The star of rave wear has been rising since the early 1990s, and alternative accessories don't come cheap these days, as many once-DIY products gain popularity. Return to the roots of the underground scene and start making your own leg warmers and boot covers.
Instructions
Basic Boot Covers
1. Wear the shoes that you plan to cover to take measurements. Take your fabric of choice and hold it up to your shin at varying heights until you find a look that suits you best. Mark your leg with the ballpoint pen.
2. Measure the diameter of your leg at your mark and note the measurement on a notepad, adding 1/2 inch for the seam. Unroll the elastic and wrap it around your leg at your mark, pulling for a snug fit. Snip each length of elastic and set aside.
3. Standing, place the end of the tape measure under your heel, and measure the length to your mark. Note the measurement on the notepad, adding 1/2 inch for the seam.
4. Consider how wide the bottom of the boot cover will be and arrange the measuring tape loosely around your shoe until you find a suitable diameter. Make a note of that measurement, adding 1/2 inch for the seam.
5. Lay your fabric face down on a flat surface. Lay the tape horizontally and mark your calf measurement with the pen, marking the halfway point as well. Place the tape vertically at the halfway point and mark the measurement for the height of the legwarmer. Follow up with the final measurement for your bottom width by placing the tape horizontally at the bottom of the height measurement and marking those ends.
6. Using the measuring tape as a guide, draw a diagonal line from the top mark to the bottom mark on each side. All of these lines will look like a trapezoid. Cut out the shape along the lines. Use this piece as a template for cutting the second boot cover.
7. Stretch and pin your measured pieces of elastic against the shortest side of your shape and then stitch into place. This may be easiest to do by standing on the first pinned end and squatting down to pin the rest as it is stretched. Stitch the elastic to the inside of the fabric using a heavy duty needle and thread, or hold taut as you run it through a sewing machine.
8. Fold the fabric inside out and pin the diagonal edges together. This can be done on your leg, and you can use this time to make any adjustments to the width of your shape. Stitch the seam into place.
9. Flip the boot covers right side out and slide them on to note any issues with length. If you are using a furry fabric, the bottom can be trimmed of any extra length and furry bits that fall under the shoe. Other fabrics cam be trimmed as well, or they can be pinned under and hemmed. If you are using a plastic-based fabric, you can also "hem" the bottoms by gently curing the fabric with a lighter, though remove the boot covers first, and don't let any furry parts catch.
Sock-Style Leg Warmers
10. Measure and cut as noted above, omitting the use of elastic. Base the height measurement against the height of the socks on your leg.
11. Lay your sock on a flat surface. For thick or furry fabrics, place the fabric right side out on the sock. For thin fabrics, place the fabric inside out with the shorter side of the fabric overlapping the sock opening, and the wider side pointed away from the sock in a funnel formation. Pin the shortest side to the sock opening, stretching the sock for fit and stitch in place.
12. Turn the fabric inside out and away from the sock in a funnel formation. Pin and stitch the diagonal sides of fabric together. Turn the fabric right side out upon completion and take care of any hemming or length issues.
Related posts
You can use a store-bought top hat as the base for this project.The Mad Hatter is a main character from "Alice in Wonderland." You can create your own Mad Hatter hat using items you alre...
Trace a picture of a tiara onto the princess bag.Create a beautiful fashion accessory for a little princess from a little bit of luxurious satin or velvet fabric. You can make the bag for a little...
Top hat fascinators can be the classic black top hat, or more colorful.Top hat fascinators are are seen at all kinds of game, comic book and fan conventions. It is common to see them glued or sewn...
If you're dressing up as a feline for Halloween this year, you may need to know how to make a wearable tail. Fortunately, it's a simple project, and the process is the same whether you're a feroci...
Flappers were all the rage in the 1920s.Flapper dresses -- short slip dresses, sometimes with decorative beading or fringe -- were extremely fashionable in the 1920s and 30s. When worn with a feat...
