::Sewing:: Grey on Grey Knit Shorts

Lately I've been going for walks in the morning, but I've not got many pairs of shorts with pockets that I can wear while going for walks.

I've made some knit shorts before using the Sewing with Knits Craftsy class (I just realised that I never blogged about them).

Anywho, I wear these sometimes when I go walking and because I put my phone in my pocket and there isn't much elasticity in the folder over waistband I have to keep pulling my pants up like some sort of b-grade rapper from the 90's.

Last week I finally got my arse into gear and made another pair of knit shorts to go walking in. I call these shorts Grey on Grey....

I made these shorts almost exclusively on my overlocker (serger) which was pretty nifty because it barely took anytime. I had the shorts cut and sewn in a morning. The pressure for perfection was off because these were just for exercising so I think that added to the quick construction.

Sewing the 2 fronts and backs together was pretty straight forward although going around those curves in the crotch was a little scary.

I only stablised the back pocket seams when I sewed the pockets to the sides of the short front and to the back pieces. I thought there would probably be more strain on that seam than the front and I don't mind if the front pocket seam stretches out a bit. I could have used some clear elastic, but I really didn't feel like struggling with that slippery sucker.

When I cut these out I made sure that I added some length to the top of the back crotch curve to accommodate my generous derriere... except I didn't.
As I was sewing the front and back together I realised that I had actually added length to the side seams. Gah!. Oh well. I just snipped off what I had added on and kept sewing. I did consider adding a quick band at the back to add, but that would take time and care and I was just not into that idea.

Sewing the side seams was a little tricky; having to work around the pockets and side seam there were a lot of curves.

I made the waistband of these shorts out of a pre-packed band of ribbing that I bought after making my last pair of shorts. I took some 1 inch knitted elastic and measured my waist minus a few inches and pinned it then tried it on to see how it felt. I cut it to length and joined the ends to create a band. I then used the elastic band to measure and cut out the ribbing. I used the full length of the ribbing so it was pretty simple to just cut off a little bit of width off the band.

I then joined the band using the overlocker.

Using my sewing machine I basted the elastic band to one of the inside edges of the band of ribbing (although I guess with ribbing there isn't really an inside). then I folded the band WST to enclose the elastic.

Then I pinned the waistband to the shorts and overlocked it to the shorts. It was tough going attaching the waistband to the shorts because I had to stretch the wristband a lot when attaching it. I was also trying to match up the 2 layers of the waistband to the top of the shorts.

I had to hold all the layers taught as I put it through the overlocker. There were a couple of sections with really bunched up stitching or where I had not caught all the layers so I ended up going over those sections again, but I got there in the end.

I didn't bother finished the hems, because that's the magic of jersey :)

Good:

These were so quick to sew up and are totally a functional piece

I really like that they have pockets

I'm so glad that the waistband is a lot snugger than my last pair

Bad:

Next time I must add some length to the top of the back crotch curve

By the looks of the photos  also need to add some depth to the front crotch curve to avoid 'smiling pants' syndrome

Overall:

But all in all not too back for a mornings work and I have some great walking pants that I don't have to worry about falling down.

Do you sew the clothes you exercise in? Do you like working with knits?

Until next time,

V xoxo

::Show and Tell:: Catch-up Time!

Hello there!

Where have you been? Oh wait! It's not you it's me that's been away for aaages. Well, I've been a bit busy DIY-ing, going on holiday and other such nonsensical things. Here's a quick run-down :)

Moving House
We moved into our house and instantly had to fix a blocked sink drain and leaky toilet. Grrr. Note to home buyers out there. If you're buying a house that is 10 years old or more, check things like drains, taps and toilets. There's other stuff too, but when you get a building and pest done, they don't usually check these things unless you especially request a plumber to come out and inspect too.

Holiday Pale Blue Cotton Seersucker shorts
I went on holiday to Vanuatu to visit my mum and dad recently and I really wanted some simple shorts for the trip.
I had some pale blue cotton seersucker and I thought it would be the ideal fabric to use for shorts. Especially if I was going to be doing some frolicking in the water. Mostly because it would dry quickly. Awesome!
I wanted to them to be super simple so I decided to make them using the pattern I'd used in the past to make the house pants I made earlier this year and my pyjama pants from the Pyjama Party Sewalong this year.

Gardening
When we came back from our trip we went to the shops and bought some seedlings. We kept them in their store pots for a week and they were starting to dry out so I transplanted them into some pots. Here they are about a fortnight ago and they've grown a whole heap since.

Sorbetto
I had planned to have made this before we went on holiday, but after having taken soooo long to complete it I'm kinda glad I didn't push myself to finish it before we left. It would have been a disaster!

Granny Square Throw
I've been working on this a little bit. A granny square throw intended for the Mr's soon to be 3year old nephew.

Craftsy Classes
I've been on a bit of a Craftsy class kick lately. I took the free short rows class and made this.

I've also signed up to "Beginner Serging" and "The Couture Dress".

And that's about it really. That brings you up to date.
Do something that makes you smile :)
Vanessa xoxo