Back in April I worked on a secret project, which I’m pleased to reveal – it was my entry for the 2022 Threads Digital Ambassadors’ Luxury Loungewear Challenge! I was thrilled to be invited to take part this year as one of only four entrants, and I’m super proud of the ensemble that I created.
Head on over to Threads to read about my inspiration and choices for the garments and then the actual construction and couture elements I incorporated into them.
When I sewed myself the Alpine cycling kit last summer, I didn’t make a sports bra to go along with the Surf to Summit Top jersey and the Rouleur Leggings bib shorts, even though I’d done so for my previous two cycling sets (rainbow in 2019 and Tokyo-inspired in 2020). This was because I didn’t really think I’d have enough fabric left as I knew I wanted to make Tenacity Shorts and a Versatili-Tank with it too, but also because I figured I had enough sports bras and it didn’t really matter.
But apparently I do care, because in the months of cycling in the kit since then (99% of which was on Zwift!), it kinda bugged me that I didn’t have a matching bra – petty, I know, but easily fixable! So once I decided that I’d be cycling RideLondon’s 100 miler in this kit, I pulled out the leftover scraps to see if I could piece together a sports bras from the bits of fabric and upcycled race tees. And the answer was “just barely”!
Today I wanted to show off a new Versatili-Tee I made myself since the launch of our Versatili-Tops pattern (which includes both tank and tee versions), since I took my own suggestion from the Variations section at the end of the pattern instructions and added a back pocket! This is a really easy addition that only adds a few minutes on to the construction but makes it even more useful, especially for low-impact activities like hiking or cycling.
For this Tee I used some forest green aerated polyester activewear fabric that’s been in my stash a few years. I believe it was an ex-Tracksmith deadstock fabric I bought from FabricMart (US), and it’s nice and cooling with the micro-holes, plus it’s got a lot of good stretch and recovery, too. However, those holes were created REALLY off-grain, which made cutting out a bit more challenging than usual since I needed to fold and cut based on the orientation of the holes instead of the selvedges. But perhaps this is why it wasn’t used in RTW and was sold as yardage?
As you all know, I am a huge fan of bamboo jerseys for workouts when you won’t be sweating so much (I see you, yoga and Pilates fans!) so I knew I had to make one of our Versatili-Tops samples in it! The pattern not only comes in Tank and Tee versions, but the Tee also has your choice of short or long sleeves, which means this one pattern really can work for both summer and winter workouts.
Even though you all got a sneak peek of the tank version of our latest Versatili-Tops pattern last Fall when we paired an early Alpine print version with our Tenacity Leggings, I wanted to focus today on a different version made for the full pattern release – which even made the pattern cover!
Thanks so much for all your love (and purchases!) of our latest Versatili-Tops pattern! It’s great when you all are just as excited as I am by a new design, especially when it’s one that’s been in development for so long.
Please welcome our newest activewear sewing pattern, the Versatili-Tops! This is actually two distinct tops in one – the Versatili-Tee (get it now?) and the Versatili-Tank, which share the same back piece and feature a front that wraps around to join it.
It appears I’m on a bit of a monochrome sewing kick at the moment, but this one was made more for frugal reasons that for any particular colour inspiration. You see, after I’d sewn the Joan wiggle dress I ended up with some oddly shaped remnants of the textured, black and white striped ponte from Like Sew Amazing (now sold out) that I’d used for the bodice. I looked at the pieces and though “I bet I could squeeze a tee out of that!”. As my stash shelving is quite full at the moment, I figure it was better off in my wardrobe than in my stash!
Today is my 43rd birthday!! (And THIRD pandemic birthday…)
I originally thought that this tee would be a practice garment for the dress version of the Named Rauha tee/dress, but after a bit of a fail in terms of both fabric/pattern and body/pattern suitability on the dress, I have upgraded this stash fabric tee to be my birthday make for this year, because I love it! And seriously, is anything more 2022 than making the best of a disappointment and pivoting to something better??
Carrying on from the struggles I had with the Audrey cigarette trousers, you might be forgiven for thinking that I may not want to sew another Gertie pattern for a while, but you’d be wrong! See, I had already printed and taped together her Joan wiggle dress pattern and sourced the fabric so I was committed and ready to make it happen! Like the Audrey cigarette trousers, the Joan wiggle dress was released as part of her monthly Patreon patterns, which I joined solely because she’s switched to a more 1960s beatnik speakeasy aesthetic this year. This dress was inspired by (and named for!) the character Joan in Mad Men, which was one of my all-time favourite shows.
