How to Make Leggings from Tights

Last Updated: August 10, 2021

Beautiful leggings add a lot to an outfit and are a fashionable and easy way to add warmth during the cooler fall months. And should your fave pair of tights begin to get holey in the toe area, turning them into a pair of leggings will give them a new lease of life.

Steps

1
Find suitable tights. The best tights to turn into leggings will be those that have a high denier, or strength of fabric. Tights made from cotton, wool, bamboo or opaque synthetics may work best. Transparent or lightweight denier won't usually turn into good leggings and risk more tears and runs. And, as noted above, if the toes or heels have gone in the tights, all the better, as you're rescuing them!
2
Decide upon the length of the leggings you'd prefer. It's probably best to begin with a long length, which allows you to change to a shorter length at a later time for a different look.

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3
Cut your tights at the chosen length. Add an extra inch (2.5cm) for a hem before cutting. Cut as neatly and straight as possible, using sharp sewing scissors.
4
Turn the cut fabric over twice to create a half-inch (1.27cm) hemline.
5
Stitch the hems in place by hand. Use an even, small stitch in the same color as the tights or in invisible thread.
6
If wished, you can add embroidery, lace, beads, sequins, etc. for decoration. Doing this will make the tights harder to wash though and will weaken the fabric by making sewing holes, so bear this in mind before deciding.
7
Wear your new leggings. They'll look great with a skirt or long top.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I make my big tights into an smaller ones?

Community Answer

Restitch the toes at the desired length and cut off the unneeded ends. You can also shrink the upper section by restitching the front and back seams. Try to do each half the needed length to make it even.
Question

What to do when your tights are too big, can you put them in hot water?

Community Answer

You can put the tights in hot water, but be careful how long you keep them in because they might shrink too much. Start out for 10-15 minutes first, then if they are not small enough, keep putting them in for about 4-6 minutes at a time, until they are at the size you want.