How to Put on Jeans: Step 1 - Put on Laela Jeyne Taylor Leggings

Life with Chronic Migraines (and the inability to survive in areas with LED or Fluorescent lighting), I pretty much live in yoga pants and leggings these days as I work from home. 

I also work OUT at home, so being able to have 10 minute breaks for some yoga stretches when my muscles begin to stiffen up at my desk is important some days. 

He's right!  But I do admit a few years back I thought leggings as pants were evil. 

I made a compromise and decided that as long as I either a) had a tunic length top on, or b) am being active, that leggings ARE pants. 

But finding the best leggings pattern isn't always the easiest. 

Laela Jeyne just revamped their Taylor Leggings pattern, so I decided to give them a go. 

What does this pattern include?  

- 3 styles: plain one-piece leggings, 3 piece leg with pockets leggings, and 4 piece leg for colour blocking the mid panel

- Knee, cropped, or ankle length

- Contoured waistband with elastic at top for secure fit

- Optional maternity waistband

- Detailed fitting instructions

My first pair was knee length (I'm 5'-2"), and of COURSE has pockets!  

I used a mish mash of some of the last of the full pieces of spandex I collected last year, and they fit perfectly. 

The instructions were clear, there were no tears, and I am pretty sure I didn't put elastic in the waistband - I never do with leggings. 

Look at my Goddess pose above! 

The pockets are the white fabric on the side - perfect for my iPhone or keys! 

My second pair is made from a random piece of camo something spandexy I ordered from Okee Dokee Kids during a stash sale, and some dri-fit fabric for the sides.

Don't they make my behind look magical?  

They certainly can make the same magic with yours!  And they honestly aren't too tight, so I can both work in them, and do my Yin Yoga stretches in the without compressing my sore muscles.  

For me, If pants are too tight on the hips (even they they normally wouldn't be), I have troubles walking, and have a lot of pain, so looser is better these days.  

So if you want a pair of active yet comfy leggings, and don't mind a bit of colour blocking fun (hello, sew up those weird scraps!), this is definitely the pattern for you!

Sew On!

Me Made May Day 16: Gloria Peplum Top, Kingston Jacket, and High Waisted Leggings

Sunny Days = a new day ahead. 

Always look forward and try not to glance back. 

Today's attire includes:

Rebecca Page's Kingston Jacket


It was a chilly drive to drop Husband off at work this morning, so I had to sport my stylish Kingston Jacket.


I loved this Tiger Fabric when I first saw  it - I sing, "Eye of the Tiger" every time I put it on.


Ironically, this was my first ever pattern testing last year - experience it all over again with me!

5 out of 4's Gloria Peplum Top


This top was a simple sew with a different arm option - the split sleeve! 


I made mine as part of a Sew-A-Long last week, and won a free pattern for my creation (yeah!).


I originally had the elbow length sleeve, however, cut it to short sleeve as my sleeve fabric wasn't crapey enough and looked weird with a longer sleeve. I know for next time!


I love the way this Peplum fits and that it wasn't a fabric hog - it's quite flattering, even at a shorter length than I normally would wear.

Koerb Bros Stitch High Waisted Leggings


When I first saw the picture of these leggings from an unknown designer, I knew I needed them! 


They have options for lace up or zipper sides, and I opted for the capris length.


The directions REALLY confused me - my head hurt while sewing these up last year. 


So, thankfully, I had sewn enough at that point that I was able to sew them together - but if I'd been a beginner sewist, the instructions are too vague that I would of thrown in the towel on making these.


I *do* love the grommets with lacing at the side, however, next time I'd add a "modesty panel" at the sides so the grommets don't directly hit my skin - sometimes they pinch in a bit too much depending on my movement (or lack thereof).


Sew On!

Me Made May - May 3rd!

Welcome Back!

It's Gonna Be May continues with my unintentional (yet intended) co-ordinating outfit - I even made my pants today.

Sorry to those who wanted a no-pants-party - not happening, even while I'm working from home.

Today's me-made attire consists of:

- Bella Sunshine Designs Maggie Top - long sleeves, tunic length, with scoop neck

I also repurposed a stupid small t-shirt I got from Wish.com (everything is too small there, even when you think you order the right size!), hence the square unicorn.

But see what I did there?  I am a Unicorn amongst a field of Deer - I'm hilarious! Right?!?

- Bella Sunshine Designs Eden Leggings - capris length mid rise band.

I'll show you a picture of my band from my original photos, but it sparkles, and everyone needs a bit of sparkle in their life. And unicorns.

I'm 5'-2", and took 2-3" off my leggings to obtain the capris length (otherwise they would look like short full length leggings, and that's just insanity!), AND I won this fabric through a fast finger Auction with Okee Dokee Fabrics.

And the fabric length really only went the length of my leggings. And it worked out for me! 

I'm good at improvising!

Alternatively, with short fabric lengths, I colour block - both for fun and to use up scrap fabrics, but also because of fabric length or width limitations. This happens way too often to me.

I need a sewing fabric Sugar Momma. I'd totally promote all the fabric in such a fabulous way that everyone would want it!

That will happen as likely as me winning the LottoMax.

- Twig + Tales' new Forester Coat - Round hood (HOODS!), welt pockets, back belt, and Unicorn Fabric as part of the lining!!

The lining in the coat has 3 different fabrics, as I lacked one solid lining colour. AND I really wanted to use my fleecette unicorn fabric in a coat. Twig + Tale screams whimsy, thus this was the perfect coat for it.

The outside is a slightly stretchy fleece - not recommended for the coat, however, I sized down and the width has the no-stretch fleece fabric, and the length has the under 20% stretch portion of the fabric (I can't think of the correct terminology right now - thank you Vestibular Migraine Brain Fog!), so it worked out well.

And of course, Justin joined me to sing out, "It's Gonna Be May," with me again - our daily ritual this month!

I'm sporting my new TheraSpecs (anti-migraine glasses) so I can look like a cool singer like Justin or Bono. Maybe they have migraines too? Cool!

Try out one or all of these patterns - the leggings and top will take you less than a few hours, and the coat will be a bit more of an adventure for a few afternoons - but well worth the labour of love!

Sew On!

Sewing Pattern Review - Bella Sunshine Designs Eden Leggings

I have a few go-to leggings patterns and thought I was good to go.

Then my ladies at Bella Sunshine Designs held a pattern testing for their newest pattern - the Eden Leggings .

Melissa looked so happy sporting her leggings in front of the Disneyland logo (and I am terrified of Disneyland due to crowds, people, and long line ups - not my idea of fun) - and she named it such a whimsy name...I jumped into the testing queue.

I made not one, but 4 pairs of Edens! 

The areas that tends to make most leggings uncomfortable are the groin and waistlines.

These leggings don't have OR need any adjustments or extra fabric in the groin area - there is no fabric crawling where it ought not to.

There are 3 waistline heights, and even the option for a fold down waist band.

I prefer the mid rise, and with the right stretch fabric band, there is no muffin top (or bottom), for a stellar flattering look on ladies of all shapes and sizes.

There are multiple height adjustment lines,  mid and full length leg versions, and a great use of fun fabric! 

My first pair was my test pair - capris length spandex rainbow print.  And I took off 2" from the length for the perfect fit. 

I also unassumingly stripe matched perfectly - this was NOT intentional.

My Second pair is magical. Because I had this awesome Unicorn fabric, and it happened to be the EXACT length I needed for capris length. I paired it with some spandex sparkly velvet - because it was a magical fabric.

My third pair was Star Wars - I didn't have enough fabric for a full mirror image, so I cut the pattern piece in half and made the front Storm Troopers, the back Dri Fit Fabric (meshing is great for sweat wicking!), and the band is also a spandex cotton Star Wars that I got in a fabric stash sale that only had enough height for the band.

And my final pair was made from my coveted Water Tower Textiles Fleece Backed Cotton Lycra, and is the most amazing fabric ever! It wicks sweat, is perfect for camp, keeps me warm without over heating...and Eden was calling its name.

I paired it with a sparkly spandex band - because SPARKLES.

I wear my Edens almost every day after work now. They flatter my behind, there's no camel toe, and they are a super quick sew. By my 3rd & 4th pairs, I didn't even need the instructions.

And well when pattern testing, I always have fun - a dare myself to do silly things. Like fling myself into the cold snow because I said I would.

So grab your Eden Pattern now!  You won't regret it - they're my go-to leggings pattern now, and I'm totally going to hack them with fun stuff when I'm in need of replacement leggings.

Arrrr, Me Mateys! Patterns for Pirates - my Intro to Moderm Day Sewing Patterns

So (or Sew - ha ha!). January 2017, I was tired of my nylons tearing after half a use, and tights are difficult to find that:

a) Don't cost an arm and a leg for what they are

b) Don't cause extreme Muffin Top

I decided leggings would be a long lasting option.

But apparently in the middle of the Winter in Canada, Leggings aren't available in 12 of the zillion stores I looked in during a few lunch hours.

That on top of not being able to find more than 2 plain tunics to wear underneath work and t-shirts that have shrunk up over the last years, shopping for any kind of clothing was proving to be futile.

Pants shopping alone is the most depressing thing I do - and I only do it when I've worn through all but one or two pairs of wearable pants. I have very little choice, and only the Rickis' ridiculous priced pants and the Gap's Curvy jeans fit me without making my legs look like squished sausages, or like the waist band needs its own postal code it's so darn big!

So. 

I started looking at those online leggings shops - Sweet Legs, Mayberrys, Lotus Leggings, and more. the pricing was pretty much the same for all these companies, and what I was taken with were the patterns!

SO MANY PATTERNS!

Then I thought..."Hey Crystal, you should make leggings - you have a good sewing machine."

And that was the beginning of the end.

I discovered Facebook groups for patterns & fabrics, and that was that.

The first Facebook Group I joined was Patterns for Pirates where I discovered Peglegs!.

I love pirates, and Peglegs is a cool name, so I decided that would be my first pair of leggings. 

I had some stretchy thin fabric of sorts I bought a boatload of when Fabricland in town closed down, so tested out my first leggings with that, so I didn't screw up with the beautiful Black Rabbit fabric I ordered from British Columbia.

Black Rabbit Fabrics - I used the two bottom left Black & Teal striped fabrics for leggings!

First step was printing out the pattern - patterns these days all seem to be PDF's, and you print them out at home (or any printing place), stick them together with tape like a puzzle, and cut out the pattern! 　

There is a layout on one of the instruction pages, so you don't have to be good at puzzles - just matching numbers. If you can't match numbers, go back to school and try again.　

The Peglegs pattern has a sizing guide, and I fit between two sizes, thus I created a gentle line from one size to the next to make it look natural, hoping I measured right and that they would fit without giving me camel toe or have any unsightly bulges. 　

The pattern also indicates the most suitable fabrics - and the Facebook Group has a lot of support and help from the pattern maker and those of us who love P4P patterns and have flubbed so future people don't have to!　

It took me less than two hours to cut the fabric and finish my first pair of leggings. They were slightly snug at the waist, I had to redo the waistband twice before I got it right. I ended up switching the waistband fabric to my newly arrived Black Rabbit 95% Cotton/5% Lycra fabric, and it gave the stretch and support the band required. 　

Due to the thin fabric, these are perfect for underneath dresses and skirts - I wouldn't wear them out as leggings pants, even with a tunic length top.　

 

Ta da!

 

 

So, learning from me:　

a) Follow the directions. Don't deviate unless you have experience with the pattern and are good at knowing how things will fit together. 　

b) Have the right fabric for the right fit and piece you are sewing. 　

c) Leggings are freaking simple to make! And SO comfortable. I now live in them outside of work. I have been assimilated.　

Thank goodness I work from home Fridays now, as I can now wear leggings instead of Jeans, which are not leggings. 　

I had NO idea how many variations of fabrics there were beyond 100% cotton. 　

I never really cared before. 　


Despite some roller coasting with my first real-live wardrobe piece, it began my disdain for unfit store-bought clothing, and love for fabrics and unique patterns that I could MAKE fit my body in a good way. 　

My enjoyment for the pattern, the ease to which it was written, and being jealous of the nice Cocoon Cardigan - SO me, and so pretty. 　

That's another day and another blog! 

All I Wanted Were Leggings - What Happened Was Unexpected

In January 2017, all I wanted leggings to wear so I could be comfy around the house, while working out, underneath dresses, and to wear underneath the 2 tunics I was able to find in December 2016.

I went from store to store at the mall across from my Clark Kent Day Job, and came back unlucky. Nothing. Not even a pair of black leggings was available!

The same thing happened while looking for tunic tops in December - I found 2 on sale that I could wear underneath my t-shirts, which all have shrunk upwards, and have no chance of being worn without a camisole or something else underneath. Unless someone wants a flash of my belly. Woo!

I don't think I'm a weird size or shape. I have an hourglass shape, larger hips and thighs, and short (5'-2"), and am SO tired of having problems finding clothing that is flattering and fits properly. And I'm not willing to spend an arm and a leg on something that fits "ok."

But in a world of skinny jeans and horrible flashbacks to the 1980's and early 1990's, buying clothing to replace old tattered and pilled clothing, and pants that don't fit due to last year's weight loss, is SO frustrating.

I prefer online shopping, as in-store service really has gone downhill. If a clerk even looks at me while talking with their friend while scanning in my order, I'm fortunate. Kids these days (yes, I said it!)!

Anyhow, back to Leggings.  I started looking online, and found Sweetlegs and an assortment of other companies available in Canada.  But...I have a  Husqvarna Viking Emerald 116 sewing machine that is beautiful and runs like Gideon & Fynn in a field of tall grass. Why not sew leggings? 

And that was that. The end of me thinking that store bought clothing is the bomb diggity.  

Where to get fabric was the next issue. Fabricland patterns are awful. And I feel their price point is generally out to lunch. How Jo-Ann's fabrics hasn't come to Canada yet, is beyond me. And I'm not willing to pay the approximately 30% exchange rate with customs, packaging, and taxes on top of it. It really doesn't save me much to order fabrics from the States - even Jo-Anns.  And a tank of gas to Ogdensburg just for fabric doesn't save either! 

So I googled fabrics in Canada, and was so lost - SO many choices.  Where do I start?  

I decided at that point the join a few Canadian Sewing groups, and there were so many suggestions, it sort of helped, but not really.  

I finally found some fabrics on Black Rabbit Fabrics, and fell in love with this Feathered Fabric by Girl Charlee Bolt Fabrics.  I also obtained:
- Unicorns 
- Beautiful Blue Stripe Knit
- Black Stripe Knit
- Geeky Math Knit

My Precious...

Orders are weird - they don't generally come in metres, but half metres or half yards - so you have to ensure you read the fine print as to how the seller is selling their Yardage (metreage?). 

Next up was finding leggings patterns.  I just asked one of the sewing Facebook Groups what their best leggings patterns suggestions were, and decided on Patterns for Pirates Peglegs. From the Facebook group, not only can you share your delight, finished projects, and participate in sew-a-longs and other events, there are also some lovely codes to test out a few patterns at no cost to you!  

First leggings from some old Clearance Fabricland Jersey Stretch Fabric

I love this, as I've been able to discover some amazing pattern designers and chatting with like minded OCD sewers!  And now I'm spoiled with hand holding step-by-step instructions, pictures, and a whole wardrobe to make worth of patterns!  Most designers have a Facebook Page similar to P4P (Patterns for Pirates), and the sense of community keeps me coming back for more!

I ended up making my first and second pairs of leggings from the stripe knits, and used the Unicorns in a Rad Patterns Lucky Bra, and Peg Legs leggings band, the feathers into part of the Halla Soho Hoodie with Kangaroo Pocket, and the Math in a Halla Star Dust tank top and another Halla Hey Babie Ruched Hoodie.

Part of the above bits to my new and improved wardrobe included repurposing clothing I no longer wore for whatever reasons (stains, size, etc.), and I LOVE the effect of mixing fabrics and reusing fabric that still has some life in it!

All of the above patterns have a plethora of different options included, so I could have 5 of the same named top, in totally different styles and fabrics.

I LOVE that I can create a larger hip area vs my upper torso - and it looks natural and fits like a glove!

The patterns are PDF, so I print them on Draft mode on my printer, and spend time taping together the pages, then cutting out the actual patterns based on my sizing.  I'd say 90% of the time, I'm cutting the smaller top torso and larger mid to lower body sizes (like a Medium top and Large Bottom) - but the fit is perfect!

I also find it less daunting if I cut the fabric the night before actually sewing - it saves time and gives me  Project to look forward to for after work.

Cutting has ALSO changed.  The ladies were talking about cutting tools, and rotary cutters - then there's me with the awesome Singer scissors Husband got me one Xmas.  I love them.

But, I had a Walmart Gift card, and ended up getting a pair of Fiskars rotary cutters to see if I liked it, and what all the whoopla was about.

Oh. My. God.

It is like cutting through butter - the ease of cutting and lack of time spent painstakingly pinning patterns to fabric is amazing.  I also used this technique enough on my 8" x 11" scrapbooking resealing cutting board, that I realized how annoying moving fabric in order to continue cutting was. I'm treating myself to an Olfa 24" x 36" cutting board from Cleaners Supply (weird name for sewing gear, but it was highly recommended by a multitude of ladies, and Canadian with dirt cheap shipping). It was half the cost to order this mat, 144 buttons, and 10 bobbins vs the cost of the mat alone anywhere else.

Now - the first time I sew a new pattern up, there are some ripping of seams when I put a piece on the wrong way, not quite understanding where a piece goes, or just pure fatigue.  The second time around is easy peasy, as I've already worked out any kinks!

So - now I know a few more things since my first order was placed with Black Rabbit Fabrics January 2017.

- The online fabric stores have regular enough sale, contests, and clearances, that I know to pay greater attention when it's time to order fabric.

- There are a LOT of custom fabric groups - I'm ok with more popular and not-as-unique fabric designs (at 1/3 to 1/2 the cost). Although I think if the Floral Wars (Star Wars with Beautiful Flowers that I see everywhere...just never for sale in Canada) went up, I wouldn't be able to resist.

- Join Facebook groups - there are patterns for testing, available at no or a greatly reduced cost (for PROPER patterns with superior instructions), support from the pattern and fabric designers, support from fellow sewers, contests, and challenges to make you sew beyond your normal comfort level.

- Sewing your wardrobe is rewarding in so many ways - pride of a job well done, learning new skills, others noticing your unique clothing, and so much more.

I'll showcase each project as I go (and remember)!

I'll leave it at this beginning for now, but can't wait to share my projects!