Even though my Long Covid means I’m unable to exercise or develop new patterns (as well as other work), I obviously still have a very keen interest in activewear so I was delighted and intrigued to get the chance to try out the new Cashmerette Wickham Skort pattern that was released this month to their Cashmerette Club members.
It’s a pattern for close-fitting, cycling shorts with an optional side pocket (similar to our Duathlon Shorts pattern), plus a skirt with a wide waistband. You’ve also got the option to sew them separately or together in the form of a skort. Since being stuck in bed ~20hrs a day for the past 9 months has caused my waist to be 20+cm larger than before, I can no longer fit into any of my previously shorts or trousers. We’ve got a short holiday in France coming up and I thought that this skort would be a nice option just for casualwear this summer even if I can’t exercise yet.
(Seen here with last summer’s black Rest Vest top, which only barely still fits)
Since my activewear stash is DEEP, I first looked in there for something suitable that could pass for casualwear, and discovered some navy supplex from Tia Knight that’s been in there for a while, just waiting for the perfect use. And this was indeed perfect!
I selected size 16 in the hips and graded to a size 20 at the waist, according to my measurements. The finished skort is perfectly comfortable for casualwear, but I think if I were wanting to get an activewear “compression fit”, I’d go down a size or two.
There’s two lengths available for both the shorts and skirt. I cut out the long length for both the shorts and skirt, which was perfect for casualwear, though I think if I wanted this for exercise, I’d use the shorter skirt length (which would still cover the longer shorts).
The only alteration I needed to make was that I found the front rise to be REALLY high – like nearly at my under-bust line! So I removed 6cm at centre front, tapering to 2cm at centre back. This means the pockets of my shorts are quite close to the waistband, but thankfully they’re still easily accessible.
The construction of these was well written and illustrated, though I did manage to overthink things and create more problems for myself. This was entirely my own fault, I misinterpreted what result when joining the shorts and skirt at the waist (I mistakenly thought the elastic would be bare against the skin, which it is not).
So all I can say is to be very careful at step 1 of “Finish skirt waist”! Do exactly as instructed (not the “Note”!!) with the right side of skirt against wrong side of shorts. If you follow the “Note” instead, you’ll end up with your shorts inside out, like I did, and spend over 90min unpicking all the elastic zigzagging! 😫
But, as salty as I was for my own mistake, I’m really pleased with how comfortable these are! I love the hidden shorts and secure pockets, and think they’ll be great for travelling. Right now my main transport around town is via the electric cargo bike that we just bought – yes, I’m the cargo, it’s me! Ours is the Max and Maleon Passenger bike, which is the only one in the world designed for adult passengers, and we’re loving how much freedom we’re getting from it already.
As it’s currently my mobility aid, I couldn’t help but add a “Sewn Shown Seated” photo to add to the internet collection!
Also, if you’re a Cashmerette Club member, be sure to tune into the monthly live Zoom tomorrow (Tues 25 June), where I’ll be joining Jenny talking about all things activewear sewing and offering my own tips and experience!