Fit was perfect for my niece without any adjustments except for length. Couldn’t be happier!

Am one the “last gasp” in terms of years of the “baby boomers” and dress as I like- read long skirts/tank tops/tunics sweaters or tie at the waist tops. However, despite mostly living in the above, sometimes like to change things up with a tunic and leggings. I am, roughly speaking, a pattern size 16, with a very long body, short limbs, major sway back, ample posterior, limited side contours and (thank you 3 abdominal surgeries and aging out of a monthly cycle) rounded tummy. I have sewn for over 40 years. Ready to wear is sooooo limiting, not to mention ill fitting and cheaply (textiles/technique) made. Drafting is hit and miss (sway back and generously protruding posterior are not compatable with divide circumference by 2 or 4 regardless of what the scale says!) and don’t even get me started on the big pattern conglomeration these days. Decided to try the Belmont leggings after reading some reviews and seeing that the measurements are pretty much in line with my own. I made one muslin with the legs shortened by 3 inches, crotch depth in back extended and gusset, without adding the waistband and was amazed at the initial fit, not wearable, but within reach. We marked a level waist band, nipped a bit from the CB seam (sway back!!) took a bit out of the guesset (front to back) used a “fisheye” dart adjustment at back of thigh right below hip, and shortened the leg a bit more. I also drafted a 2 inch lightly contoured waist band to accommodate 2 inch elastic. I was confident enough to sew up the leggings in a lovely but pricey rayon/poly/spandex fabric from the local box fabric store that had enough weight/stretch to work with the pattern without revealing every little lump & bump. The end result was a smooth, non/binding fit.

I made both the yoga pants and leggings (used for swim shorts) and it’s a wonderful pattern. I will definitely use it again

I made the yoga pants, size 18 at hips grading to 20 in the waist. The gusset was challenging to visualize but just trust the directions and the pictures and do the steps exactly as instructed and it does work, I promise. The drafting of this pattern is like magic, it fits the curve of my hips and bum so well that it’s been seriously hard to get out of the habit of reaching to unroll/tug up the waistband every 5 minutes. It does not budge because the rest of me isn’t pulling it down. I just joined a gym and I’ve had compliments on these - it’s more motivating to go when I know I’m wearing something cool that fits, looks good and isn’t boring black. Would love to see more athleisure patterns!

The Belmont leggings were actually the first garment I've ever made and the first time I've followed a pattern. Overall, I'm so pleased with how they turned out! I prefer a higher waist and a slimmer leg, so I combined the yoga waistband with the leggings. As a shorter person, I also have a hard time finding 7/8 length leggings, so I loved being able to trim some material off the bottom of these to suit my wants. I probably should have made my first pair without the gusset, because that was tough for me, to be honest. Mine ended up really sloppy, but that's poor workmanship, and not at all the fault of the pattern.
I found out I was pregnant shortly before making these leggings, so I sized up a size in hopes of wearing them a bit longer since they have the nice, high yoga waistband. I think it's going to work really well.