Gym pants make-over - Jalie skort

Last year I made the compression shorts (here) from the Jalie 2796 pattern as I needed another pair of gym pants in a hurry.  I have worn them a couple of times and they did fit the bill, but I don't feel comfortable wearing them.  This style of pants is just out of my comfort zone, so when I realised they sit in the drawer and don't get worn, I decided they needed a make over.  

The best idea I could come up with was to add the skirt to make them into a skort which I know I am a lot more comfortable to be seen in.  I traced off the skort pattern in the same size as the shorts and assembled the skirt.  I decided to leave off the side pockets so cut one side piece only (no top pocket piece)  and adjusted the hemline to be straight across.

I used some tactel nylon lycra for the skirt front and back and I cut the side panels out of sports mesh.  I have used these fabrics before (see this post).   The compression shorts will be underneath so nothing will show through the mesh.  I thought it would just look cool!

I tried to attach the skirt to the compression shorts but to accurately sew the skirt, stretching it and lining it up with the existing waistband seam was not going to happen in any nice way. So I thought about unpicking the waistband but I had really sewn it well!  Overlocked the seam and then top stitched over the seam with a triple zigzag.  

When I tried to unpick this black thread from black fabric it was a disaster and I was just making holes, so I did what all good sewists would do next and just cut the seam off!.  Then I could assemble the skort as per the instructions.

The shorts were a bit long under the skirt so I shortened them slightly as I don't like the look of the shorts showing below the hem of the skirt.

I am pretty happy with the makeover and wore them to gym today but I found the legs kept sliding or rolling up and I was pulling them down all the time.  I am not sure if that is connected with shortening them because I don't remember the shorts being like that before. 

I plan to try adding some gripper elastic to the legs.  I haven't done that before.  Any tips  kittens?

Holiday snaps .... Jalie 2682 again

I have recently returned from a holiday where we traveled up to North Queensland and camped and kayaked and ate and ... you get the picture. :)

To this end I made a few pieces to take with me (as you do!)  I needed a rashie to wear while kayaking to stop my fair skin from turning bright red and painful and it is also useful as it keeps the salt water splash off your skin.  

I made a rashie for my DH a while back using a fehrtrade pattern (blogged here) and it is a good pattern but being a tightwad thrifty I thought I should use a pattern I already own.  Plus we don't really need to look like Bill and Ben in matching rashies don't you think?

I used Jalie 2682 a very versatile pattern which I last used to make a warm top for the gym. 

Cape Hillsborough near Mackay

This time I made it to my true size.  I made it exactly to the pattern.  I would normally shorten the sleeve length a little but left them as they were so I could get more protection.  It worked beautifully.

Cape Hillsborough  - Wedge Island.  You can walk to this spot at low tide.

The zipper is great as I can zip it right up to my neck for more sun protection.  

We saw a pod of dolphins that day - very exciting!

I made the main body of the top a dark brown and used a brown/red print for the lining pieces of the top bodice and collar.  I love that effect!

I also made a zipper pull in the patterned fabric.  I had a few questions about how I made it last time so tried to take some pictures this time to explain my process.

One more pic with the kayak... this time Cape Tribulation.

Cape Tribulation - above the Daintree ... don't kayak in the estuaries here! (crocodiles)

...and one of the reasons we visited Cape Hillsborough is that it is one of the few places you will see kangaroos and wallabies on the beach. 

Pretty Face Wallaby at sunrise - Cape Hillsborough

Ciao kittens... more holiday snaps soon...

Same, same, different... Jalie 2682

Back in July 2012, I made a long sleeved gym top with Jalie 2682 - blogged here.  I wore this top a lot that year (and perhaps the year after?)   It was a little on the tight side around the upper back/chest as the fabric never had the stretch the top needed.  Regardless it served me well, but I moved it out of the wardrobe as my shape has changed and it was too tight to continue wearing.

Now in 2015 I am a little bigger but enjoying CrossFit and I must say a CrossFit Box is a cold place in winter and so I started looking for another long sleeved top.  I lucked across some merino/polypropylene blend fabric marked as wicking at the The Fabric Store in Brisbane and it was half-price... $8/m.  Well of course I bought that instead of investing in  a RTW top.  The ones I had been eyeballing were between $70 and $125!

The fabric is soft has plenty of recovery and is soft and fuzzy on the inside and has an active wear fabric look on the outside.  So I pulled out Jalie 2682 again and traced another pattern size off.  

I chose to go 2 sizes larger than my indicated size.  I was 2 sizes larger in the last top too, but because of the lack of necessary stretch in the fabric, it didn't fit so well.   This fabric has lots of stretch and seems to recover well, and this top is actually a little on the big/loose side.  However as I want to wear it over other tops I am not bothered by this.  I also lengthened it about an inch to give me plenty of coverage over the hips (I hate being cold!).  I did try and curve the side seams but I don't think I put enough curve in as you cannot really tell.  Never mind, I was hoping to make it look current but I am still very happy with the top.

I lined the bodice front with sports mesh as I did not want to double up on the the thick, fuzzy fabric and it works really well.

I put a piece of  purple fabric through the zip pull.  I sewed it in a narrow tube then threaded through the zip pull and stitched it to hold it together.  A cheats way of having a fancy zip pull.

I have trialed it now and this is my feedback.

• The length and size is great for this top.  If I were to make it for everyday wear I would go back down 2 sizes.  
• The high collar is great as it gives coverage on the back of the neck, when resting a bar on it (which in the cold is not at all pleasant!)

• The half zip makes it easy to take off when I do warm up.

• I really like this top and with the current cold weather it is getting a lot of use.  It is light in weight and very comfortable and I don't feel sweaty in it even after I start warming up.  

• My only negative is that when I do wear it a bit and sweat into it (and I do sweat) it does get a bit on the nose and needs washing before I am game to put it on again.  That is a shame as the ideal gym wear does not get the stink up and can be worn many times.  However the other side of the coin is I didn't pay a lot for this top and I have enough fabric to make more so I can alternate them.

Oh and for completeness I did do the full squat.  (The medicine ball on the floor behind me is just to help me ensure I get the correct depth).

I have plans to use this pattern in another way soon for a different kind of active wear. 

Reviewed here.

Ciao kittens until next time...

Jalie 3351 Swim shorts... or gym shorts...

As noted in my last post on my active wear collection I have used the swim short pattern Jalie 3351 to make another pair of gym shorts.  

These have been made specifically to wear to gym (I have taken up CrossFit) so must be comfortable for all sorts of activities.

Worn with Fehrtrade XYT top 

The main body of the shorts was made from a thick supplex bought from Strechtex.  I made the attached pants and used a stretch sports mesh bought off ebay.  For the liner I used a scrap of black bamboo interlock.

As I use the Jalie knickers pattern for a TNT undies pattern, I figured this pattern would be comfortable with the attached pants ...and I was right.  Nice and comfy, good coverage, ticks all the boxes.  They would make nice shorts without the attached pants too, but figured it would make for no adjustment knickers when they are attached. :)

These have been worn to CrossFit and in the session we did a billion squats (ok, 150 squats..), skipping, weights, and some gymnastics type moves involving going upside on the rings - called a candle.  Now I can't do a candle, but was coached onto how to get upside down on the rings with assistance from the coach.  Now I am sure you are not interested in the details but what was important is that I was very comfortable during the workout and felt like I had good coverage from the shorts.

The pants have pockets on the sides - great for a runner, even got used even in my crossfit session - nice touch.

....where did that green thread come from??

so you can see the pocket detail...

Anyway - the upshot is I love these shorts and would happily make more for gym and plan to make a pair to use at the beach and for water activities.

Shorts love... Ciao!

My me-made gym collection

I have been showing most of the pieces of my active wear wardrobe as I have made them, but thought it would be nice to show you my "collection".

These are my tops.  3 Fehrtrade  XYT tops (X in blue/purple, T in green, Y in purple) and my Kwiksew 3453 vest for the cooler mornings.  Don't need the vest at the moment as we have been having heatwave conditions.

And the bottoms.  The 3/4 Kwiksew 3988 pants (not blogged I just realised but the pattern link is here) and now (thanks to the heatwave) I have two new pair of shorts.  The Jalie 2796 compression shorts and my new Jalie 3351 Swim shorts (but gym shorts for me).  I finished these today and will try them out tomorrow and put a post up after so I can tell you how they perform. :)

... and for those time I need to practice yoga or relax or (most recently) for pj's when camping, my Kwiksew 3988 pants this time in View B and the Kwiksew 3115 top.

I am really pleased with my "collection".  I will post about the new Jalie swim shorts (as gym shorts) soon.  I realised I haven't blogged about KS 3988 pants.  If you are interested to know more please let me know and I will try and get a post prepared.  Ciao kittens...

Work set - Jalie 2910 & 2681

Another set of clothes - this time for the office.  

Both made from left-overs from other projects too so a real bonus!  The top is Jalie 2910 and this is the first time I have made it.  The skirt is Jalie 2681 another first time pattern for me.

The fabrics I have used for the skirt and trim on the top is a Swiss 4 way stretch bought from Gorgeous fabrics ages ago.  I think this fabric is very similar to what they call a scuba knit now.  Soft and spongy texture but drapes beautifully and behaves well.  Previously I had made the Jalie skort from this fabric.  So now it is pretty much all used up - only a small piece left that I think I will keep for use as a contrast trim.

The fabric for the top is a leftover from making Vogue 1250 in another from Gorgeous fabrics.  This is now all used up.  

The top is made pretty much as per the pattern using my bust size to choose the pattern size.  I will be doing the optional step in the instructions of stitching the band in the ditch to hold the crossover in place.  When I wore it to work it moved too much for my comfort and I ended up pinning it shut.

The skirt is View E but I shortened it when I cut it out.  I used the hem line for size "O" and the skirt is cut to a size V - chosen by my hip measurement.  The top was also made at size V.  I consider myself a bit of a pear shape and often make a size bigger for my bottom half compared to my top half.  Interesting?

The only other thing of note is that Jalie gives you a few options for hemming, including leaving the hem raw, which is what I did - makes this a very quick sew and I think it looks fine.

So fine in fact that I did the same with my second skirt.  Same pattern view but this time in a left-over piece of jersey.  I used this previously in a wrap dress - Vogue 8646, my Kate Middleton engagement dress.  Lovely fabric and now all used up... 

BTW the top is an Ottobre one.

Very happy with my stash busting efforts and the speed of getting a few basic pieces to wear at the office.  Ciao - more Jalie next up!

Gym set - Jalie 2796 + Fehr trade XYT top

Well, the next logical step after a cruise (and eating so much good food) is to get back into gym.  However I have come back to heatwave conditions and I am not sure what happened but my old gym shorts don't fit all that well... fancy that?  So I needed a pair of shorts that fit and are quick to make.  I chose to make the compression shorts from Jalie 2796.  I have in the past not been the biggest fan of this type of short but they fit the bill and I must say they are very comfy to wear.  However shorts of this style are pretty dull to make so to get excited about it all I made another Fehrtrade XYT top to wear with them.

I have made this top a number of times so did not have to think too hard about it.  I made the X back this time and used a contrast fabric.

The top is made pretty much the same as my last tops, no built in bra, lengthened a little and cut one size larger at the hip level.

Now I am lumpy and bumpy but in the interests of full disclosure here are the photos of the set on me...

The pants are extremely comfy to wear.  My only comment would be is that they are quite high waisted but with the extra weight I am carrying at them moment, it is not such a bad thing.  I must admit I took a spare pair of shorts with me to the gym as the "compression" means the pants are quite stretched when wearing them and I was concerned about a potential blowout!  However nothing bad happened through my workout and it was a decent Crossfit workout so covered many bases.

The fabric used in the pants and top was Supplex - the black a heavier weight from Stretchtex and the colours both from Runners Fabrics (sadly no longer in existence).  Great quality fabric - I sweat a lot in this extreme weather and the fabric feels wet when you touch it after working out but is comfortable on the skin still (with no sweat marks too).  Worth the investment I think.

Now I am excited to make another pair of shorts so I have just ordered Jalie 3351 and look forward to making these up as a gym short.  This is a style of short I think I am more comfortable to wear.  Ciao kittens... time to get cutting and tracing!

Teal Jalie drop pocket cardigan 3248

I bought the most beautiful merino heavy weight teal merino specifically for this pattern from the Fabric Store in Brisbane,  Expensive but sooo worth it!  The pattern is Jalie 3248 the drop pocket cardigan.

I think the only alteration I made was to shorten the sleeve length which I do with just about every long sleeved pattern.  

What can you slay about a Jalie pattern... so great - fit is great, instructions are great and the finished product is ...well... great!

My only negatives with this pattern is that it is a fabric hog because of the doubled up fonts. Expensive merino... ouch!  The only other negative is that the cardigan does not meet at the front.  It is the design and is clear on the cover picture, but I didn't think that through.  However the style of it is perfect, just not for the coldest days!

This teal colour is so, so versatile on my wardrobe and goes with my two winter basics of black and brown so I have worn it heaps!  I think I wore it 3 times in the first week after I made it.

I also love it with my willow cowl.

I had a strip of teal merino left over and I wasn't going to waste it so I paired it with some leftover mustard merino (form this cardigan) and made a cowl (you know I love a good cowl!)

Ciao kittens...

Waste not, want not - new pj's

I had a lovely piece of soft pink merino leftover from my top in the last post and I really wanted to sew it up while I had the machines threaded in pink.  (I know I am not the only one who hates changing thread colours if it can be avoided!)

So I settled on making a camisole which I paired with pj pants made from a pretty piece of quilting cotton that has been sitting in my stash for far too long.  I did not have quite enough of the cotton to make a full pair of pj pants, so I took some of the height off the waistband and added a yoga style waistband in the last skerrick of pink merino.

The legs are of course both the same length but trying to dress Diana in pants is a challenge!

The camisole pattern I used is Jalie 2564 (which I think is discontinued now).  As a change though I made the shelf bra and added the adjustable sliders to the straps.  

For some reason I had a set of white sliders and purple rings in the stash, so I thought that would do for this project.

The pants pattern is a TNT - Burdastyle 11-2009-131.  I loved the waistband I added.  I took the depth of the waistband off the top of the pants.  I got the details for the size to use from a tutorial - here.  

It did work well and is very comfy but the merino jersey is too soft for this really and stretches out a bit on wearing.  To overcome this I sewed a bit of elastic to the waistband so that it sits inside the fold at the top.  I didn't cut this elastic very tight, I just need it to help hold up the pants for me after wearing them for awhile, while still being comfy to sleep in.

For the hem I played with my decorative stitches as usual and it was a good chance to use up the pink thread (not a colour I use a lot in my sewing).

Sleep tight folks... I know I will in my new pink, pretty pj's!... Ciao!

Misc. sewing... trunks, pet blankets & a muslin

I have been doing a bit of practical sewing lately.  Nothing flash, but all needed. 

First up I have made one pair of men's trunks from Jalie 2327.  DH is going to trial these to make sure he likes them before I make anymore.  This pattern is discontinued now - I don't know why as it gets great reviews.  I found some elastic with stripes on it in a grey/black by chance at a closing down sale.  The blue fabric is tee shirt leftovers.

Next up more left-over fabrics, pretty lace elastic and fold over elastic made up this cream set for me.  Another Jalie pattern - 2564.  I have made this before and love how it uses up left-over bits and pieces.  The striped pair are cream on the back and have foe for the elastic.  This is another discontinued but highly recommended pattern.

Another pattern I have made before - Tanga pants.  I made the x-small this time, as I thought the  small was on the large size last time I made them, but now that I have made these and trialed them, I am thinking small is the right size for me.  I think this lace elastic may not be as soft as the last lot I used.  Thank goodness for stretch I can and will still use these, but think I will go back to small next time.  

I am trying to clean out some clutter and this polar fleece was never going to be used as the piece was probably too small for most things.  So I have cut it up and hemmed it into 4 small blankets.  One has been given to my cat, and the other three are going to the RSPCA.

... and last but not least, I have made a muslin of a Lekala top - 4042.  This is actually the second muslin.  The first one I used a fabric from Fabric.com.  First up I put the yoke piece in the wrong way and didn't work it out until I had sewn the whole top!  Why I didn't realise when none of the pieces matched properly I don't know?!  Anyway I unpicked the yoke pieces and  put them back in.  The top was on the smug side but not too bad.  Then I washed it and it shrunk (I had pre-washed too) and to top if off it developed a hole!  Unpicking rayon always leads to disaster!  That one is in the bin now which is a shame as the colour was really pretty.  

This is the second muslin.  A lovely rayon from Gorgeous Fabrics.  I think this one might have more stretch in it.  I found it so much easier to sew now that I sewed the yokes the right way!!  I sewed the side seams a little narrower to give me a little more ease and viola!  

Not hemmed as yet as I have run out of Steam-a-Seam, but I wanted to show you the end result.  

The collar is a little floppy but this fabric is very soft and I think it can work with a slight roll-over.  Now that I have this pattern sorted I plan to make a pile of these as I really need some higher necked tops with long sleeves.  I have some real pretty merino jerseys I plan to make it up in as well as a glitter fabric for after-five wear!  Can you have too many of a good top??

BTW the instructions and pattern are pretty good but it does not mention when to sew the centre front seam.  I have sewn it after the collar both times so far, but am wondering if it may be better sewn before the collar.  If  anyone else has made this top please let me know what you think about when to sew the CF seam.

ETA - I have contacted Lekala patterns and asked this question - they replied really quickly - sew CF seam first, then move onto the rest of the instructions.  They also said they would correct that on their patterns - very impressed with the customer service!

Ciao!