With our helpful assistant, Mrs. Half-Mannequin (“Half” is her maiden name) and a pair of Sheer Vertical Striped Pantyhose, I’ll share a couple tricks to help you guide those stripes. The wonderful Dreamer Zaf of our Tumblr took most of these pictures, since I only have so many hands.

In trying to keep those stripes straight, particularly with tights, sometimes the legs get twisted and that makes it awful up in areas that you really don’t want bunching. So here’s the key: keep the pattern straight from the start.

As you gather up the stocking or tights to slide them on, make sure you’re gathering everything evenly. Keep those stripes in line as you gather, starting from the top of the sock or leg of the tights. If you’re dealing with panels or designs, pay attention to what part is made to go in the front or back. What you’re doing is making sure your tights don’t get twisted.

Okay, now you’re ready to get fancy. Ease your little toes in and carefully put the stockings or tights on. It should be a lot easier now that you’ve essentially “prepped” them to keep their stripes straight. You may need to do a bit of adjusting as you go, but it should be pretty minimal.

Now they’re on! You may find that the toes are a little wonky. This is fine! You were focusing on getting things straight. Just adjust the toe seam to your comfort and pickiness—it’s a lot easier to get tights on straight then adjust the toe than make the toes perfect and try to keep the designs straight.

There, you look fabulous! For a twist you can do just that with socks and stockings (as opposed to tights), purposefully twisting them as you put them on for a new spin on vertical stripes. I think the Fast Lane Knee Highs are particularly well-suited to this.

Do you have any tips or tricks for putting on difficult patterns just right?

Drawing on nylon

Drawing on nylon is the easiest, so let’s start there.  Say your costume needs some sort of specific pattern on the legs. A good example would be Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas. Her stitched-together legs are a huge part of costume accuracy (which maybe I’m a big nerd about).  Here’s what you’ll need:

• A good reference picture (I like this one of assorted Sally parts) •
• A permanent marker—they make Sharpies in about every colour now, which is awesome! •
• white or off white tights, like the Opaque Tights •

Always test in an inconspicuous place, to make sure that what you’re using and what you’re using it on don’t hate each other. The Opaque Tights and Sharpies get along pretty well!

It is way easier to do this with the tights on, so suit up. Keep in mind there will be a little bleed through from the marker.

Now, keeping an eye on your reference image, start drawing! Try to go as smoothly as you can. Sometimes I found that the felt marker tip wanted to catch on the nylon.

Ooh, the detail really makes it. I wasn’t trying to get too-too accurate with the stitches, just going for the overall feel.

And, done! So easy! If you wanted to earn extra points, just add a blue-grey shade to ‘em with the skills you learned in DIY: Dyeing Nylon.

That’s tights, but what about socks? Join us after the jump for more tips and tricks!

Drawing or painting on cotton/acrylic blends

Now, the textured knit of cotton and acrylic blends presents more difficulty than just drawing on tights. There are two ways to approach this, with paint or with pen. I decided that even though a permanent marker and a fabric pen look the same initially, I wanted to go the fabric pen route for permanence. Fabric markers can be hard to find, but plain ol’ craft paint and the fabric medium that helps it seep into a sock’s fiber is a lot easier (and you can paint on fabric without the medium, but just like using a Sharpie instead of a fabric pen, it doesn’t work as well or last as long). I’m using blue paint and pen and white O Basics because I want to replicate the thin top stripes Fionna wears in Adventure Time.

Whether pen or paint, it is a lot easier to do this when the sock isn’t lying flat, so put it over something like an oatmeal container or a salt box. It’s silly, but it helps.

To keep my lines even, I wrapped a line of masking tape around the sock. It’s a nice trick—and masking tape was made for masking things off!

I’ll start with a pen first. I found a good reference image so I could keep the stripes proportional.

What drives me crazy about pens on cotton and acrylic blends is all the fuzz you ruck up. Be sure to clean the pen tip as you go, to keep your lines neat.

Remove the tape and touch up any lumpy spots. Remember, nobody is going to look as closely at these socks as you are, so don’t stress!

Painting is just as straightforward. Remember to read the instructions on the fabric medium. Most tell you how much medium to mix with your colour and if you need to heat set it after it’s dry. My fabric medium needed to be 1 part to every 2 parts paint and set with an iron after drying for 24 hours. Go slowly so the paint seeps in well.

Remove your tape and let it dry. If it needs to be heat set, don’t forget to do that! It will help your hard work last longer.

So painting or pen gives pretty similar results for simple stripes (pen on the left, paint on the right, below). Think of all the things you can do and costumes you can finalise!

Bonus round! Make those tights into arm warmers.

Oh wait! So you have Sally’s legs, from the first part of this entry, but what about her arms?! Easy. Get yourself a spare pair of tights and a pair of scissors and let’s go!

Cut off the toe seam and free the leg of the tights from the panty area.

Now just follow the outline of we showed you in DIY: Arm Warmer Basics! Mark where you want the thumbhole to be and cut it. Since these are just nylon tights, you don’t have to worry about unravelling!

All that is left is adding any pattern or decoration, dyeing if you need to and cutting the sleeves to the right length! But they’re already pretty spoooooky arm warmers!

And you can match your arms to your legs if you’re going as a cartoon character with crazy coloured skin, like grey or orange—and you can match any patterns or stripes they may be rocking on whatever limbs (I am pretty specifically thinking of Marvel’s Tigra).

Okay, you’re set to go! And if you’re particularly proud of your costume, enter the Costume Contest on our Tumblr! You’ll totally make my day if you name-drop any DIY from the Sock Journal that you used.

It can take a while to get enough pictures of tights with multiple sizes and we just couldn’t wait any longer to make them live.  So most of their pictures aren’t very exciting because they’re the ones we get from the supplier.  They’re kind of pretty in a minimalistic way.

Supplier images of the Tatiane Microfiber Diamond Tights

But, we know that pictures like that don’t help you know how something will look on you.  So a bunch of Dreamers suited up in these fantastic tights and we shot some quick snaps of everybody being fabulous.  We put them up in an album on our Facebook, but I know not everyone uses Facebook, so I wanted to be sure that folks who follow the journal know about these tights (and about what great models the Dreamers are!)

The Tatiane have the signature silky softeness of B.Ella’s microfiber and a unique diamond pattern that alternates between ribbed and solid in an almost chain-link look that was flattering on all our legs.

We found that they were snug going on, sort of like how support tights feel.  They fit everyone pretty well, but we think that if you’re not a fan of a snugger fit you might want to order a size up from your normal choice.

Solid-colour patterns like the Tatiane are a great option when you’re looking for a more sedate tight to pair with your outfit, but don’t want your regular ol’ ribs or plain solid colours.

If you do like ribs (and really, ribbed tights are a staple wardrobe item!), then the cotton Deanna are just your thing.  Check them out after the jump!

The Deanna Cotton Ribbed Tights are scary long. Legitimately startling.

But don’t be frightened away!  All that length means lots of stretch.  One of our testers found they even fit comfortably over her pregnant tummy!  Non-pregnant tummies who don’t like their tights too high can fold the tops down, they’re perfectly comfy.  We certainly enjoyed wearing them!

The Deanna are sort of texturally striped, with a slightly more open knit running between groups of ribs.  They make legs look long and even more fabulous.

I don’t know how long the Tatiane Diamond Microfiber Tights and Deanna Cotton Ribbed Tights will be available or on sale, so even though the weather is warming up (and is well beyond tights season in some places!) you might want to grab a pair while you can and set them aside as a pick-me-up once we’re on the other side of summer.

Now, about those maternity tights!  We’ve been asked about maternity tight options and recommendations over the years.  It’s tough to have your body change so dramatically over such a short time, requiring new, comfortable, additions to your wardrobe.  Nor is it fun to feel like how you dress is limited because of what options are available for your growing tummy.  So we’re glad that we have found not only the light support maternity tights from Therafirm, but have found some “regular” tights that work well with a lot of pregnant bellies.

We’re excited to offer the Preggers Maternity Light Support Tights, designed especially with pregnant folks in mind.  They have a unique top that should fit all stages of pregnancy.

Both the tights and the Preggers Maternity Light Support Footless Tights  have built-in light support.  Their 10-15mmHG gradient compression in the legs helps with swelling and fatigue.  “Graduated compression”  has the most support at the ankle, decreasing in pressure as they go up the leg, encouraging better bloodflow.  In the tummy area a support panel gives added stability and the stretchy top can be worn folded or unfolded to cover the belly.

These styles from Therafirm are pretty fantastic, with reinforced toes (well, the footless tights don’t have toes!) and wicking ability to make them as comfortable as possible.

Solid tights are great, but what if you want wool tights, or something pretty and lacy?  Join us after the jump for more options that aren’t designed for pregnant bellies, but fit them fine anyhow!

The Dreamer who decided to try on a couple of styles for us to see how they work with a full-term tummy is regularly a size 6 pant and the widest part of her belly right now (at 36 weeks!) is 41 inches.  She’s a pretty standard “medium” size in most clothing, but what we found will work for petite and larger folks as well.

Overall, what we found is that, for certain styles, buying a size up from your regular tights size will give enough leeway to make it over a pregnant belly.  You’ll also want to keep an eye out for flat, comfortable waistbands.  How sensitive your tummy is and how you carry the baby varies from person to person, so feel free to drop us a line with any questions.  Don’t forget to read the Sizing Tips, they’ll help you know what your non-pregnancy size would be.

If the “one size” Color Tights fit you well, then picking up a plus size pair should be just the thing to add a little brightness to your maternity outfits.  The waistband goes up comfortably over the baby bump.  From our experience, unless you’re more petite, the plus size will still fit you after baby is born, they’ll just be more opaque and go up higher on the waist.

Buying a size up of the Erika Microfiber Tights works the same way.  If you’re regularly a Small, choose a Medium; if you’re a Medium, choose a Large.  We’re also expecting an Extra Large option for the Erikas in the Fall!  We have no exact dates yet, but we’re excited to add the extra range to a favourite style of tights.  Just like the Color Tights, the waistband goes all the way over the belly.  Our Dreamer found the wonderful waistband of the Erika to be super comfy.

Another comfy B.Ella style that works with pregnant tummies when you buy a size up are the Woolissimo Tights.  Though their waistband is just as stretchy and comfy, it doesn’t go all the way over the belly, but our testing Dreamer said it was just as comfortable and stayed up well.  We sadly don’t expect them to be available in an extra large option any time soon.

Two more B.Ella styles that will work, and are especially great if you want a little fancy prettiness, are the Codori Crochet Tights and the Patricia Merino Crochet Tights.  Remember to buy a size up, the Patricia (pictured below) are even available in an Extra Large!  They will fit closer to how the Woolisimo do, not making it all the way over your belly.

Now, we haven’t had a chance to test these two styles, but their wonderful stretch, how high they hit on the waist and how comfortable their waistbands are make them great candidates for maternity tights with a little more sass.  Even though they’re only “one size”, the Medallion Tights blew us away with their stretch.  Because they’re just the one size, they’ll keep on keeping you sexy through pregnancy and after.  Nothing is quite as annoying as all those clothes you have to buy just to wear for nine months!

The Leg Avenue Striped Tights should work well too.  We’ve recently compared how the three sizes fit on the Sock Journal and, just like the Medallion Tights, they hit the waist high, have lots of stretch and a comfortable waistband.

Remember, buy a size up, look for styles that hit high on the natural waist and have a comfortable waistband when you’re searching for “regular” tights that can fit your new, pregnant shape.  And if you don’t want any hassle, go for the tights made just for you like the the Preggers Maternity Light Support Tights.

You may notice in the image below that the red is a little different between sizes.  The “one size” is more of a tomato red and the 1x-2x is more of a lipstick red.  The other colours of the 1x-2x and 3x-4x aren’t as different when compared to their “one size” versions.

There are some other differences between the “one size” and the “plus” sizes.  Though it isn’t dependable that the stripes go all the way up to the waistband on the one size (which is why we love when you drop us a line to ask if the current batch do), both the 1x-2x and the 3x-4x sizes always have stripes that go all the way up.

“One size” on top, the 1x-2x below

And that’s true for the other end too.  The stripes go all the way to the toes on the 1x-2x and 3x-4x.

You’ll notice that the one size legs are longer than the plus size in the image below.  Don’t fret!  There is some magic stretch in the plus sizes of the Leg Avenue Striped Tights.  If you have a longer inseam and any curves, the 1x-2x size may be a better option.  Our tester with a 32 inch inseam found that the legs of the “one size” just fit—they maxed out the stretch of the “one size”, both hips and inseam.

More comparisons of the Leg Avenue Striped Tights sizes after the jump!

Other than using some magical, stretchy fabric for the 1x-2x and the 3x-4x, Leg Avenue has also designed the larger sizes with a rear panel.  Instead of one seam in the back, there are two, giving you lots more room for stretch and curves. One of our testers loved that the optical illusion of how the stripes met up gave her better curves in the back.

1x-2x on the left, “one size” on the right

Guys looking for striped tights may do what one of our testers tried on accident—he found that putting on the tights with the double seam in the front adds a little more room and comfort where necessary.  One thing to keep in mind, no matter how you wear them, the rear panel also acts as a gusset, and is slightly visible on the inner leg, so folks wearing tanga shorts and tap pants with these tights should keep that in mind.

Okay, now for the straight numbers for stretch!  Remember, the more something stretches around, the less they can stretch up, so longer legs with curves need to keep that in mind.  We stretched the waist/hip area and inside the leg, here’s what we found:

The “one size” stretches to 35 inches or so in the waist, with a little more stretch in the hip.  The leg circumference stretches to 22inches and we don’t recommend them for folks with longer inseams than 31 inches who are maxing the stretch for the waist and leg.

The 1x-2x stretch to 57 inches in the waist & hip area and have a 30 inch stretch in the leg circumference.  From our experience they don’t ride down too badly when the waist is stretched to the higher end of their range, though the rise does shorten (often, something has the stretch, but then become hip-huggers).

The 3x-4x stretch to about 64 inches in the waist & hip area and 36 inches of stretch in the leg circumference. If your size range fits the 1x-2x more and you’d like a more opaque tight, the 3x-4x will fit you just fine, from our testing.

Have you tried the Leg Avenue Striped Tights?  What size do you like the most?

images above from Style.com, but similar styles are:

• Medallion Net Tights •
• Faux Garter Look Pantyhose •
• Lacy Faux Lace Up Knee Sock •

This, as any dedicated sock fan knows, is just the rest of the world catching up!  What the popularity of fancy tights means is that our suppliers are offering more options and we have more great styles to choose from!

Of course, I am not a runway model or a celebrity that gets driven around everywhere.  I have to deal with the still-too-cold-for-my-taste weather of February.  I’m guessing you do too, so remember, a gorgeous lace or net style is just as stunning (if not more so) layered over something like the Color Tights or the Foot Traffic Combed Cotton Tights.

Let’s start off with all the amazing options from Foot Traffic.  They offer some great textured tights, most with plus size options and some of them come in white even!

Clockwise from top: Narita Sheer & Opaque Tight, Brooklyn Mesh Flower Tight, Dublin Texture Tights, Paris Fleur-de-Lis Pantyhose, Nordic Texture Tights, Lima Texture Tights.

More lovely, lacy options after the jump!

Both of these stunning styles I know several of you are already rocking.  They’re some of our most popular Leg Avenue lacy tights (ooh, and keep an eye on our What’s New page throughout the year for more great openwork and lace styles from Leg Avenue).

• Vintage Pinstripe Net Pantyhose •
• Baroque Lace Pantyhose •

Lace and net aren’t the only ways to rock some gorgeous openwork.  There are several styles that our suppliers call “crochet” (which aren’t crochet, because socks are knit!) or that mimic the look of crochet styles that are just as lovely.

• Codori Crochet Tights •
• Pothole Pantyhose •
• Patricia Merino Crochet Tights •

Of course, these are all tights.  In our Lace collection we have so many more options, from just a touch of lace to entire stockings, thigh highs to anklets.

• Bow Lace Stockings •
• Floral Lace Knee High •
• Open Crochet Crew •

Every time the sun breaks through the clouds I start planning what socks I’m going to wear as soon as it’s warm enough.  Hopefully combining fancy-pants openwork with warmer layers will keep me satiated until spring. Are you layering lace in these last days of winter?

Though we try to list as much information as we can in a product’s Sizing Tips, what we can’t convey with words is how something is going to fit your unique shape. Tights are one of the most finicky things to fit and, as they’re not a returnable item because they have a crotch, one of the most frustrating to find have just one little thing wrong with the fit. We’ll go over some of the most common tights fitting problems and the quick and easy solutions we Dreamers no longer hesitate to employ.

They “penguin” (the inseam is too short)

One of the most common problems with fitting tights is when they slide down, creating that ever-so-comfortable and flattering penguin effect. Though some folks (like me) find this happens with styles that have a double-seamed rear, the primary cause is inseam length. If you’re leggier, or curvier and leggier, the manufacturer may not have calculated enough stretch to comfortably encase your legs and just getting tights all the way up, let alone keeping them there, is an infuriating challenge. There is the simplest solution for this: cut off the feet.

They won’t be tights anymore (well, they’ll technically be footless tights) and if they’re a nice pair you may be hesitant—but if it’s not comfortable to wear them, taking the chance means you’ll more likely than not want to rock them instead of letting them languish in the back of a drawer. In our experience, pretty much any style of knit that tights are available in can handle being cut this way except for delicate and sheer nylon styles (the Opaque Tights are heavy enough to be fine), or styles that snag easily.

There are two different foot styles, and so two ways to approach this. With footed tights, like the EG Smith Leg Therapy Tights or anything by MP , you’ll want to cut just above the formed heel. The pair of tights I’m showing you as an example are an MP pair that we no longer carry, I’ve had them for three years and have worn them maybe three times, but as footless tights I know I’m going to wear them a bunch more.

For tube style feet, like the styles offered by Foot Traffic and Leg Avenue, all it takes is a quick cut right above the toe seam. I like longer footless tights and hate hate hate the snug ankle band on most leggings, so taking scissors to a pair of Foot Traffic Combed Cotton Tights makes something I’ll wear much more regularly.

But, you ask, how do they hold up in the wash? Below is how both styles I showed above handle being washed (in the washing machine on cold and in the dryer for maybe too long, because I’m awful with laundry). They hold up great! And now I have two pairs of footless tights that I’ll love to wear, instead of a couple of things I’d forgotten I owned.

More quick DIY solutions for uncomfortable waistbands and what to do if they’re just no good as tights any longer after the jump.

They go up too high or cut in at the waist

Another problem with tights is how generously high the waistband goes up on most styles. The past couple of years we’ve seen a dearth of low-rise options for tights and some styles have waistbands that go up far too high for my taste. Or, if the waistband does fall in an okay spot, it has that “underwear style” flat elastic that digs in. Well the same solution solves both problems, cut it off!

I buy my Erika Microfiber Tights a size too large, because it increases their opacity. But that means that their already high waist goes even higher. I tend to fold them down, but it’s about time I got them sitting where I want. To do this, put the tights on and mark, with chalk or something like an eyeliner pencil, where you want the waist to sit. Remember! Measure twice and cut once. Cut areas of fabric will shrink as they curl, so it’s best to cut less and see how it looks—you can always cut more later. You’ll have to excuse the scribbles, I just could not get a good and clear picture.

But how well do they stay up without the waistband? Depends on your body type, but more often than not tights hug close enough from toes to tops that the waistband only acts as insurance against them creeping down. As with any DIY for fit, you’re altering to create something you’ll actually wear and be comfortable wearing. For me, it’s worth the risk.

They’re just no good as tights any more

Maybe the crotch seam has busted, or the top was snagged, but what to do if you’ve a pair of tights that just don’t do the job as tights any more? It’s time for them to transform into raw-topped thigh highs! This is also a good trick if you’re having trouble finding true thigh highs. All that is needed is to cut the panty section from the legs.

They’ll need to be worn with garters or a garter belt, like any raw-topped thigh high, but I’m not complaining. The result is worth it.

So, just because a pair of tights isn’t rocking your world doesn’t mean you can’t transform them into something that will!  Have you modded a pair of tights to your liking?