It is an enigma that, while the overwhelming majority of 10k race participants are slim and svelte, race shirts given away to participants are always enormous!
I had two race shirts made out of the nice wicking polyester that were way too big to wear (hanging down to my mid-thigh! And I’m not exactly Tinkerbelle…) but too nice to let rot in my wardrobe, so I cut them up!
I used the same KnipMode pattern as before, but got lazy and just serged all the edges with my white woolly nylon thread and didn’t bother with the elastic. The armpits were a tad too high before, so I lowered those, but otherwise just approached this as a no-nonsense reconstruction to get some wear out of garments I previously wouldn’t touch (I did fray check and trim the hanging serger tails after the photo was taken, though!).
I didn’t get any before photos, but the red one on the left was multicoloured, with the red panel at the back, the white panel at the front (I turned it around because the big writing made more sense to me as a front than some tiny logo), and blue sleeves. As you can see, I made good use of the sleeves for the side panels, which I repeated in the aqua top (which was entirely aqua with the writing on the front before).
The woolly nylon thread I mentioned above was one of my sewing purchases for September. I’m keeping myself to a strict sewing budget, only spending what I bring in via my sewing pursuits. I figure I’ve got a big enough pattern and fabric stash to last me a while anyway… Though not quite big enough to resist the following (all accounted for in my budget, I might add!)…
Burda 8127 – tons of winter accessories here for the price! My favourite is the scoodie (scarf/hoodie) that I’m dying to make in fleece and line the hood with some fun fur, but I also really like the mittens, and the headband with the ear covering would be great for running as it wouldn’t impede my ponytail. The couple’s mitten, though, is just too weird, even for me.
Burda 7724 – I loved this pattern as soon as it was announced and I can’t wait to make this! I already bought some fantastic black and purple sweaterknit when I was at Goldhawk Road so there’s nothing stopping me now…
McCalls 5651, DIY Style lingerie – I bought this in order to use up some knit scraps for when my sewing room is demolished and I’m confined to small sewing. I like the pants and camisole pattern, but the bra has zero support so I think I’ll be skipping that. This is my first DIY Style pattern, and I’ve got to admit, the disembodied heads floating around the instruction sheet telling me how to embellish my underwear – umm, a bit creepy. Do they do that on all the DIY Style patterns?
Jalie 2796 – After I finished sewing my running trousers, I had a good amount of wicking cycling lycra leftover, but not quite enough for another pair of trousers, so I thought I’d give this running skirt a try. I’m going to go for the view with the shorts underneath (as opposed to the briefs), and the skirt’s side pocket looks really well designed, too. I fear this may have to wait until spring, however, as it’s getting a bit too cool for bare legs here now (who am I kidding? It was too cool for bare legs all summer long, too!).
I made excellent progress on my Patrones “couture sweatshirt” last night (the Halhuber jacket from #272). My neighbours and I have been talking about setting up a monthly crafty club on the moorings for months now, and I hosted the first one last night! It was a great success, bringing out lots of people with rather varied skills and projects, and we’re all already looking forward to next month’s. The only thing is, this month it works out that my other crafty group falls on the same week, so I’m back out with the sweatshirting and nibbles tomorrow night, too!