pants – Sew Beach Life

Ready For Some Cute New Shorts?

Stitch Upon A Time Midsummer Pants, Capris, and Shorts

When the tester call for the Stitch Upon A Time Midsummer Pants, Capris, and Shorts came out, I was quick to respond as soon as I saw the line drawings. Being a Florida girl, I wear shorts eleven months out of the year, and I needed these shorts in my life!

It’s surprising how much the shorts appealed to me, considering that pretty much all my shorts are a variation of slim fit jogger style. I’m a Grandma. I don’t wear shortie shorts. But the wrap-around running shorts look is just so fun! So I expanded my horizons and tried a whole brand new look, and I love it!

The curved edges give a sporty look that accentuates your legs. And they can be wrapped to the front or the back.

My favorite pair were made with an Art Gallery Fabrics cotton lycra knit. The softness of the AGF fabric gives it a nice drape, better than what you would get for an average cotton lycra.

I also made a pair using nylon spandex tricot. The quick drying fabric would make them perfect for throwing on over a swimsuit. And they’re great for those beach walks when you might wander into the water because it’s so hot!

Fabric choice makes a difference in the fit. Because nylon spandex has a lot of recovery, the waistband will try to migrate to the narrowest part of your body. My natural waist is much higher than my belly button, so I think I’ll hack a higher waistband the next time I use this fabric.

I like that the shorts give decent booty coverage, while still looking sexy. The shorts are a quick sew, even including cover-stitching the curved hem. Seriously! Center front seam, center back seam, crotch seam, hem, baste, and add the waistband.

Which brings me to my sewing tips for the Midsummer Shorts. I like to up the differential to 1.3 while using a 4 thread overlock on the edge of the hem. This helps keep knits from stretching out, and makes getting a smooth curved hem a little easier by slightly easing the curve. Then when you fold it up, you don’t end up with a bumpy hem and it’s easy to top or cover-stitch. I also recommend top-stitching the wrap over section for about 4 inches down, starting at the waistband. This helps keep the wrap flat and in place whether you run or kick or stretch.

Are you ready to try a new look? Even if you’re not a shorts wearer, I can foresee some soft comfy lounge pant or capris for bumming around town.

Get the look: the Midsummer Pants, Capris and shorts pattern.

The emerald rayon spandex for the Aushui Tank was purchased from Phee Fabrics. You can read more about the Aushui Tank (including a fun hack!) here. The Art Gallery Le Tigre fabric was purchased from my local sewing store, but Stitch Upon A Time and Phee Fabrics both carry a selection of Art Gallery Fabrics cotton lycra knits.

The Titania Tunic was made with white circular knit and I used powernet in the shelf bra. You can read more about the Titania Tunic, and my workout top hack here. The teal shorts are nylon spandex tricot.

So, are you ready for some cute new shorts (or capris, or pants)?

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I may receive a small commission if you purchase through my link. As always, I only give my honest opinion. After all, it is my blog, which represents me! 🙂 Thank you for reading and sharing my love of sewing, patterns, and fabric. ❤

Keep It Simple & Add Some Flair

Keeping it simple sounds like a great idea right about now, during a time of uncertainty. And I (mostly) have been! My days are filled with sewing, cooking, cleaning, spending time with my husband, prayer and reflection, and texting and FaceTiming family. Like most people, I also probably spend too much time reading about the virus, watching TV, and on social media. 😦 So it’s time to get back to writing about sewing and patterns and fabric and all the other things that make me happy! 🙂

There were some chilly days here in Florida last month, so I decided to make the Pattern Emporium Keep It Simple Babe Tee shirt. Patterns with lots of options can be overwhelming and wonderfully useful! The Keep It Simple Babe has high and low square necks, high and low round necks, boat and crew necks, turtlenecks, and a V-neck. And everything from cap to long sleeves, so there are definitely options.

Since Florida is hot most of the year, tank tops make up a good portion of my wardrobe. But there are chilly days, so a long sleeved tee is a practical make. Super soft rayon spandex is my favorite fabric for tops and flowy dresses, and I had enough of this turquoise from Phee Fabrics in my stash to make the long sleeved tee. The sleeves are slim enough to stay in place when pushed up to 3/4 length, but not feel too tight.

The V-neck is a good depth, not too high or too deep, and the neck-band came out perfectly. The bodice skims over the body and doesn’t cling or show off the fact that I’ve probably eaten too many cookies while staying “safer at home”! The Keep It Simple is a solid pattern choice. Now for the Flair!

I had a small bit of Cozy French Terry left after sewing some fuzzy slipper socks for my sister, and managed to squeeze a pair of shorts on the fabric. The Pattern Emporium Urban Flair Pants are one of my favorite pants patterns. There are three leg width options and I chose the wide leg version to make a pair of basic black pants a couple months ago. I love them! They are super comfortable, the back darts smooth over the booty, and other than adding length I didn’t need to alter the pattern at all! If you’ve ever sewn pants, that is saying something!

So that’s why I decided to use the pattern to make a pair of shorts. I marked the pattern to give me a 5-1/4″ inseam, and cut the legs straight across. Since I was using scraps, I had to cut the pockets out of rayon spandex, and used Supplex and the rayon spandex for the waistband. Supplex makes great waistbands, because it has excellent recovery. So instead of folding the waistband pattern piece in half, I hacked it to have an inner waistband of Supplex, and an outer waistband of rayon spandex, so it would match the pockets. I slightly contoured it, and added a seam allowance so that the finished waistband would be the same height as the pattern called for.

It’s a fun accent, and worked out great. I will say that it’s imperative to use a substantial weight of rayon spandex. Flimsy rayon spandex won’t hold the weight of your phone and will get stretched out of shape. This is 13oz. rayon spandex, the same as I used for my tee. My phone easily fits in the generously sized pockets, and the shorts are super comfortable.

More shorts are definitely on the agenda, along with more walks along the beach!

Both patterns were great additions to my collection, and I’m glad I bought and made (more of) them. I hope that you are doing lots of sewing, and enjoying spending time communicating with the people you love. So keep it simple, give yourself some grace, and don’t forget to add a bit of flair and fun to your life! ❤

Love You “Two” The Moon Birthday Girl!

Can you believe that my beautiful granddaughter just turned two? I planned to write a post about her birthday party, and thought I would include photos of the decorations and snacks and treats, along with her birthday dress like last year. But it was a super busy day, and somehow I didn’t take many photos! So there aren’t any close-up photos of the cute star cookies (you can barely see them on the table behind her), the astronaut ice cream, or moon cheese, chosen for her space themed birthday party.

There wasn’t much doubt that Lila would choose space as a theme, since “moon” was one of her first words, shortly after “Mama” and “Daddy”. She likes to spot airplanes and helicopters, and “Look at stars!” and “See fireflies”. Her vocabulary is out of this world, if I am allowed to brag a bit, about all the phrases and sentences she says these days. She mimics and picks up new words and phrases daily. Possibly even ones she shouldn’t, such as “OK, girlfriend”, which she learned from yours truly! 🙂 It is sort of funny though, since she inserts it appropriately into conversation!

Her birthday dress was made using the free Sew A Little Seam Birthday Dress pattern. I muslined it using some chevron foil print purple knit I found on the clearance rack at JoAnn Fabrics a couple years ago. It looked cute and proportionate, although I couldn’t try it on her since she lives in another state.

Finding fabric that looked like galaxies was a little challenging, since I didn’t have time or the budget to order a custom fabric. But I found some hand-printed cotton at my local fabric store (that has a ton of quilting fabric, and very little knit, which seems common in Florida) that looked pretty and sort of galaxy like. The pattern tutorial calls for a zipper if the dress is made with woven fabric, although it’s only supposed be in the bodice. After installing the zipper in the completely lined and finished bodice, it made no sense to me to not have it extend into the skirt. Since there isn’t a back seam in the skirt (which would have been the easiest solution) I just snipped down the center back of the skirt about 3 inches, and folded the snipped edges under. Attaching the skirt was a bit challenging, since I needed the edges to line up perfectly in order to continue sewing on the zipper. It isn’t the prettiest zipper I’ve ever done, but it was installed and worked perfectly.

To up the “space” and sparkle factor, I added some metallic trimmed satin and chiffon ribbon to the bottom edge of the tulle underskirt. A simple zig zag stitch through the chiffon layer worked perfectly, and it took every single inch of the 3 yard spool of ribbon! I also made the hair bow, by following a tutorial on YouTube. Fortunately, the dress fit perfectly, and Lila wore it all day long from playing in the garden, to learning to ride her birthday scooter.

Last year, she just leaned forward in her high chair and nibbled her cupcake. This year, she decided it was too sticky to hold herself, and wanted Mama to hold it for her! Can you tell that she only gets sugary treats on rare occasions?

The birthday party flew by, with kids, neighbors, family, friends, noise, presents, and the general bedlam that one expects at a children’s birthday party. And it really only ended after it grew dark, and all of the neighbor children finished playing with bikes, scooters, balls, being pulled in wagons, and the adults gathered them inside for their dinners and evening baths.

On her actual birthday, we tagged along on a trip to a local farm. Lila got to see all the animals, go on a wagon ride, wander through a maze, and look at pumpkins, although she didn’t pick one out to take home.

And she got a shoulder ride from Grandpa, just like her Mama used to when she was little!

She also opened her present of Grandma made clothes. She wore her Petite Stitchery Sweetie Leggings (another free pattern) made from a floral double brushed polyester scrap and her Patterns for Pirates Tiny Tulip (also a free pattern), made from pieced together scraps of rayon spandex ribbing from Phee Fabrics the next day. The leggings are a looser fit like joggers, and the 24 months size fits well. The dropped shoulders of the Tiny Tulip make the size 2 a little bit big on her. I had to roll up the sleeves to keep them out of her way.

I made the skirt out of some star printed vintage cotton woven my Mom gave me when cleaning out her house. It’s just two pieces of fabric 12″ high by 22″ wide sewn together, and gathered with swim elastic. Swim elastic works best because it’s soft, and stretches enough to gather a wide opening small enough to fit on a simple rayon spandex waistband.

I hadn’t tried the free (with code in their Facebook group) Halla Leggings pattern before, but gave them a try because the rise is higher in the front than some of the other kids leggings patterns. Toddlers have round little bellies, and I dislike low rise leggings with a baby belly and diaper sticking out of the top! There was a big enough scrap of Polartech Powerstretch left in my stash to make the size 2/3 years. The Patterns for Pirates Buried Treasure Tunic in size 2 was the basis for the other two tops I made.

The sweater knit hacci was part of a panel and I didn’t have enough scraps to make long sleeves. So I cut them as long as I could, added seam allowances, and cut the rest of the sleeves, neckband, and gathered ruffle on the bottom out of Phee Fabrics rayon spandex. The floral print was a scrap of rayon spandex from JoAnn Fabrics. Since the fabric was quite thin, and didn’t have the greatest recovery, I decided to use some white rayon spandex from Phee as the neckband.

It makes for a cute outfit that is comfortable for her to run and play in. She also likes adding the 5 Out Of 4 Girls’ Eleanor Cardigan I made her last year when she is preparing to go play outside. If Phee Fabrics gets any more Polartech Powerwool in this winter, I will definitely have to make her another cardigan!

We had so much fun hanging out with the birthday girl! The 13-1/2 hour drive each way was brutal, but worth it to be able to visit our sweet, fun, loving, adorable, hilarious granddaughter. We can’t wait to visit again for Thanksgiving, but we’ve decided we’re going to fly next time!

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I may receive a small commission/credit if you purchase through my links. As always, I only give my honest opinion. After all, it is my blog, which represents me! 🙂 Thank you for reading and sharing my love of sewing, patterns, fabric, and pattern hacking. ❤

Super Fun Super G’s

And A Simple Pocket Hack

GreenStyle Super G Tights are my “go-to” workout pants pattern. I’ve sewn more than a half dozen pairs for myself and a pair for my daughter. I’ve perfected the pattern to suit me, and decided to really have fun with this pair. Since it’s hot year round in Florida, I prefer capri length (or an inch or two shorter). It’s easy to fit capri length on one yard of fabric, with enough left over to make a workout top. The G in Super G stands for the gusset. It’s one long piece that stretches from calf to calf, and gives your workout tights lots of stretch and movement.

Since the gusset pattern piece is longer than 36″, simply fold up the ends on the gusset pattern, and cut the ends (adding in seam allowances) out of the same or an accent fabric. It’s a fun way to add another little bit of accent to the inside of your leg.

Supplex is literally the best fabric for workout tights. I’ve used Tricot as the accent fabric on the side pocket panels of my Super G’s, but my favorite accent fabric is Powernet. It gives a little more ventilation, and adds a little bit of sexy sheerness.

On the teal and navy pairs in the photo above, I used Powernet for the upper and lower pocket pieces. That makes the panels sheer all the way to the waistband. This doesn’t bother me, but if you’re looking for more coverage, use Supplex or Tricot for your upper pocket piece.

Normally, the lower pocket panel of the Super G’s gets stitched to the upper pocket, and the lower panel fabric gets folded under to form a pocket, effectively hiding the seam. Since I’ve made so many pairs of Super G’s, I thought it would be fun to give the pocket on this pair a different look. (It also means that you can use shorter pieces of powernet, 😉 in case you only bought a half yard.) The pocket can be moved down about an inch or so, and still be wide enough to hold a large iPhone. You may have noticed this hack on my Super G’s in this post, where the pocket is Supplex and the upper and lower panels are powernet.

The fold in the lower pocket panel piece on the left shows where the pocket seam will be. I cut 3/8″ above that (where I am pointing) to give a seam allowance. I added an inch to the bottom of the upper pocket panel piece, (on the right in the photo above.) Now I just need a pocket piece which was made by tracing the folded over pocket section (the top portion of that left pattern piece.) And then the real fun began!

I placed several long strips of plastic wrap on my glass dining table to protect it, and laid the powernet pattern pieces I had cut out on it. The little bit showing at the top left corner was used for a workout top. The small triangular pieces are the gusset end pieces. The pockets are on the lower left, and the lower pocket side panels are on the right. (I used Supplex for the upper pocket panels.)

Art is often an experiment, no matter what media you choose. It is a wonderful way to play and express yourself. And you get to play with color, yay! Since the grape Supplex I was using for my Super G’s was such a fun color, I knew I wanted to do something fun on the side panels. Michaels Arts & Crafts stores often have 50% off coupons in their weekly email ads. Which I greatly appreciate, since the Marvy Uchida Fabri-Ink kit I wanted to try was $25.

I chose the fluorescent set since the purple, turquoise, and green fit solidly in my little wedge of the color wheel. The set includes refillable brushes, but that didn’t sound as fun as randomly dropping splotches of diluted fabric ink with an eye dropper! The darker splotches were diluted 50/50 with water, and the lighter ones are about 25% ink and 75% water.

Things to keep in mind: I always pre-wash my fabric before it gets folded and put in my stash for use. Never, ever, ever skip this step. This removes any dust, dirt, or chemicals that may have gotten on your fabric from the manufacturing process or during freight. You do not want that on your skin, cutting mat, or machine. It also gets any possible shrinkage out of the way. Ink is permanent, so protect your work surface, hands, and clothes. I let the ink dry overnight (although it dries in a matter of minutes) then pressed it with an iron to heat set it.

Mark the back edge of each side pocket panel pattern piece with a clip to avoid confusion later. To assemble the panels, fold the top edge of the pocket under 1″, press, and topstitch with a decorative stitch. Lay the pockets on the upper pocket panels, right sides up, aligning the bottom edges, and baste along the sides. Then lay the lower panel on top of the pockets, right sides together, and stitch. Press the seam up (so it won’t be visible through the lower panel), and topstitch with a decorative stitch.

With the side pocket panels done, you can simply follow the pattern tutorial to finish up your super fun Super G’s.

I’ll tell you a funny story about taking these photos. This pretty foliage is along a rather busy road. It can be kind of awkward posing for photos with cars driving by. While posing so my husband could take a photo of the back of my Super G’s, I asked him if my booty looked good. Right then a truck drove by and the young man in the passenger seat leaned out the window and whistled at me. Straight-faced, my husband answered, “I think you have your answer!” 🙂 Hahahahahahaha!

I love these early morning photos because the colorful sky is a pretty backdrop for my super fun and colorful Super G’s. And who doesn’t love the sound of the ocean as background music?

Sewing is an art, so don’t be afraid to experiment with it, and with other forms of art to make your own fun projects.

All fabric was purchased from Phee Fabrics. The white Supplex workout top is the GreenStyle Jillian I hacked to have powernet inserts and a pocket, blogged here. The teal and grape Supplex workout top is another fun hack I’ll be posting soon.

Chelsea Pants Make Cute Shorts!

I wouldn’t normally start off a blogpost with a photo of my booty, but when you’re talking about a pants pattern, one of the biggest questions people have is, “Will it make my booty look good?” Um, yeah! 😉 So, let’s talk about the above photo. My husband has the thrilling task of taking photos of me in my sewing creations. If you think it’s awkward standing on a public beach (where a good portion of the photos get taken) and trying to model without laughing at the absurdity of it, and trying to not look like a total doofus in every photo, can you imagine having to be the photographer?

“I need close, full body shots of the front, side, and back.” “I need the light shining on the clothes so that you can see the details.” “Can you get a close-up of the pockets (or straps, or whatever detail is important about said garment)?” “Are my fat rolls showing too much?” “Make sure I don’t have any weird wrinkles.” “Is my hem nice and straight?” You get the picture. He puts up with my requests and awkward silliness while posing, and hurries to snap some photos before people walk, run, or swim into the frame.

He had already taken some photos of my Chelsea shorts earlier in the morning, and I kept my comfy shorts on when we went to hang out in a nearby city. I wanted a better detail shot of the jeans style pockets I used, and the hedge and brick fence along a shady sidewalk looked like a good spot to take photos. Being the good sport he is, he was more than happy to crouch down on a public city sidewalk to take a few photos of my booty! The dog walkers and random passers-by probably thought we were a little weird, but, those are the lengths we go to for good photos!

The GreenStyle Chelsea Pants are a cute, on-trend pattern. The legs have a nice flare at the bottom, and with bell bottoms rolling back into style again, they are a good way to ease into the look. I am old enough to recall bell bottoms being “cool” during my childhood. And for someone who is not quite ready to embrace the full bell trend, a nice flared pant is a great look. If it were cold here, or rather, stayed cold here for longer than two weeks in January, a few pairs of Chelsea pants in Supplex would be the perfect addition to your work and play wardrobe. They’ve got a seam down the center front of the legs, which gives them a slimming look.

The pattern includes a fancy two-piece pocket design, but I decided to make a simple jeans style pocket as it works better for my phone. You’ve heard me comment on the wonders of Wash Away Wonder Tape before, and let me tell you, pockets are another great place to use it. In the past I’ve measured, pinned, pressed, and basted the edges of my pockets under so that I could place them on my pants. Now I measure, lightly pin, press, then put a strip of Wonder Tape in the pressed crease. The pockets stay perfectly straight, with no possibility of getting twisted or pulled out of shape when you sew them on. As my Dad used to say, “Having the right tools makes the job a whole lot easier.” Wash Away Wonder Tape is a handy “tool” to have in your sewing box.

It was easy to hack the pants pattern into shorts. I knew I wanted a 6″ inseam, which is short enough, but not too short on my long legs. So I marked my front and back pattern pieces 7-3/8″ down from the crotch points, which gave me the 6″ inseam, an inch hem, and the 3/8″ seam allowance. Keeping my ruler parallel with the lengthen/shorten line assured an even hem.

Besides using a different pocket design and shortening the length, the only other alteration I made was adding to the crotch depth. I have a bit of a booty, so extending the crotch point a little bit gives my pants a little more space where I need it, and keeps me from having a “wedgie”, which is never a good look!

The pattern tutorial is easy to follow, and the pants are a pretty quick sew. I used Phee Fabrics circular knit for this pair, and the moisture wicking fabric kept me cool and comfortable while walking around on a 96*F day.

The Studio To Street Top blogged here is a great transition piece for cooler mornings or chilly evenings, and I love the Deep-V back option. This one is made out of circular knit, but you’d get a similar look by using Tricot.

I have three more Studio To Street Tops with long sleeves, all made out of Rayon Spandex. Rayon Spandex Ribbing and Cozy French Terry would be some other great fabric choices for this cozy top. They are so soft and comfortable, and are a go-to for throwing on before heading out to yoga class in the fall and winter. If it’s past tank top weather were you live, the Studio to Street is a great style to wear with your Chelsea’s whether you choose to make them shorts or pants length.

These are so comfortable I’m probably going to have to make a pair in Supplex. You know, for that two weeks of “winter” we get here in Florida! 🙂

5oo4 Zen Pants Made As Shorts

And An Internal Patch Pocket Hack

Summer time means shorts, and nothing screams summer like bright, white shorts. They look great with any color tank or tee, or thrown on over a swimsuit. In my quest to use every pattern in my collection I decided to try the 5 Out Of 4 Patterns Zen Pants, using the shorts cut line. The Zen Pants are a slim fit with optional front and back patch pockets and a side cargo pocket. There is also an optional faux fly, and drawstring waistband.

I like my shorts to be a smooth line under my tanks and wanted a dressy casual look, so I wanted to streamline as much as possible. Pockets are an absolute necessity, so I decided to turn the large patch pockets into smaller internal patch pockets, and to forego any other ornamentation. It’s fun to customize patterns to suit my needs, and I’m never afraid to try a simple hack. As I have noted before, I don’t show full pattern pieces to protect designers intellectual property.

The first step of altering the pocket was to decide how wide I wanted it. I laid my phone on the pattern pocket piece and knew that I could slim it down to the width of the X-small pocket. I laid my traced out pants front piece onto the master pattern pocket and used a pencil to draw lines from the hip up and from the top out to the outer top corner. I also curved the pocket side to follow the curve of the hip on the pants front. I am pointing to this area in the photo below. (The dashed line is the original pattern shape of the outer top corner of the pocket.)

Laying the pants front on the master pattern pocket piece allowed me to trace the curve to make the pocket opening on the pants front. That small piece in the upper corner of the photo below is the piece I cut off and discarded. I also hacked the pocket facing, (which is used to reinforce the pocket opening.) I like my pocket facings to be about an inch wide, so I traced the top curve of the pocket facing piece and just made it an inch wide.

Next I laid out all my pattern pieces and cut them out my fabric. You could use a ponte or one of the other recommended fabrics, but I find that shorts made of ponte make me feel too hot and sweaty. I love making my shorts out of Supplex. It’s moisture wicking, so it really helps keep you cool. And since it washes and wears so well, you don’t have to worry about using white Supplex to make shorts (or anything else for that matter!) Because I love the consistently high quality, I buy all of my Supplex from Phee Fabrics. It is a substantial 18oz., so I never have to worry about it being sheer. And, it took less than a yard of fabric for my shorts.

Place the pocket facing on the pocket opening right sides together, stitch, then flip the facing to the inside of the pocket. Give it a good press, then topstitch. The photo below shows what the facing will look like on the inside (or wrong) side.

Place the pocket right side up, to the wrong side of the shorts front, lining up the top and sides. Baste at the top and side seam, and pin the curved inner edge of the pocket to the front.

Use a zig zag, decorative stitch, or cover stitch to sew the pocket to the front. I used one of the “overlock” stitches on my sewing machine. Take your time sewing around the curve to make sure you are catching the pocket as you sew. Press everything smooth. From this point you’ll be able follow the pattern directions as written to finish your shorts or pants.

I like the idea of the back yoke/waistband on the Zen Pants, because it curves down to meet the pockets at the side seams and gives your shorts or pants a flattering shaped look. It does however take longer to sew than a simple rectangular or a contoured waistband that’s even along the bottom edge. I also like that the pattern tutorial gives you photos, drawings, and tips for some common pants fitting issues. I may try to scoop out the back crotch curve of my shorts a little to fit the shape of my bum. This should correct the wrinkles I seem to get on all pants patterns, (so I know that it’s my body shape, versus an issue with patterns.)

I love being able to make cute, comfortable shorts that will help keep me cool during the heat of summer. It’s nice to be able to customize them to suit me by choosing from all the pattern options and by a simple hack for the pockets.

Now I need to search through my patterns to see what else I need to make!

*This post may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I may receive a small commission if you purchase through my links. As always, I only give my honest opinion. After all, it is my blog, which represents me! Thank you for reading and sharing my love of sewing and pattern hacking. 😉

GreenStyle Super G Tights

Workout Wear Within A Yard

I like yoga. I love sewing. Combine these two statements and the logical conclusion is sewing workout wear. If you’ve looked through an Athleta catalog, or wandered through Lululemon or any other high-end workout wear store, you have probably been a little taken aback by the prices. There is some justification to their price because high quality performance fabric isn’t cheap. And you want fabric that is anti-microbial and moisture wicking if you’re planning to work up a sweat while working out. However, $98.00 yoga tights aren’t within my budget, and the fabric isn’t that expensive!

I go to yoga 4 or 5 times a week, so I need a lot of workout wear. I’ve made workout leggings out of swim and “Loungeletics” fabric from JoAnn Fabrics, and they are cute and comfortable at first. But the fabric gets a bit baggy and stretched out after wearing them all day. And they certainly aren’t moisture wicking. Which brings me to Supplex from Phee Fabrics. This is the high quality fabric that the high end stores use for their workout wear. It is 18 oz./linear yard (400 grams per square meter)! It holds everything in place, and has wonderful 4-way stretch with excellent recovery.

I recently bought the GreenStyle Creations Super G Tights pattern and was excited to add a new style into my rotation. I chose the Super G’s because there is a side panel with pocket option. And we all know that pockets are life! 🙂 Especially pockets that are big enough to hold a large phone in a sturdy case. I like capri length workout tights because I live in Florida, and Ashtanga yoga is sweaty! The Super G’s have a gusset that gives the tights excellent stretch and flexibility without irritating seams in sensitive areas.

However, the gusset pattern piece is longer than 36 inches, and I was working with a yard of fabric. I turned this potential problem into a design element by color blocking my fabric about 3″ at both ends of my gusset piece. It gave me a fun triangle accent on the inside of my calves. I used white powernet for the color-blocking and side pocket panels. It gives my legs a little bit of ventilation as well as being a great accent.

I added an inch to the rise of my tights because I am tall and a little curvy. Could I have gotten away without the extra inch? Absolutely! But I’m sure I’m not the only one who likes a little extra coverage on the tummy! I also decide to curve in the center back seam a little bit before adding the waistband. I made sure to alter my pattern piece for future use.

I took larger seam allowances on the contoured waistband to make it a bit smaller as well. Adjusting patterns to suit your body shape is one of the reasons we sew. We can customize the fit, and design fabric and color combos that work for us. The simple gray and white color scheme of my workout tights means that they will match nearly every workout top I own. And since I only used a yard of Supplex, they are well within my budget!

If you haven’t tried yoga, I encourage you to try a class or two. It’s not only great exercise, but the steady breathing helps bring calmness and focus into your life. And if you haven’t tried sewing workout wear, give it a shot! The Super G Tights are a great pattern, and Supplex is a wonderful fabric. You’ll end up with workout wear that looks like a hundred bucks, but costs you a whole lot less. And it’ll probably fit you better too!

Now I need to make some strappy workout tops out of Supplex (and perhaps some Tricot). This ready to wear top with sleeves was way too hot for yoga class! What is your favorite workout pattern?

P4P SOS Pants Contoured Waistband

Long Distance Pattern Hacking

I received a text from my daughter, “Mom, you’ve completely ruined me for regular leggings! It’s so much more convenient to have pants with pockets.” Hahahaha, so true! I’ve made her Patterns for Pirates Peg Legs with the side panel, pockets and contoured waistband, as well as the SOS (skinny or straight) Pants which have pockets. While she likes the SOS skinnies, they are a bit too low rise for her comfort. But she does like the dressier look and convenience of four pockets.

I had ordered some Twill Polartec Powerstretch from Phee Fabrics because it sounded like an interesting fabric, and I thought I would make myself some cute pants or joggers. But since my daughter actually needed new pants (and I really don’t!) I knew the Twill Powerstretch would be perfect for SOS Pants.

I’ve seen comments on the P4P Facebook group page that the SOS Pants pattern is being updated, but it’s cold now, so I went ahead and cut out her pants. I decided that making a contoured waistband would be the simplest way to change the rise for her. It would be easier for me if she lived nearby so that I could measure her, make a waistband, have her try it on, and alter as necessary before attaching it to the pants. But since she and her family live in another state, I just went with her measurements and requests.

She wanted the pants three inches higher in front and one inch higher in back. The P4P Peg Legs add-on pattern has a contoured waistband, but are designed with much more negative ease than SOS Pants. It is a good reference though, to help visualize how to make a contoured waistband. I laid the pocket on the pants front, and the back yoke on the pants back pattern pieces to help me figure out my waistband shape.

That helped me get the bottom curved shape of my waistband pieces. The SOS Pants pattern calls for a 5″ high rectangular piece, which when folded over and sewn gives you a 2″ tall waistband. Note: I like to use a 3/8″ seam allowance on the waistband, rather than the 1/2″ the pattern calls for, so add 1/4″ to my measurements below if you want to stick to 1/2″ seams. Since my daughter wanted the front 3″ taller, I made the center front of the waistband 5-3/4″ tall. She wanted the back 1″ taller, so I made the center back 3-3/4″ tall. I tapered both pieces to 4-3/4″ tall at the side seams.

Since you are not folding over like a standard waistband you will need to cut out two front and two back waistband pieces on the fold. One set will be your main waistband and one will be your waistband lining. I sewed up the pants per the pattern directions, then sewed on the new contoured waistband and sent the pants off to my daughter.

Ta Da! SOS skinny pants with a contoured waistband and pockets galore! It’s just what a busy wife and Mama needs. You can use this hack on other pants patterns as long as you use a quality knit fabric with appropriate stretch and recovery. I recommend trying your waistband on and making any tweaks before you sew it onto your pants. Unless of course you are mailing the pants to another state like I did! 🙂

Happy sewing and hacking!