How to Make a Leotard | LEO#4 SEW ALONG

Learning how to make a leotard is immensely rewarding, and considering the cost of these sparkly little numbers, it is very economical. Don’t be put off by the high prices of dance and swim fabric, you will often get more than one leotard in a yard, particularly for younger girls. If you have been a little scared to learn how to make a leotard yourself, then here is a simplified tutorial for beginners to give you the confidence to get started.

How to Make a Leotard Tutorial

Once you learn the basics of how to make a leotard, you can start creating variations including unitards, skirted and color-blocked.

How to Make a Leotard Video

Here is a video I made for you! Enjoy it, and don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more sewing and craft videos.

Leotard Supplies

1. Dance or swimwear lycra with at least 75% stretch. If you are unsure what stretch factor your fabric has, get my stretch factor of fabrics chart. If this is your first time learning to make a leotard, choose a fabric with a matt finish and no sparkles or sequins, as it will be much easier to sew. (Read my buying guide for Spandex and Lycra)
2. Stretch needles (Read sewing machine needle guide)
3. 3/8 inch (10mm) swimwear elastic. Always choose a good quality swimwear elastic such as Birch, Singer, or Dritz. Swimwear elastic is specially treated to stop rot caused by chlorine and sweat and is nice and firm so your legs won’t stretch out of shape. Don’t choose the clear elastic type; it is hard to sew and gives inconsistent results.
4. Your sewing machine and basic sewing supplies. The great news is you don’t need a serger! You can learn how to sew a leotard on just an ordinary machine. (Read sewing Spandex and Lycra with a regular machine)
5. A leotard pattern. You can make your own by tracing around a leotard you already have or purchasing one of my quality premium leotard patterns. Here are some of my bestsellers. I’ve used leotard pattern #4 for this tutorial.

Below is the leotard #4 for women which can be purchased in the Treasurie shop.

Best Stitches for Sewing Leotards

Before you are ready to start sewing, it is important to test your stretch stitch. There are several stitches you can use when learning how to sew a leotard, so please read how to sew leotards with a regular machine if you haven’t already. If you don’t have a serger, the best stitch to use is a narrow zig-zag stitch, which will retain the elasticity of the fabric.

Grab a piece of Lycra scrap and try a zig-zag of width 1.0 and length 2.5. Stretch it out and see if the stitches snap or bounce back. You want your stitches to have a similar elasticity as your fabric.

How to Make a Leotard – Step by Step

Step 1 – Cutting Lycra and Spandex

Start by cutting out your pattern and fabric. When cutting leotard fabrics, ensure your pins don’t leave marks. Test a scrap of fabric, and if the pins leave a mark, then use pattern weights or a simple tin from your pantry to hold the pattern down.

Always make sure you use really sharp scissors that won’t burr the edges of the fabric when you cut. If you are confident with a rotary cutter, you can get nice, clean edges with a cutting mat. Just watch your fingers!

You will often save fabric if you cut your leotard pieces one at a time, folding as you go. Leotard fabric is expensive, so plan when cutting and placing your pieces close together. If you cut carefully, you will often have enough fabric left to make a bikini bottom or top. Scraps can also be great for applique shapes and designs.

Step 3 – Join the Shoulders

With the RIGHT sides together, stitch the front to the back at the shoulder seams. Most of my leotard patterns have a seam allowance of 1/4 inch (6mm) so make sure you check your individual pattern instructions for any variances.

Step 4 – Insert the Sleeves

Fold the top of the sleeve in half and mark the center. Match the center top of the sleeve to the shoulder seam. With RIGHT sides together, stitch the sleeve to the armhole. You will notice that the sleeve and the armhole curve in opposite directions, so work them together, pinning carefully before you sew.

Step 5 – Stitch the Sleeve Hems

Open up your leotard, and then on the WRONG side of the fabric, turn up the sleeve hem by the seam allowance in the pattern. Most of my leotard patterns will have a seam allowance of 3/8 inch (1cm) for the hems.

Just zig-zag across the sleeve hem, catching in the raw edge. Try a width of 5.0 and a length of 2.5. Experienced sewers could even use a twin needle (double needle) on the outside of the sleeve.

It is often a good idea to test a scrap of fabric first to see if the hem will pucker. If it does, then use some hemming tape underneath to smooth it out.

Some patterns call for you to sew the neck elastic at this stage while your pieces are still flat. Ultimately, it doesn’t really make a difference whether you sew it now or at the end. It just comes down to personal preference.

Step 6 – Stitch the Sides and Bottom

Now, you can fold your leotard with RIGHT sides together, matching the arms and crotch. Stitch the side seams all the way along to the bottom of the sleeves. It is a good idea to reinforce the ends of the sleeves with a few extra stitches.

Stitch across the crotch.

Step 7 – Inserting Elastic

Now you have your leotard all together, it is time to sew the elastic in the neck and legs.

I have a full tutorial on how to sew elastic in leotards for those of you that haven’t done this before.

It may seem a little daunting the first time, but it really is quite easy. The trick is to use a good quality elastic that doesn’t stretch out of shape and to accurately divide your openings in quarters.

How to Make a Leotard – In Conclusion

So, I hope that demystifies the process of sewing leotards! They are really rewarding to make, and most of the time, they will take you longer to cut out than to sew once you have made a couple.

More on How to Make a leotard

• How to Measure Stretch Factor
• Sewing Spandex and Lycra
• How to Sew Elastic in Leotards and Swimwear
• How to Sew Binding 
• How to Sew Spandex Straps
• How to Sew Stretch Fabric
• Types of Knit Fabric