Two Helen’s Closet Avery Leggings

Hi, sewing friends! Here are my first two pairs of Avery Leggings from Helen’s Closet, the first two of many, I’m sure. I love them both and at least one pair gets worn nearly every day.

My first pair was made in a (guess what?) double brushed poly from Imagine Gnats. I don’t think I can adequately express to you how long I have been meaning to make a pair of gray leggings, but I could never find the right fabric. My go to fabric for leggings is normally a rayon knit from Joann’s, but that substrate doesn’t come in gray.

I really like these, but they do have some static issues with certain fabrics and I don’t find them thick enough to wear without something booty covering, which kind of limits their use. If I want to wear them with dresses, they pretty much have to be rayon challis. Anything else and I have some major clinging issues! However, they are also super great for lounging around the house, like you see them modeled here 😉

This second version is made out of a double faced “atheleisure” knit from Joanns (I’m pretty sure thats the one) and it is A-MAZE-ING. Its so thick and firm (but not constricting) that I’ve even found the nerve to wear them out in public (ok, dog walking and a friend’s house for wine drinking and playing with her baby) as “pants”. So far I have tested their performance with workouts, dog walking, couch sitting, and curling and they have performed well on all counts. I have another colorway and I need to get on sewing them ASAP.

I swore I wasn’t going to buy into the hype of a new leggings pattern, but I had been self drafting mine using a tutorial on the Etsy Blog, and hadn’t nailed the fit on my latest iteration. Plus, I thought it would be nice to have a pattern I could use for friends and family. And also, Gillian and I somehow got into a super in depth conversation on Instagram about leggings… like you do… and she said that these were pretty awesome! I’m happy to report she was totally right (always trust Gillian)!

That waistband seam cutting across my belly and booty and staying horizontal and straight is nothing short of pattern drafting sorcery! I normally shy away from these banded designs because the top piece is normally just a rectangle, which doesn’t work for my body type at all. There is shaping on both sides of the hip seam on this pattern plus shaping at the side seams of the band, which creates a great fit. These also have hidden 1/2″ elastic at the waistband which keeps things super snug (even when doing an embarrassing rendition of step aerobics in my living room). Plus, I am kinda obsessed with how high the waist is!!

The only fit modification I made was to slightly scoop out the front curve, maybe about 1/2″. These are sewn in the XXL size. I’m slightly out of the size range (52ish” hips) and they work just fine. I’d love to see these in a larger size range since they are such an awesome pattern!

As always, thanks for reading a let me know if you have any questions! Do you have a favorite leggings pattern or are you still searching? I think I’ve found mine!