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.
Versatili-Tops pattern – out now!
A snake-print Tessellate Hoodie
What better way to kickstart January than with activewear, amirite?? Especially if it’s a pattern you’ve sewn a thousand times before, in a fabric you love, and made entirely with stash fabrics. Bonus points if it’s also essentially a clone of a garment you already own so you’re pretty much guaranteed of success!
In the years since launching our Tessellate Tee pattern, I found myself wearing the turquoise, yellow, and claret hoodie sample (featured on the pattern cover) for nearly all of my coldest runs – I can’t even tell you how many early morning run commutes this came along on! The key here was that I made it in Funkifabrics’ “thermo” fabric which is essentially fleece-lined lycra. It’s stretchy with great recovery, and has a smooth exterior, but the interior is fluffy and fleecy like the inside of a sweatshirt, which makes it really warm. I often paired this hoodie with a pair of Steeplechase Leggings I’d also made in black thermo, and the combo is one I’d wear on my coldest and wettest runs or cycle commutes.
Two more Coco sports bras
Carrying on from my earlier feeling that I have far too many clothes, I realised that one area of my wardrobe where I currently have a need is… supportive sports bras for running! Plus my lycra scaps bin is absolutely overflowing so this was a great project to work on! These are the 4th and 5th Jalie “Coco” sports bras I’ve made, so I think you can safely say I’m a fan of it!
This is the only sports bra sewing pattern I’ve found (and I’ve tried a LOT) that is supportive enough for running, but with a few small but essential changes – which I outlined in this post so I won’t repeat them here again.
Comparing the activewear sewing eBook and Book!
Today I wanted to clear up a little confusion around the content in our new “Activewear Sewing for Beginners” eBook and our best-selling “Sew Your Own Activewear” book, as some people may think that they’re the same thing – and they’re totally not!! In particular, topics that only got a sentence or two in “Sew Your Own Activewear” due to publishing page constraints go a lot more in depth in “Activewear Sewing for Beginners” with photos and diagrams to make things even clearer for those who’ve never sewn activewear or worked with stretch fabrics before.
An alpine Tenacity Shorts set
Today it’s time to look closer at our third and final sample of the new Tenacity Leggings pattern, and it’s one that got a true testing – immediately after the photoshoot I set off on a run around the Lanhydrock estate, in Cornwall, even though it was fairly muddy, because I just couldn’t help myself! Also it was super fun to be able to play with my friend’s lab, Freya, for some of these photos. I guess this makes her my first “dog-lete model”??
Neon Tenacity Capris
Next up in our deep-dive into each of the samples of the new Tenacity Leggings pattern is possibly the brightest pair of capris I’ve ever sewn – and you know I love a bright and crazy activewear print fabric!!
We shot the photos for this pair on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, made famous by Hitchcock’s “Jamaica Inn”. It made for a great contrast against the muted terrain on a very grey and cloudy day, though I’m pretty sure some of the sheep thought I was the actual sun!
Olive green Tenacity Leggings
Thanks for all your enthusiasm around the new Tenacity Leggings and “Activewear Sewing for Beginners” eBook! It’s always nerve-wracking to release something new so it really makes a difference when you all love it as much as my testers and I did!
I wanted to kick things off today by introducing the first of our three Tenacity Leggings samples. Normally at this part I’d be telling you all about the baddass “athlete model” I worked with, but with still being classed as “Clinically Extremely Vulnerable” even after 3 jabs, it wasn’t feasible for me to be working with someone close quarters for fittings or travelling on the tube with the camera and gear to do the photoshoot. So I’m afraid I’m the only model for this pattern, but the athlete models will definitely be coming back in future!
Developing the Tenacity Leggings
Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm for our Tenacity Leggings and eBook launch last week! I’ve got so much more to say about both because omg, they were both so much work! but today I wanted to talk a little bit about the development of the Tenacity Leggings pattern.
Throughout 2020 and my 14 months of shielding, I had zero creativity. But then I suddenly got hit with an explosion of it in spring and threw myself into a crazy complicated, advanced pattern. I went through about 4 test muslins but it still wasn’t quite right, and I felt like it wasn’t the right time to focus on it when so many people felt like they couldn’t even get started sewing activewear. So I parked that pattern (hopefully I’ll release it next year!) and started work on a leggings pattern that would be beginner-friendly, but with enough options to keep myself and other intermediate- or advanced-activewear sewists interested, too.
New pattern: Tenacity Leggings! Plus bonus eBook!
Tenacity Leggings
It’s here! I’m pleased to announce the arrival of our newest pattern, the Tenacity Leggings!
Purple and orange designer Threshold Shorts
When I first laid eyes on this ex-designer purple and orange ombre striped ripstop from New Craft House (£16/m), I knew at that moment I needed to sew another pair of Threshold Shorts!