McCall's 6360: Leopard Leggings

Quick and simple, but somehow critical to my survival: leopard print leggings! I got the idea from the fabulously eclectic The Secondhand Years, who put together an awesome outfit (dang, I envy her inventiveness AND her height):

The pattern, McCall's 6360, is so simple it could make you cry. Cry that you thought you needed a pattern for these, that is. But it is well designed and drafted, and I wouldn't have had the idea to add a little ruching on the side (made by stitching a piece of short elastic to the seam allowance at the lower leg) without the suggestion from McCall's.

Other than getting the size wrong (I went for the 12 and had to sew the seams larger to overcome some bagginess), the only creative contribution I made to these leggings was using a band for the hem rather than turning up a hem. A little in-process trying on and fiddling made me think that a turned up hem would be inclined to flip to the wrong side if used in conjunction with the gathering at the side seam. The band stays in place very well.

The fabric is a poly-spandex blend from Fabric.com. It has the look I was after, but it remains to be seen if I'll find these too hot for summer wear.

This picture is purely for informational purposes. Rest assured I will never, ever try to wear these as pants.

I think they are kind of cute with denim too.

Although I have another legging pattern or two, I do like this one for its straightforward shape. It seems to me that leggings are something that it can pay to make yourself (especially since RTW versions in cute fabrics can cost upwards of $25). You can get nearly any color or print, fit them the way you like and whip them up in an hour or less.