Legging's Winners

Sorry - I should have had this up earlier in the week, but life has a bad habit of getting in the way.  Thank you all for reading the comparative leggings review and for linking up your own legging creations - it is so fun to see what everyone has made for the little loves in their lives.

And the Winners are.... (chosen by random.org 'cause no one could pick from all the cuteness!)

One Pattern from Peek-a-boo Patterns

#5 Coles Corner and Creations Sally Leggings (how AWESOME for holloween)

One Pattern from Lily Giggle

#19 Baby Fish Designs Petal Pants and Ruffle Leggings comparison (love seeing the doll sizes too!)

One Pattern from Jocole

#32  Trisha of Night Owl with her Ruffle Leggings

Congratulations ladies, make sure you e-mail us with your contact information so that you can claim your prize!!! 

Comparative Review: Leggings

*I was provided with a complimentary copy of each pattern for the purpose of this review - I was in no other way compensated, and the thoughts held herein are completely my own.

Welcome to the first (in what I hope will be a LONG line) of Comparative Reviews.  We all know that there is nothing very little new under the sun in fashion.  Often we see similar lines or patterns coming out from a variety of designers, and sometimes we wonder why?  If I have one pattern, would I ever possibly want another similar one?  Well maybe you will, and maybe you wont; but I am here today to say that while these patterns may follow a similar trend, idea, or article of clothing - they are vastly different from one another!

Today we are looking at leggings - I picked leggings because a) they are easy to sew, b)they are a necessity in my daughter's wardrobe for fall/winter/spring, and c) getting the right legging for your child is IMPORTANT!  By looking at these patterns side by side you may be able to better gauge the perfect pattern to add to your collection!

Today we are looking at:

The Lollipop Leggings by Peek-a-boo Patterns (affiliate link)

The Petunia Petal Pants by LillyGiggle

The Ruffle Leggings by Jocole

*All three patterns were made in a straight size 2 with no alterations to fit

Click HERE to see the full sized Chart

I'm going to be honest - I love all three of these!  My daughter now has 6 pairs of leggings that she will be able to wear with different outfits all throughout fall and winter.  Lets take a closer look at the fit.

The Bum:

Now in general, no one wants a saggy bum!  But is is also important for children to not have wedgies or to have their bums hanging out. 

All three of these patterns have modesty covered, but my chunky monkey with a bubble butt  will most often wear her Lollipop leggings with a tunic top or dress.  They hug the body and have the least fullness in the bum - these will be perfect for those skinnie minnies out there who's leggings are always sagging or baggy.

The Petal Pants have a bit more rear coverage, so she could wear them with a swing top or tunic top.  They are still a fitted legging, but not as curve hugging as the Lollipop.

The Ruffled legging have the highest rise and the fullest bum - perfect for diapers, cloth diapers, and bubble booties the world around.  These fit more in the relaxed range when it comes to leggings (they still fit to the body, they just have a bit more wiggle room).  The higher rise ensure that your derriere will be fully covered and makes these leggings an easy match with T shirts or tops that hit at the hip.

The Additional Features:

Peek-a-boo has gone out of their way to make something for everyone with their added features.  I did one plain pair and one with ruffles, but I am thinking the plain pair may just need a button tab!  The skirt feature also makes this a more versatile pattern and one that is playground appropriate.  I love my girl in skirts... but hate having to find a diaper cover to match each one... the Lollipop Leggings give the option for a skort, sk-apris, or sk-ants (hmmm not sure those made up names work ;op).

The Petunia Petal Pants are all about the Petal - I mean that is what makes them so dang adorable, RIGHT!  The pattern comes with a long and short petal - which means that you can overlay them for the double petal or use just one.  I love how you can get completely different looks by using all one fabric or using contrasting fabric.  She also includes instructions for what you need to do to get the right look with no petals - so these can easily become a basic pair of leggings too.  And did you know that this will soon be available in women's sizes! *My hubs has dubbed these her 'Storm Trooper' pants... um, I guess that means he likes them ;o)

**My second pair are black with a single ruffle, and somehow they just missed the cue for getting photographed ;op

The Ruffle Leggings are obviously all about ruffles.  The ruffles are sewn into the side seam - which I love, just make sure you stitch them on straight so that they will match up.  You can do 0-3 ruffles because the leggings are hemmed separately from the ruffles.  Jodi even shows an optional neat trick using clear elastic... I didn't have any, but I plan on buying some for the next dozen pair I plan on making.  There is also a very cool tutorial here on the blog for doing EXTREME RUFFLES.  What girl wouldn't want extreme ruffles...so fun!

The Bottom Line:

You really can't go wrong with any of these.  So take a moment and think about your child, think about what you want the leggings to go with, and if all else fails close your eyes and blindly point at the screen; but no matter what - RUN and go get a legging pattern so you can get to sewing!!!!

Make sure to go LINK UP your leggings HERE for a chance to win a free pattern from one of these three designers.

Calling out all Leggings... A Comparative Review with Prizes for YOU!

So we know that I am starting to think ahead for fall - you can read some of my tips and top picks for creating a transitional wardrobe in THIS POST. 

Today I want to start the talking about Leggings - I LOVE Leggings, seriously, my daughter wore leggings almost every day of last fall and winter.  They are easier to get on and more durable than tights, they are in style (Praise the Lord!), and since they are so easy to make - I can have them to coordinate with every outfit out there! 

I have seen so many people ask about the different fit, rise and length of various leggings out there in the PDF world, and it makes sense - we all have littles with different shapes, different builds, and different likes/dislikes.  So how do we know which of the amazing patterns out there are the ones that we are going to fall in love with???

Well dear readers, that is where I am going to come in to help you.  I have gotten my hands on three different leggings from three amazing designers and I am going to do a 'Consumer Reports' style review for you.  These are all amazing patterns - so you may end up falling for them all, but hopefully I can help you choose the legging pattern that is going to fit your needs best.  

And what three legging patterns will we be taking a look at???? 

The Lollipop Leggings by Peek-a-boo Patterns

The Petunia Petals by Lily Giggle

The Ruffled Leggings by Jocole

I have had so much fun working with these three designers on this project, and I thought you might like the chance to get to know them better.  So here is a little about each of them: 

Amy of Peek-a-Boo:

Hey I'm Amy the designer over at Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop! I love to sew for my kids and I'm all about making clothing that is cute, comfy and easy to wash. Isn't that what every little kid (and mommy!) deserves? When I first met my husband his mom asked him "If she saw a sewing machine, would she know what it was?"  I think it's safe to say she no longer worries about that :)

Beth of Lily Giggle: 

I have been designing clothes since I was a wee one, passing on my fancy crayon illustrations to my amazingly talented seamstress grandma so she could make them come alive. I've had a passion for design for as long as I can remember. Crazy fact?  Hmmm...I once made a black velvet and broken mirror evening dress while back in college. I got an A but, unfortunately, it cut every model that wore it even after hours and hours of sanding down the edge of each piece of glass. Obviously, I'm not much for superstition and, fortunately, no one required stitches. I'll skip the pattern for that one.

Jodie of Jocole: 

My name is Jodi Jean and I graduated with a degree in Fashion Design with an emphasis on design and patternmaking in 2002.  Patterns have always been my passion, and in 2009 I decided to start selling pdf sewing patterns to share my designs widely with everyone. All of my patterns are designed and handmade start to finish by me.  They start out hand-drafted and are then carefully scanned and digitized into professional patterns.  Each size is clearly marked for ease of cutting. I have four very young kids who help keep things lively around here (1 boy and 3 girls).  They are my inspiration and my driving force.  They keep me on my toes and bring laughter into my life.

When my mother taught me how to sew she was running out the door to go grocery shopping.  She quickly taught me to sew a straight line and then left for an hour.  When she returned I had drafted some patterns, cut out and sewn up an entire outfit for my American Girl doll (hat, shirt and leggings).  She was stunned -- this is why I *ALWAYS* include an 18" doll pattern with ALL of my patterns.  No one was surprised when I wanted to study Fashion Design in college.  I have boxes of notebooks filled with designs and even more boxes filled with patterns that I have drafted over the years (most of which have never even been sewn up into a sample).  I spent my days drafting pattern after pattern after pattern.

And guess what - These three ladies want to give back to our readers, the sewing community that keeps them on their toes creating the next 'must have' pattern, and inspire you to sew some leggings!  So, they are each giving away a free pattern from their shop.  All YOU have to do is link up any picture of a pair of leggings that you have made from one of these three patterns.  We want to see what you have created!!!  And if you haven't made any leggings yet, grab a pattern, sew some up and then link them up!  These are all such a great quick sew.  And if you aren't quite sure which ones you want... hold out for later in the week when I share my in depth review with you.  The linky party will be open ALL WEEK!

*you can link any picture that is hosted on the internet, so upload your images to flickr, FB, or your blog and you will be all set - if you have any questions, just let us know!

Link Up Below to WIN!!!!