Skip to main content

Faux Leather Leggings

Back in December, The Preacher and I were passing through Chicago and we had time for a quick stop at Vogue Fabrics. We used to live on the south side of Chicago and I made quite a few trips there during those years. Now we pass through Chicago to visit family, but we're usually on a schedule with kids along. This trip was leisurely and without kids! Perfect opportunity.

When I got in the store I was a little torn about what approach to take - look for the best deals or look for fabrics that I wouldn't normally have access to. I ended up doing some of both. One of the unusual fabrics I picked was a black stretch faux leather. They had several nice choices. All of the faux leather at Fabricland feels pretty plastic-y (stiff and shiny) to me. But, this one is a very good imitation of real leather both in appearance and feel. Of course, that's very hard to capture in a photo.


Inspired by this pair of jeans, I sliced and diced a legging pattern that I've used before (Burda 01/2011 #130). All the seams are symmetrical even though it doesn't look like it in the picture. The back of the legs are made from black ponte knit (also purchased at Vogue Fabrics). For the waistband, I made a separate casing from the ponte for 2" wide elastic. It feels substantial and sits smoothly around my middle.


This faux leather was pretty easy to sew. It is pretty thin, soft, and pliable and it has a knit backing. The backing allowed it to move through the machine without any "stickiness" and it also makes the leggings very comfortable to wear. I did have to let out the inseam a bit, but the needle holes disappeared really well. That was a surprise to me, but I think it's because of the thinness and the knit backing.


I doubt that I would have ever purchased a pair of RTW leather leggings, but I really enjoyed the process of making these and like the end product. They're warmer than regular leggings and more comfortable than jeans. And if (when?) I spill anything on them I can just wipe them clean! Perfect.

Comments

  1. I was just thinking today how much I want to sew a pair of faux leather pants (with a ponte back) and then here is your post! I'm having a hard time finding decent faux leather so maybe I'll check out Vogue Fabrics. Love yours by the way!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really like these. They are very "biker chic!"

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've been eying some that are similar and I love your pair! I wonder if I could pull these off.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love these leggings.They look fabulous on you.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Burda Skirt Again

I'm not sure what prompted it, but awhile ago I decided that I needed a green skirt. The last time I was at Fabricland I saw this green wide-wale corduroy. I wasn't really looking for the skirt to be corduroy and the color was a little different than I was hoping for, but since I had my eyes peeled for awhile and hadn't seen anything better, I thought I'd try the corduroy. After looking for a suitable pattern, I settled on the Burda 2/2010 skirt that I've already used three times . Because of the weight and bulk of the corduroy, I didn't want to try to mess with too many details. I'll use another skirt pattern soon. Really, I will. One of the things I really like about this pattern is the pockets. This time I made the pocket facings and part of the pocket bag out of a cotton woven solid to reduce bulk. Since I'll be wearing this skirt with tights I added a lining. Adding the lining was really simple except that I cut the lining exactly the sam...

Grocery Bags

More gifts! These are just like the still-all-too-ubiquitous plastic grocery bags, but they're fabric.  I followed this tutorial and you actually use a plastic bag as a pattern.  The instructions are very good and include a pocket so that the bag can be folded up and is easy to keep in a purse or a car's glove box. Mostly for the sake of the gift recipients, here's how to fold up the bag.... 1.  Lay the bag pocket side down and fold it length-wise using the edges of the pocket as a guide. 2.  Fold it in half, aligning the top of the handles with the bottom of the bag. 3.  Fold in half again and then reach into pocket with your hand and turn the whole thing (pocket included) inside out. Happy shopping!

Simplicity 2508 - Orange Coat

I have more fabric than will fit in my fabric closet. It seems that a purge and reorganizing effort is on the horizon. But, before I get to that, I've queued up projects for some of the bulkier fabrics. I need the space that they take up. The first of these projects is a new coat for me! The fabric... I purchased this orange coating fabric over a year ago when all the clearance fabrics at Fabricland were $1.00/meter. However, this is not a high-quality piece of fabric. It is mostly polyester and I don't expect it to wear well. I suspect it will pill. For that reason, I didn't invest a lot of time in the construction. Also, I'm thinking that I might get tired of an orange coat more quickly than something neutral, so I didn't see the need to use lots of elaborate techniques on this project. The lining fabric was given to me by a destashing acquaintance. It isn't particularly fabulous, but it was on hand and perfectly serviceable. The entire coat is und...