As much as I love the drama of the Full Circle Skirt Bell Bottoms from Method #1, I wanted to experiment a little further with using a quarter circle skirt instead. I used the MyFit Leggings and the Add a Circle Skirt to anything patterns for this tutorial.
I started with my daughters measurements and used the capri option so the legging would end just below the knee. For this method, I used the side seam option so that the pattern would have a front and back piece.
The leg finish is set the same as my seam allowance again.
Here are my pattern pieces, I printed the quarter circle skirt twice-one piece for the leg front and one for the leg back. I measured the leg opening minus seam allowances and used that as the waist measurement for my circle skirt and measured from the bottom of the knee to the floor to get the desired length for the circle skirt. Choose the Cut in 2 option for the quarter circle skirt.
Next we will secure the skirt pattern to the bottom of the leg pattern so that we get a single pattern. Start by folding the patterns length wise and marking the center of each pattern. Mark the center at the knee of the leg and the waist of the quarter circle skirt. I drew a purple line to make my fold visible.
Match the edges of the pattern at the fold. The curved corners of the skirt will overlap the sides of the leg. Make sure that the skirt is straight and even. Tape the patterns together. Repeat for the other leg.
In this image you can see both front and back leg patterns. Cut two of each front and back, mirror image. When cutting, smooth out the join of the skirt to leg bottom. The fabric in this image is folded, so I end up with 2 of each piece that are mirror images of each other.
Once everything is cut out, this is what you will have. 2 fronts, 2 backs, and a waistband piece.
The leggings pattern instructions have the crotch sewn first, but because of the new shape of the pattern, I thought it best to sew the side seams, then inseams first and finish with the leg in leg method. Follow these steps for both legs. With right sides together, match a front leg with a back leg at the side seam. Pin and sew the side seam.
Now pin and sew the inseam. **Note: You pattern may have a longer back inseam than front, that is normal for some measurement sets. In that case, Pin starting at the bottom of the inseam up to the knee point, then ease the back inseam into the front by gently stretching the front inseam to match.
Now that both legs are sewn together, we will use the leg in leg method to sew the crotch seams. Turn one leg right side out and the other wrong side out. Pull the leg that is right sides out onto your arm, then pull the wrong side out leg over the leg on your arm, being sure that the seams are in the same place on your arm. This makes it really easy to line up the crotch seams and sew them in one pass.
Once the crotch is sewn up, refer to the tutorial to a attach your chosen waistband. Then hem the bottom of the pants.
Here they are all finished. I love that this method has a continuous leg with no joining seam at the knee. This method gives a much different look than the first method, both methods have been a big hit for us though. My daughter has gotten lots of compliments from strangers since these made it into her wardrobe.
I hope you feel inspired! If you make some bell bottoms using this method, please come share it in the Apostrophe Patterns fb group or if you share on Instagram, tag @apostrophe.patterns so we can see your creations!
Thanks for joining me- Cynthia
Interested in a different technique? Try Method #1