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| Mosquito leggings on Ometepe Island |
A month-long trip to Nicaragua inspired this latest creation in the ongoing series, "
Repurposed Men's Shirts." By night on the Corn Islands, mosquitos carry malaria. By day in towns and cities where folks congregate, mosquitos carry dengue fever. The challenge is keeping legs covered while wearing dresses or three-quarter-length loose pants, as is my wont. The solution? Upcycling a $1 thrift store man's shirt.
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| The how-to (click to enlarge) |
The diagram above is self-explanatory for those who sew. Just turn under the upper raw edge and stitch down to form a casing for the elastic, leaving a small opening to run the elastic through. Run the elastic through the casing; overlap and stitch the elastic together at the ends; close small opening in the casing.
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| Finished legging on a lovely floor in Granada |
Because these were intended to ward off mosquitos, I also stitched the upper opening on the cuff closed. If you're making these purely as a fashion statement, that will not be necessary. On me, the finished legging ends at my lower thigh, just above the knee. If you're short, the legging will extend higher.
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| Thigh-high leggings |
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| Leggings on a hammock on Ometepe island |
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| The perfect place for mosquito leggings: Little Corn Island |
I am so enchanted by these leggings that even though I'm now back in the largely mosquito-free Bay Area, I plan on wearing them often, mixing and matching with other clothing.
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| An unbeatable upcycled fashion look |
