Sew Your Gym Clothes

DryFit Fabric
DryFit Fabric
DryFit Fabric

I am SO into this idea. Some of my research lately is spurred by my wanting to make my own gym clothes. I just bought new sports bras – $40+ each! I have a long sleeve running shirt with mesh vents and thumb holes, another $40! That was “cheap” and at Costco (in photo below.) I have a bunch of New Balance gear that I “scored” on Zulily.com. I try to hit TJ Maxx and look for good deals, but everything else I have is old, old NIKE employee store scores from 10 years ago!

I’m obviously not the only person with gym clothes on the brain. You know my fave tute blog Coletterie even has a post up with a guest blogger talking about possible patterns, including her own.

ohlaleggings
ohlaleggings

I’ve already bought the Papercut leggings for this idea. I have “DryFit” type fabric from Joann’s ready to go. I’m nervous. I don’t have a coverstitch machine, my overlocker is on the fritz, so I’m just doing my homework for now. To be fair, not having a coverstitch machine has never stopped me before…nor does sewing without the serger, but I’d like to have the option.

Workout gear is important. It helps inspire you to get out of bed, off the couch, and feel confident as you kick your own ass. Shoddy ‘homemade’ workout gear would be a major fail, so I’m taking my approach very slowly and carefully. I have a pair of gray FILA pants that are now too big and I feel like big, wrinkly elephant legs when I wear them. They do not inspire to move. They inspire to clean my house or sit on my gray elephant rear. But they do not inspire to turn on the Xbox Fit or go to the gym.

elephant skin
elephant skin

Anywho, I’ll post along as I go….

PS, I love the Xbox Fitness App – if you have an Xbox, I highly suggest trying it out. It’s way better than the one we had on the WiiU or whatever it was called. Of course, I am highly motivated by little gold stars and unlocking achievements. Seriously, you can see your form and heart rate and all that jazz. It’s rad. Do it.

Couture Sewing Techniques

Couture Sewing Techniques

Even before my sewing mojo decided to go on hiatus, I’ve been reading up on couture sewing and fine-tuning techniques. While I fear no fabric or pattern, I could use a bit more finesse and a higher appreciation of the art.

Think of it as your art history classes to your painter (there’s a lot of Catholic shit.) Your typography history to your graphics monkey (Put down the fonts!!!! Back away from the fonts!!!!) Or your computer science classes to your coder (LAN/WAN/SAN anyone?) Self-taught is great, but there’s a point when you want to go from Bachelors to Masters, if you will. Well, ok, I’m not THAT good, maybe from one of those technical institute degrees to a real community college degree? Hahaha.

Couture Sewing Techniques
Couture Sewing Techniques

Anyway, I bought Couture Sewing Techniques on iBooks. I know. This is an Amazon link, no it’s not an affiliate link. I just prefer my iPad right now.

OMG. I love it. I find that marking the tailor marks with thread really IS awesome. I’m not giving up my pens or chalk, but wow. Thread doesn’t fade, stain, iron out…I dig it. It’s fascinating.

Go through the ‘Look Inside’ on Amazon and see if you don’t love the details and explanations.

Don’t get me wrong. You’ll pry my Colette handbook out of my cold, dead hands.

colette
colette

Sarai is the BEST at tutorials. Still if I’m inserting a zipper or need a refresher, I search her blog first and get my fix. Seriously, it’s so well done, and her techniques are usually my favored ways (or become my favored way), that if anyone questions her techniques in the comments, I actually take it personally. Like, HOW COULD YOU QUESTION SARAI? SHE’S THE BEST!

Yes. Really. No, I don’t know her. No, there’s no restraining order.

And I still dig my Burda Style book. It’s excellent at reminding me, no, I DON’T have to follow your pattern! I can just cut this off here and insert this here! Yeah! So there!

I got a few others too that if they’re as addicting, I’ll let you know. But right now, this is where I’m at….Becky Jo Mojo Camp.

My Get Up And Go, Got Up And Went

Bad Mojo

Just like after a car wreck when your driving mojo goes out the window, the same thing happens with sewing mojo.

Last week I made a wearable muslin for oldest daughter based on her height in an Ottobre pattern. It doesn’t fit. Not even close. After all that tracing, sewing – nothing.

Hazmat pants
Hazmat pants

While making it, I tried to replace the blade in my serger so I could use it for the seams, and couldn’t quite get it lined up right, so I took her in for a tune up and to have the blade aligned.

I got her back in 5 days. I was excited. I went shopping. Found Olfa and Gutermann for 40% off. Got 4 yards of linen. I bought an easy pattern – which I realized I got the wrong size, but that’s ok, I can grade an easy pattern!

SALE
SALE

I had planned upon the serger’s return the simplest of all patterns, that one I just bought in the wrong size: lounge pants for the man. In the linen. While linen is soooo buttah, it frays like a mothahfuckah. So…, duh, serger.

My serger just eats up the linen, drops the second needle thread….I’m a mess. If I knew this, I would have planned French seams. I try and try, but it’s just making a my fabric and me into a huge fucked up mess.

I tried and tried to fix it. I rethreaded, I changed needles – if you have a serger, you know that sometimes even when it doesn’t seem like the fix, it will fix,  but she does this:

Bad Mojo
Bad Mojo

That’s the inside needle thread right there. The tension gear is really loose. No matter what I do, it won’t tighten.

I can overlock on my Viking, but who on this earth wants to spend the time using the overlock stitch on a sewing machine? YAWN. But I did it.

I was set into such a funk, I actually sewed the wrong pant legs together, then sewed the back to the back, and I could not get a button hole to start at the correct point for the LIFE of me….and holy shit I did NOT grade that pattern down enough…

I put the linen pants in the throat of my machine (choke on it!) and walked away after staying with it far too long.

Linen Gone Bad
Linen Gone Bad

I painted my nails. Wet paint on nails helps prevent the urge from starting up again too soon.

nailed it
nailed it

At least I can still do that right.

Buying Vs. Sewing aka Gap Guilt

gap jeanz

Hey, long time, no see! It certainly isn’t for my lack of sewing! I’m still just as much a slave to my Viking as ever, I’m just not thrilled with my photog set up. But that’s another topic.

I did what I think most moms do around tax return season. Put some money in for car repairs, squirreled a little away for a small vacation, and stocked up on the necessities. You know, like fabric and patterns!

okokok, I’m not at a point in my sewing that I’m interesting in sewing my bras. It’s like…Indian food or sushi…I could learn to make it, but it’s one of those things I’d rather purchase and just enjoy. Well, as much as anyone can enjoy their bra. I’m a VS fan, and stocked up on the usuals, nude, white, black and some obnoxious clearance color.

braz
braz

TMI? Well, there’s a point.

I also got the kids’ undies and camis and such, summer flip flops…a couple sweaters as my knitting isn’t there either…

The part I’m struggling with? I got myself a couple pairs of pants and a pair of jeans.

gap jeanz
gap jeanz

The jeans are really light weight and I like them, but honestly, the pants and the jeans are easy enough for me to make. I haven’t made jeans, per se, but it’s not that far of a stretch. No pun intended.

I try to sew a good balance between clothes and quilts with part of the fun including off-setting our family’s impact on things like this:

cambodia strike
cambodia strike

I’m not looking to go full ‘nola, you know? But when I buy a RTW (ready to wear) and I know I could have made it…I sorta feel like an asshole all the same. I’m never going to be able to make my New Balance shoes, but…yeah. Granted, I work full time, 90% or more of our meals are cooked by yours truly…there are only so many hours in a day to also be the seamstress.

This is my struggle. Reality vs. idealism. Isn’t it everyone’s struggle? Do you struggle with this? Just babbling/venting.

Anyway, I have a pile of fabric and patterns to help offset this more….and a neon-melon colored bra to wear while doing it.