I’m so excited to announce that the Virginia Leggings pattern now includes THREE brand new variations, and includes two more sizes in the Curve range! So why am I changing Virginia? It’s really important to me that you are getting the most value and use out of your patterns, so I pay a lot of attention to how everyone is using their patterns. I originally released the Virginia leggings 10 years ago, and the way that makers use this pattern has changed a lot since then. When I first designed Virginia it was at a time when leggings were mostly used as a layer under tunics and dresses, but over the years I’ve noticed most makers have started using Virginia as athleisure/athletic wear. Though you can absolutely use the original pattern as athleisure, I wanted to make sure that this pattern was serving everyone’s needs as best it could, so I decided it was time to redraft this pattern with more athleisure views in mind. We’ve kept the original View A variation, and have added 3 more athleisure specific variations as well as more sizes to our Curve range pattern.
I’m going to go through what specifically has been updated and detail each of the variations, and tell you a little bit about them and how you can use them!
What has changed?
Both 0-20 and Curve 14-34 patterns now include three additional variations and options for different inseams, shorts, a wide waistband and cuffs. View A has remained essentially the same, however we reduced the inseam length in line with how we saw makers adjusting the pattern.
When originally released in the Virginia Curve pattern our Curve range went up to size 30, however we have since expanded our Curve range to include sizes 32 and 34 so I used this opportunity to regrade and add those new sizes.
Both 0-20 and Curve 14-34 PDF patterns now include size layering so that you can choose to print all sizes or just the size you will be cutting out. Seam allowances have been reduced to 6mm to better suit sergers/overlockers and be inline with the rest of our stretch patterns.
If you have previously purchased Virginia or Virginia Curve please check your emails as we have sent out a complementary upgrade. If you haven’t received this email please email us at hello@megannielsen.com
Choosing your size range
If you find yourself in the crossover 14-20 sizes and are struggling to choose between the Virginia and Virginia Curve patterns we will have a comprehensive post tomorrow detailing how to choose the pattern that’s best for you!
View A – Full length legging with narrow waistband
This view is the original view included with the pattern. It includes a high waist, narrow waistband and full length inseam. The only change we made to this view was to remove some length. The original pattern was drafted to be extra long to allow for a scrunched look at the ankles. We found that most people were shortening their leggings to ankle length, so we have applied that change to the pattern.
This view is fantastic athleisure wear and is my most worn view for running. It can still be used as layer under skirts, dresses and tunics if desired, just make sure to choose a fashion fabric instead of an athletic fabric.
View B – Cuffed 3/4 length legging with wide waistband
I’m so excited about this view! The new View B includes a wide waistband, which attaches to the original low rise option of the pattern. It is slightly cropped and includes cute cuffs to finish the raw edges. You know I love options so we also added a bonus cut line for 7/8 length leggings if that length is more your style.
I can’t even tell you how much I love that wide waistband. It provides some nice opportunities for colour blocking, and I love how it breaks up the lines of the front of the leggings. This view can be sewn with narrow or wide internal elastic (or none if you want to be really loungey) depending on how much support you want. If you prefer a narrow waistband for this view you can still choose that as we’ve been very careful to make all pattern pieces modular and mix and match.
View C – Bike short with narrow waistband
This new view sits just above knee length and is a great shorts option if you prefer the narrow waistband and sleek lines of View A. This is a great in between length if you don’t feel like wearing long leggings but aren’t really a shorts person.
This view like View D can also be worn under dress and skirts for comfort. My eldest daughter wears this view under her school uniform incase the wind decides to blow the wrong way. For me I really love the protection it gives from thigh chaffing.
If you want to add the wide waistband to this view you absolutely can – we’ve made all options mix and match!
View D – Shorts with wide waistband
Our last new variation is for a super cute pair of shorts! This view uses new pattern pieces as we had to draft the shorts inseam slightly differently than long leggings for comfort and balance. I love this view so much! It’s of course wonderful for athleisure, as a loungewear piece or evening layering under garments the same way you would use View C. I really like this for shorter skirts or dresses because the wind in Perth can really get out of hand and I am also bending over with my kids all the time.
As with all the views you can make this with a narrow or wide waistband, however we’ve shown it with the wide waistband because we think it’s extra cute! You can make this view in athleisure or fashion fabric depending on your preferences.
All the Tutorials!
To celebrate the re-release of Virginia, we will be sharing a comprehensive sewalong for the pattern in the coming weeks as well as some incredible maker features! This is the first time we’ve shared a Virginia sewalong and we will share in depth tutorials on all stages of making this pattern.
- Inspiration & Ideas
- Great places to buy activewear fabric
- Sewalong : Seams
- Sewalong : Narrow Waistband
- Sewalong : Wide Waistband
- Sewalong: Cuffs
- Sewalong : Hem
It’s so exciting to finally be sharing the new updated Virginia with you all! We’ve been working on this one for a long time, so it’s always such a wonderful feeling to finally send it out into the world!
If you have any questions at all please let me know in the comments below or send us an email at hello@megannielsen.com. We’d love to see what you make with Virginia or Virginia Curve! Don’t forget to tag your creations #MNvirginia and @megannielsenpatterns to share what you’ve been working on, and check out what everyone else is up to!
Don’t have the pattern yet?!
