How to Make Wool Longies from a Sweater
Mothers always worry that their babies are cold during the long winter months, and they looking for ways to keep them comfy and toasty. If you have an old wool sweater, you can easily turn it into a pair of longies that will serve that exact purpose. Longies are warm, long-legged diaper covers with a simple structure. As long as you have a small familiarity with a sewing machine, you can make a pair of longies sized to fit your baby exactly.
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Instructions
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1
Measure your baby’s waist by wrapping a tape measure around her waist. Write down the dimension on a piece of paper with a pencil.
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Find your baby’s rise measurement by holding one end of the tape measure vertically from her navel, passing the tape between her legs and holding the loose end of the tape against her back so it is opposite her navel. Write this dimension down on the paper as well.
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3
Measure her thigh to right where it connects at her hip. Write down this measurement on the same paper.
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4
Make a pattern for the top of the longies by drawing a horizontal line on a piece of paper. This line should be half of the waist measurement, as this will create the waistline.
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5
Halve the rise measurement and make another horizontal line that amount away from the waistline to make the rise line. For example if the rise is 20 inches, make a horizontal line 10 inches down from the center of the waistline.
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Connect the waistline and rise line with 2 vertical lines to make a slight trapezoid.
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Divide the thigh measurement in half, and make a diagonal line this long on both bottom corners to create leg holes. For example, if the thigh measured 12 inches, make the leg holes 6 inches wide. The shape should now look like a pair of underwear.
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Cut out the paper shape with scissors, and trace it twice on to the body of the sweater.
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Cut out both shapes from the sweater.
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Lay the pieces of sweater on top of each other so they line up properly.
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Sew the pieces together with a sewing machine. Stitch both vertical sides together, and sew along the bottom horizontal line to create the crotch of the longies.
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12
Cut the sleeves off of the sweater and slide them onto your baby’s legs.
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Mark off how long and wide the legs should be, and take the sleeves off her legs.
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Cut the sleeves so they are as long and wide as they are meant to be.
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Sew the sleeves closed along the long edges to close them up.
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Attach the wider end of the sleeves to the leg holes with the sewing machine. The longies should now look like trousers.
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Turn the longies right side out.
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Tips & Warnings
Space the shapes out carefully on the sweater so you can make another pair of shorties or legless longies out of the remaining sweater.
Make sure your baby’s feet are covered up when wearing longies in cold weather because her feet will be exposed.
