Thanks so much for all your enthusiasm over our new Lightspeed Leggings pattern! There’s also been a bit of *ahem* enthusiasm over our latest athlete model, Jason, so I thought it was high time you learned a little bit more about our cover star!
I’ve known Jason for a few years now through Run dem Crew. He’s one of the fastest guys in the crew, but he’s even more at home on the bike than he is running, and unlike a lot of super speedy folks, Jason always has time to drop back to help people who are struggling. He’s been known to jump onto marathon courses to get friends through those last few miles, cycle all across London to give someone company on their cold, long training runs, and when we cycled Dunwich Dynamo earlier this summer, he was actually zigzagging backwards along the course between our various groups just to make sure everyone was ok (meaning he probably doubled the distance that night!).
I always try to pick athlete models that will inspire others, and Jason is not just a fantastic friend and speedy guy, but his endurance and recovery across two disciplines is nothing short of astounding. The day before our photoshoot he’d just completed a 2-day London to Edinburgh (and back!!) mixed cycling/running relay as part of the FitBit50 team. Which just blows my mind.
But the weekend before that, he ran Berlin marathon, and casually PBed.
The weekend before that, he ran a PB at Copenhagen half marathon, having already cycled a 50km tempo session. He celebrated his shiny new PB by, err, jumping on his bike for another 50km tempo ride!
He’s also got great taste, having picked out this houndstooth lycra (which was a gift, so I don’t have a supplier link, sorry!) from my deep lycra stash. The shorts are sewn up in a size Small with some extra length added to the hem to account for his longer legs.
When he’d picked out the lycra, I was telling him about the design and he was adamant that zippered back pockets never work for running – apparently his Nike shorts bounce all over the place when he puts anything in the pocket. I assured him that my designs are different, and that I’d turn him round.
You should’ve seen his face when I demonstrated the pocket and put his phone in there. For starters, he was delighted that his big phone actually fits, but also that he did a little run around and there was no bounce! I think I was admirably restrained in not showing him my “I told you so!” face!
On top of it being big, functional, securely fastened, and straightforward to sew, the pocket has got a clean finish inside and out, so there’s no chance of the zipper tape rubbing against the skin or causing chafing, either.
I also wanted to show how nicely our men’s Surf to Summit Top pattern pairs with the Lightspeed Leggings, so I sewed up a version for Jason to wear as well. I made the short sleeved variant with the dipped hem and back pockets, but instead of a half zip, I used a full-length opening zipper (mostly since I had a great colour match in my stash!).
This is a really easy change – just cut the Front with a seam allowance instead of on the fold, but also cut an extra strip to act as a fly shield so the zipper isn’t against the skin. Be sure to interface the edges of the Front where the zipper will be attached to prevent rippling!
I even had some matching forest green elastic in my stash, but this was some flat herringbone elastic rather than FOE, so I had to apply it a little differently to the hems and back pocket. First I zigzagged one edge hanging off the wrong side of the garment edge, then flipped the elastic to the right side (encasing the edge), and zigzag-topstitched along the other edge of the elastic.
And just in case you don’t believe me when I tell you we always have so much fun with our athlete models, well…!
Remember, you can use code LIGHTSPEED for 15% off all sewing patterns at shop.fehrtrade.com until 18 October. Paypal users, take note that you must go quite far through the checkout process before the discount box appears.
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