my mind on the one piece pattern. What happened was I had planned to make a (one-piece) pair from the fall ottobre magazine. They looked really cute in the magazine and the fit looked perfect. But when I went to cut out the pattern, I realized that the reason they are one piece only is because they only have side seams. There was no 'crotch' (for lack of a better word) seam in the front and the back. I have ordered pants like that before and while I think they are okay on toddlers, I didn't like them on my older kids. Using the ottobre pattern, I would still have had to match the stripes on both the inside and outside leg seams, which isn't any different from the sunki pattern. Then, I was looking through my girls' store-bought leggings, I noticed that almost all of them were made using two pattern pieces. That's why I ultimately decided to stick with the Sunki pattern and once I got the hang of matching stripes, the leggings came together so quickly. I'm pretty much obsessed with this pattern now. :)
      I hope you love your striped leggings! I'm glad your t-shirt turned out well. :)
      hugs!

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  4. Adorable! Everything you sew is beautiful. I love anything with stripes but especially leggings :) I have yet to try making some for my daughter but anytime I see them for under $4 I snatch them up.

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    1. thank you so much, heidi. i really appreciate that! well, the sunki pattern is only $4, so you could buy that and then go crazy making your own! :) they're pretty addictive.

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  5. I really do need this pattern, don't I? That last photo is just the most beautiful thing, congratulations!

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  6. "Knits are actually very easy to sew. I sure wish I wouldn't have been afraid of them for so long. They're a lot of fun!"

    Hahahahaha. I can't resist: "I told you so!!" :-)

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  7. You're killing me with pictures of your girls in matching leggings! You know it just makes my heart go pitter-patter!

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  8. So cute! And I always love your fashion photos! Both the layout of the pictures, and the fact that your kids are all ridiculously good-looking. :)

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