How to DIY Awesome Cut-out Leggings or Tights

Unorthodoll
by Unorthodoll
2 Materials
$10
30 Minutes
Easy

Follow this cut-out-tights thrift-flipping tutorial to make yourself some stylish new leggings or tights.


In this tutorial, I will be using leggings. If you want to use tights, just make your slits a bit smaller and closer together. Grab your scissors and get ready to cut!

Tools and materials:

  • Leggings out tights
  • Scissors
Marking leggings

1. Horizontal slit cut-out leggings

Try on your leggings inside out, and mark how high up your leg you want the slits to go.

Leggings on flat surface

Still inside out, lay your leggings on a flat surface, so one leg is on top of the other and the side seam is running down the middle.

Marking leggings

Starting at the mark you made before, add marks every 2 inches all the way down the leg.

Cutting leggings

With those marks as your guide, cut slits from the outside edge in, along the marks, going through both legs.


Making the slits different lengths, between 1 and 4 inches long.

Horizontal slit cut-out leggings

That’s it. Now you have your first pair of cut-out leggings or tights.

Marking leggings

2. Vertical slit cut-out leggings

Put on your leggings inside out and mark how high you want your vertical slit to go.

Marking leggings

Draw a line from that mark, down the center of your leg, and mark how long you want your slits to be.


I made my slits about 3 inches long.

Marking leggings

Lay your leggings flat on a surface, and extend the line down the center of the leg.


Mark off the rest of your slits along that line. I made my slits a half-inch apart.

Marking leggings

Measure the position of the top of your slits and mark your other leg at the same point.

Marking leggings

Then, mark the matching slits on the second leg.

Cutting leggings

Cut all your slits through the top layer of fabric only.

Vertical slit cut-out leggings

Here are the completed vertical-slit leggings!


If you want, you can repeat the process on the back of your leggings or tights as well.

Marking leggings

3. Side-slit cut-out tights or leggings

This cut-out technique works only on tights, or on leggings with no seams, since the slits are on the side.


Put your tights on inside out and mark a large triangle design on the side, where you want your top cut-out to be.

Marking leggings

Lay your tights or seamless leggings flat, so the legs are on top of each other and the sides at the edge.

Marking leggings

Fix your triangle so it has straight lines and goes right to the edge.


Then draw a straight line from the point of the triangle down the center of your leg.

Marking leggings

Mark two more triangles, with the base at the edge of your leg and the point on the center line.

Marking leggings

Make marks 1 inch apart at the base of each triangle.

Marking leggings

Draw lines through the triangle at a few of the marks as guides.

Cutting leggings

Cut through the triangles, on both legs at the same time, along the one-inch marks, staying inside the triangles.

Side-slit cut-out tights or leggings

And here are the finished side-slits.

DIY cut-out tights

DIY cut-out tights

Try making these simple cut-out leggings or tights to amp up your own wardrobe.


It’s a great way to use old tights that might have a ilttle hole in them already, or thrift-flipping some inexpensive leggings you pick up at your thrift store.


Leave a comment to let me know which cut-out legging styles you tried, and which you liked the best!


Check out my T-shirt Weaving Tutorial: Create a Cute Dragonfly and Butterfly Top.

Suggested materials:
  • Leggings out tights
  • Scissors

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