Hi! This is Shivika from A Little Bit Indian. I’m an avid maker of children’s clothing and I’m here to share a pattern variation for Megan’s Mini Virginia Leggings pattern. The perfect timing came when my 9-year-old daughter wanted to wear her tennis skirt in colder weather. This project adds a tennis skirt to the leggings for a practical and cute solution.
The base pattern is straightforward and fits amazingly. I used soft jersey for the leggings and performance stretch fabric from Joann’s for the skirt. Step 1: I sewed Version 2 of the leggings (with a separate waistband) in a size 8/9. I omitted the cuffs as my daughter prefers a cropped length. This step was easy. Step 2: I measured the finished waist of the leggings to ensure the skirt waist matched. A smarter approach would be to use the pattern’s elastic length measurement minus 1 inch for overlap. Step 3: For the skirt, I aimed for a tennis vibe with minimal gathers to avoid bulk. Using four fabric panels required more calculation than expected. A simpler method is to cut two rectangles, sew the sides, and gather to fit the leggings’ waist. There are many easy tutorials for basic girls’ skirts. I used a detailed drawing as a guideline for pattern pieces and a reference post for skirt length. My only miscalculation was the skirt length; I subtracted the full pattern piece height instead of just the folded waistband allowance. Step 4: After sewing the skirt, I pulled the finished leggings through it, so the skirt’s wrong side and leggings’ right side were together. Step 5: I attached the waistband on top, sandwiching the skirt between the waistband and leggings, with all raw edges facing up. Then, I followed the original pattern instructions to attach the waistband. Step 6: The result was a success! My daughter loves it and wants more. I didn’t hem the skirt (as it was already short) or the leggings, but you can customize as needed. The photos are imperfect, but the project outcome was loved.
