Hello! Today we're very excited to welcome Anya of @anna.zoe.sewing on the blog to show us how to sew the Avery Leggings for maternity wear! Anya is a talented sewist, illustrator, and fellow pattern designer. We love following her account for not just inspiration and beautiful photos, but also for an abundance of helpful sewing tips and styling ideas. As a new mom of two and somebody with quite a bit of experience sewing maternity wear, there's nobody better to show us this particular hack! Without further ado . . . let's get into it!
How to Sew Maternity Avery Leggings
Maternity wear can be tricky. The growing belly is challenging to dress and comfort is key. It is no wonder that leggings are maternity go-to garments. You can make your own pair of maternity leggings (or two, or three!) and the Avery Leggings pattern is a great starting off point. Today I will show you how to easily hack Avery leggings into maternity leggings.
There are a few ways to hack these leggings and some of the steps below are optional based on the size of your belly, your pregnancy stage, and your personal preferences. I will show you how to create an on-the-belly view and over-the-belly view.
A note on choosing fabric for maternity leggings
Your belly and your body will be growing and expanding in ways that you may not predict. For this reason, comfort is of the utmost importance. Look for soft and comfy fabrics without extra compression - cotton and bamboo knits are great choices. Soft athletic wear will work too. Softness is important as the skin on your belly may become sensitive as it stretches.
Make sure your fabric has A LOT of vertical and horizontal stretch. The pattern calls for fabric with at least 70% stretch in both directions, and it is especially important when making a maternity version of Avery Leggings.
The on-the-belly view works great for early maternity stages or if you have a smaller bump. Or maybe it is your preference! Personally, I find the over-the-belly view comfortable for later pregnancy stages when the belly is big and I prefer more coverage.
For this hack, you will need the Avery Leggings pattern, a pen or pencil, ruler, tape and some extra paper. Let’s dive in!
Step 1: Lower the front waistband seam
This step is completely optional. For early maternity stages it may not be needed, but as your belly grows having a lower front waistband seam becomes more comfortable.
On the front of the legs pattern piece lower the front seam line anywhere from ¾”(1.9 cm) to 1 ¼” (3.2cm). The numbers are based on your personal preferences and are dependent on your height. There is also no need to be super precise here, just eyeball it.
Re-draw the front waistband seam on the legs piece, blending it into the back around the middle of the pattern piece.
Add the amount you removed from the legs piece to the bottom of the front waistband piece. Draw a curved line blending it into the bottom of the waistband seam at the side.
Step 2: Add length to the front waistband
On-the-belly view:
This step is the important one. This extra length will cover your belly and give it room to grow!
Cut the front waistband pattern piece in half widthwise. It doesn't have to be a precise half, any spot will work. Place a piece of scrap paper under the pattern pieces, and spread them about 2.5” (6.4 cm) apart. Tape everything in place. Redraw the side seam and the center front fold line.
You also don’t need to cut the pattern piece in half if you don’t want to, you can simply add the required amount to the top of the front waistband. But since the top is curved, it may be easier to cut and spread.
If you want to make maternity leggings that sit on the belly, stop here and continue onto sewing.
Over-the-belly view:
Cut the front waistband pattern piece in half widthwise. It doesn't have to be a precise half, any spot will work. Place a piece of scrap paper under the pattern pieces, and spread them 5-6” (12-15 cm) apart. Tape everything in place. Redraw the side seam and the center front fold line.
You also don’t need to cut the pattern piece in half if you don’t want to, you can simply add the required amount to the top of the front waistband. But since the top is curved, it may be easier to cut and spread.
Place a scrap piece of paper under the back waistband pattern piece. Lengthen it by 2” (5 cm) by adding the length to the top. True the side seams and the center back fold line.
Step 3: Sewing
Continue to sew the leggings per instructions. The only slight difference is in step 6:
When sewing the front and back waistbands together, stretch the side seam of the back waistband to fit the front. This will gather the front waistband at the sides. Proceed per instructions!
