By now I’m sure you have seen baby legwarmers made out of socks. Cute, right? As I prepare for a new baby, I wanted to make a few pairs to cover those sweet chubby baby legs.
Then I realized that I barely have a matching pair of socks for my own feet, let alone a pair I want to convert into legwarmers. In the spirit of making do with what I have and repurposing, I looked through my outgrown maternity clothes and found just the things that I needed… two shirts with elbow-length sleeves that would be perfect for turning into some tiny legwarmers for my baby boy once he arrives in July.
Re-purposed, re-cycled old shirts make thrifty and super cute legwarmers. The stretch of the cotton interlock shirtsleeves helps them stay up on little legs. They are perfect for babies crawling on hard floors, or as an added layer in the colder months.
Baby Legwarmers From Shirt-Sleeves
Begin by laying your shirt down wrong side out and folding in half so the sleeves line up on top of each other.
Then cut out the legwarmers along the folded (non-seamed) side of the sleeve, as shown.
SIZE NOTE: I cut these legwarmers with two-inch width on the bottom of the sleeve (left of this picture), and 2 1/2 inch width at the top (right of the picture), and they are 9 inches long. You can easily adjust the sizing according to your needs.
Beginning at the seamed edge (at the wrist of the sleeve,) sew along the raw edge of the length of the legwarmer, using a zig zag stitch, and a 1/8 inch seam allowance.
Fold the raw edge over 1/3 inch with the legs still wrong side out.
Then fold over again (pin if desired.)
Sew with a straight stitch along the edge of the fold (about 1/4 inch from the inside edge) as shown.
Trim threads, and press if desired.
Turn the leg inside out and repeat for the other leg.
Enjoy thriftily repurposing your old shirts into practical legwear for your baby or toddler.
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Laura Hooker is a full-time mother, wife, Registered Nurse, and crochet-a-holic! She came about this wonderful world of crafting at an early age, and finds much inspiration from her lovely friends in blog land. She really enjoys coming up with and displaying her own patterns and tutorials. She is married and has a six-year-old little boy and a new baby boy due in the summer. You can find her at her blog, Ravelry page or her store of crochet and sewing patterns on Etsy.