Tights are SO easy to sew. Really. If I
am just making plain one-color tights with no added stripes/patches/padding,
from start to finish is only an hour. I invested in a serger machine a few
years ago and use that for the long side seams, but you can do it all with a
zigzag stitch on a regular machine, sewing over the seams twice to make sure
they're secure.
Suitability www.suitability.com makes a pattern which
includes riding tights sized for regular lycras and stretch polartec, riding
sweatpants, and a fleece vest. Included are pattern pieces for inside
crotch and/or knee padding, and outer leather knee or full seat patches.
They make dozens of other patterns for riders and horses as well. Both
fabric companies listed later carry both the Suitability and Green Pepper
patterns.
The Green Pepper www.thegreenpepper.com makes a
kewl diagonal-side-stripe tights pattern -- the stripe starts in the middle of
your butt seam on both sides, wraps around the outside of your thigh/knee and
ends up at the inside ankle.
Textile Outfitters in Canada has a huge
outdoor-wear fabric selection. www.justmakeit.com Don't flip at the
prices, they're in Canadian dollars (approx. 78 cents US right now), and there
is a currency converter button on every fabric price page. The one time I
ordered from them they were awfully slow to ship, but I don't know if they are
like that all the time. I can't find "microfleece" listed, do you mean
Polartec Powerdry? Which is a next-to-skin layer but has no
lycra. For really warm tights, use Polartec Powerstretch. It has a fleece
inner face and smooth outer face and is very warm, plus 10% lycra for
stretch. I am a city mail carrier in northern Idaho and I wear them all
winter under my culottes because I hate the restrictive feel of pants, and
they are warmer than pants anyway. If it's windy or real cold I just put a
GoreTex rainpant shell over them and that's been enough. I don't use
my ski bib unless it's below 20 plus windy :-)
If you're feeling wealthy, they also have Polartec
Powershield (nylon outer face, fleece inner face with windstopping membrane in
between and 20% lycra), Polartec WindPro Powerstretch (tighter outer face so no
membrane needed, 7% lycra), and Polartec Aquashell (less stretch but with
neoprene for absolute waterproofness). I haven't used these yet but am
yearning to.
Textile Outfitters also has shiny lycras, cotton
lycras (don't use them, they stay soggy forever), supplex lycras (my new fave,
looks/feels like cotton but tougher, wicks, doesn't fade), polypropylene lycra,
Wickaway, Dryline, and a new fabric called Schoeller Climbing Pant fabric which
is supposed to be similar to Spandura.
Seattle Fabrics www.seattlefabrics.com has a good
selection though not as much as Textile Outfitters. They do have Spandura,
a super tough mixture of Cordura nylon with lycra, if you do a lot of
brush-poppin'. It has a lot less stretch, I had to make my tights two
sizes larger around to be comfortable.
