Sunday

DIY Thigh Highs





So, I had these great tights that had a waistband designed and manufactured by Satan. I would wear them sometimes, anyway, because they had such a cool chevron pattern on them and they looked great with pinstriped skirts or solid black or denim or any variety of things. Sure enough, after about 30 minutes, the waistband that had behaved perfectly nicely at home would have rolled halfway down my rear, making me look as though I had dumpling buns. I don't know why I didn't throw these bad boys away. They only cost about $8, so it's not as though I were trying to get a good return on my investment, but they are really, really cute and I couldn't accept that Satan's Waistband™ would get the best of me.

So, I was perusing the selection at Sock Army the other day (which I sadly found disappointing) and saw that they had industrial fishnet stockings that have unfinished tops on them and need to be held up by garters. Suddenly a light bulb went on. I am a former knitter, so I tend to think of fabric in terms of knitting. If you cut across a knitted piece, it will very quickly unravel and will very definitely not stay together, but I suddenly realized the same wasn't true of tights and nylons, because I have cut them apart to make headbands and ponytail holders in the past, and that all I had to do to be rid of the horrible waistband was to cut the legs off the pantyhose and convert them into stockings with unfinished tops.

Unlike many of my half-baked ideas, this one actually worked and the results are shown above. I was really careful when I was cutting to get the line as straight as possible, but, once they are cut, the tops roll over a little, which is visible in the photos, so it's okay if the line the scissors make isn't perfect. I think I'd be happiest wearing these with an 8-10 strap garter belt, just for extra support toward the inner thigh, or perhaps wearing a little body adhesive with them, but someone who isn't as neurotic as me could absolutely wear them with fewer garters.

I realized this could work for any pair of pantyhose or tights that isn't available in my size. If it's cute and I want it, I can just cut off the legs and wear garters or a garter belt. The sale bin is now my playground, since my legs are slimmer than my hips, and it seems to be the smallest sizes that get clearanced a lot of the time. Now that I can make my own stockings, I don't have to worry about size too much. I think this would be great for tall people to try, too.

Hooray for DIY!

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2 comments:

  1. I've done something similar. I prefer stockings and garter belts to pantyhose, but many more styles and patterns are available as pantyhose. I cut off the legs of the PH and cut off the welt of an older pair of stockings that has a run in the foot or leg. Then I sew the new leg to the old welt using a zig-zag stitch. Amazingly, it works great. I am tall and many styles of PH or tights don't come long enough. This opens up all kinds of new size and style possibilities.

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  2. I've been doing this for years. And you're absolutely right--for a tall person like myself, cutting off the legs on a pair of too-short tights make them perfectly acceptable thigh-highs.

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