I have been wearing the same black leggings for workouts since... well, since I last performed as a bellydancer (5 years ago) and before that. Oh my goodness, like 5 - 10 years?! Leggings are truly my go-to for any work-out: Dance, Skating, Walking, Yoga, Hiking. I know I need new leggings and capris like crazy. I know too that every pair I try on in the stores doesn't fit quite like I want.
The RTW leggings & capris I own are made in plus sizes, are long lasting, and are made in high quality fabrics. Nike's plus-sized line of dryfit pants are my current top favorites. Oh I love those. They wash well, they wear well, they always look fantastic and I stay cool. Great for under a skirt. I also loved the lululemon capris I had. But those don't come in plus-sizes (read become seethru if you gain a few pounds), and they do not wash well (pilling like mad and they just collect hair and anything else linty in the wash or dryer. boo!)
| Enter, Spring Race Challenge and Espresso Leggings. Since:
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Usually, I'm a skimmer. I make one thing, feel I've accomplished it, then move on to conquer the next challenge. I need and love regular Goldilocks challenges - using a majority of my skills at hand to stretch myself just beyond my comfort zone to grow and learn.
Lately, however, I've been working on mastering my craft. I want a higher quality finished product, a better fit, etc. Even in my everyday life, I've grown to value one high quality item over masses of low quality "throw aways". In order to achieve such mastery takes time, regular practice, patience, and plenty of material with which to make "mistakes".
I'm very into knits right now, so in order to deepen my knowledge and minimize mistakes, I dug into Sewing Knits That Fit taught by Dyanne Marte who used to work for J. Crew, NY & Co. Highly recommended, by the way. Dyanne said the most pivotal thing while fitting knit pants. It took her 12 pair of pants before she achieved the perfect fit. That's 12 pair of the same pattern! Ok self, permission granted. Make as many as you need. Know that this will be a journey. Know that some things will not work out. Know that you will very likely wear your mistakes so in the famous words of Mr. Tim Gunn, "Make it Work."
Oh I don't like waste, so I made as many adjustments to my pattern block ahead of time by measuring, evaluating stretch and drawing the curves and shapes of my existing, well and ill fitting leggings. Some leggings I can hardly believe fit me. They are tiny when I lay them against my espresso leggings pattern. Like, 5" or more smaller in the thigh.
After adjusting as much as I could, I felt the fear, and proceeded with fabric anyway. The wild "looks like a comic strip threw up on my legs" pattern was previously cut from a Kwik Sew pattern that did not fit. Then was sewn and horridly hacked to attempt to get it to fit properly. I did not put this failure up on the blog as I just didn't know where to go with it. I knew one day I'd fix the fit, but I abandoned them in favor of the espresso leggings to see if I could achieve proper fit that way. Bingo! So, I ripped all the seams out and cut each front and back to fit the espresso leggings. Whew! Fabric saved with minimal scraps and unusable remains.
Because I'm enjoying the depth and documenting the process for my own benefit, I thought you would enjoy seeing side by side photos of version 1 and version 2.
Lately, however, I've been working on mastering my craft. I want a higher quality finished product, a better fit, etc. Even in my everyday life, I've grown to value one high quality item over masses of low quality "throw aways". In order to achieve such mastery takes time, regular practice, patience, and plenty of material with which to make "mistakes".
I'm very into knits right now, so in order to deepen my knowledge and minimize mistakes, I dug into Sewing Knits That Fit taught by Dyanne Marte who used to work for J. Crew, NY & Co. Highly recommended, by the way. Dyanne said the most pivotal thing while fitting knit pants. It took her 12 pair of pants before she achieved the perfect fit. That's 12 pair of the same pattern! Ok self, permission granted. Make as many as you need. Know that this will be a journey. Know that some things will not work out. Know that you will very likely wear your mistakes so in the famous words of Mr. Tim Gunn, "Make it Work."
Oh I don't like waste, so I made as many adjustments to my pattern block ahead of time by measuring, evaluating stretch and drawing the curves and shapes of my existing, well and ill fitting leggings. Some leggings I can hardly believe fit me. They are tiny when I lay them against my espresso leggings pattern. Like, 5" or more smaller in the thigh.
After adjusting as much as I could, I felt the fear, and proceeded with fabric anyway. The wild "looks like a comic strip threw up on my legs" pattern was previously cut from a Kwik Sew pattern that did not fit. Then was sewn and horridly hacked to attempt to get it to fit properly. I did not put this failure up on the blog as I just didn't know where to go with it. I knew one day I'd fix the fit, but I abandoned them in favor of the espresso leggings to see if I could achieve proper fit that way. Bingo! So, I ripped all the seams out and cut each front and back to fit the espresso leggings. Whew! Fabric saved with minimal scraps and unusable remains.
Because I'm enjoying the depth and documenting the process for my own benefit, I thought you would enjoy seeing side by side photos of version 1 and version 2.
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Side view. V1 Left, V2 Right.
Remember how "see thru" the purple was? Ahem.
Remember how "see thru" the purple was? Ahem.
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Hind Quarter view. V1 Left, V2 Right.
Holy Under Roos, Batman!
Holy Under Roos, Batman!
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I adore these. I love the shiny silver stars, the bright pink, the bright yellow and electric blue. I don't love that you can see my underwear. I don't like how high the waist is. But, I could make a fun tunic or, I could just wear neutral colored underwear to minimize the 'view'. Better yet, I could write something funny on the underwear like Roz from Nightcourt "If you can read this, you better have a ring." Or "Goonies never die." or ... I know, you suggest one! Tell me, what funny should I write?
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