5 years ago
Are you one of those people who sews for the current season? Where the blazing hot sunny weather makes you want to sew floaty tops, or maybe even a bikini? And cold snowy weather means you're busy sewing lovely warm hoodies and thick blankets? I'm definitely not that kind of sewer – in the heatwave, I was busy planning these wintry joggers!
This sweatshirt fabric has a really warm cosy furry backing, which is going to make these joggers particularly snugly. I'm hoping they will be more suitable to wear on a long walk in the cold, than the jeans I'd been wearing previously. The fox and flowers design is really pretty and will make some fun joggers – I'm trying to avoid the "boring" plain look.
First things first though, and it's time to prewash the fabric to check for any shrinkage. After washing at 40C and line drying, there was indeed some shrinkage - my fabric was originally 150cm long x 156cm wide, and ended up at 142cm long x 154cm wide. It sounds like a big difference, but that's only 6% on the length which is well under the 10% that most patterns allow for. It's also much better for that shrinkage to happen before I've cut out and sewn my joggers, otherwise I could end up with ones that no longer fit.
Speaking of patterns, I was reckless with these joggers, and made a pattern I've never even made a muslin for, let alone sewn properly! I used the My Fit Joggers pattern by Apostrophe Patterns, which actually generates a pattern to the specific measurements you plug in. It sounded ideal, but it was pretty nerve-wracking, as my measuring helper (it's not possible accurately measure it all on yourself) wasn't overly confident! It's not just the normal waist, hips and inside leg measurements you need for this pattern – there's several more unusual (at least for me) measurements needed to get an accurate fit. One advantage to this though, is I can use the pattern as a basis for figuring out alterations to other trouser patterns, to get them to fit my shape better.
Unfortunately the pattern generator doesn't give you the fabric requirement for your personalised pattern, so I had to lay the pieces out and measure the space they took up, to check how much fabric I would need. There is an advantage to being only 5' tall, in not needing as much fabric to make trousers! The pattern comes with plenty of options for fit and style – I chose a regular fit along with curved pockets, low rise, separate elastic waistband, curved back yoke, and leg cuffs.
Despite the furry backing, there wasn't actually much mess from cutting out the pieces. I did have to wipe the table over afterwards, but the furry backing hadn't shed like I thought it would, so there was no need to get the hoover out!
Once the pieces were cut out, I put my pins away and used clips to hold the pieces together while I was sewing. I find they have a much better grip than pins do, and there's no risk of catching my hand on a clip like there is with sharp pins. The My Fit Joggers allow you to pick your own seam allowance, so I chose 3/8" which is the same width as my walking foot. I wouldn't want to try sewing any stretchy fabric without a walking foot, as I've found it tends to bunch up otherwise. It is a bit of an investment, but it's definitely worth it if you're planning on making t-shirts, joggers, or anything else with some stretch.
I tend to gravitate towards Coats Moon thread, as I've found it works really well and you get plenty of it on a reel so there's little risk of running out half way through the project. The blue shade M030 is an almost perfect match for the denimy background of this sweatshirt fabric. As a side note, my only problem with the Coats Moon thread is that the reels are slightly too long to fit on my machine's spool holder. However, it does work perfectly when combined with a cone thread holder.
I cheated and used the 90/14 stretch needle that was still in my machine (I know, I should change my needle for every new project). However, I think a new needle would have coped with the thick seam intersections a little better when I was topstitching! I used my normal triple straight stretch stitch for all the seams, leaving the seam allowances unfinished as the fabric doesn't fray.
As you've probably guessed from some of my other clothing makes, I am a fan of topstitching. As well as topstitching the waistband and cuffs, I also wanted to topstitch the inseam. Changing the assembly order ever so slightly, I stitched the inseam then topstitched with a slightly elongated triple stretch straight stitch to give some reinforcement to that seam, before sewing the outside leg seams. To finish the joggers off, I also topstitched from the bottom of the waistband down to the bottom of the pocket on both sides, like you would see on a pair of jeans.
I had made the mistake of assuming all elastic was the same when making trousers and shorts before, but for these joggers I wanted to use some softer elastic to make them less restrictive to wear. After all, winter is classically a time for 'hearty' meals, and they don't really go with fierce elastic around your middle! The soft elastic is definitely a much better option, and I'm actually quite tempted now to remove all the fierce elastic from the other trousers I've made, and swap it for soft!
I'm really pleased with how these joggers have turned out, and I can definitely see these getting a lot of wear once the weather turns wintry. The only thing I wish I had done, was to add a little label in one pocket with the washing temperature on it, for ease of washing in the future. I did attempt to stitch "40C" on the pocket seam allowance, but I didn't use any interfacing so my machine struggled to feed the fabric through evenly enough. It's just about readable, but I think a label would work better for future makes.
Thank you Minerva for the opportunity to make something with this really warm sweatshirt fabric. I think I will have to get some more sweatshirt fabric and make a similar pair, as my helper is enviously eyeing up my new cosy joggers! I hope I've inspired you to get started on some wintry makes in the hope of suitable weather to wear them.
--
My Fit Joggers by Apostrophe Patterns https://apostrophepatterns.com/collections/customizable-patterns/products/myfit-joggers
#MinervaBrandAmbassador #MinervaMakes #MinervaMakers #ApostrophePatterns #MyFitJoggers #MyFitJoggersSeated #SewnShownSeated #DragonSews #joggers #sweatshirt #furry #ColdWeather
#IndiePatterns #isew #MeMade #MeMades #sewing #sewist #sewists #SewingInspo #SewingInspiration #sew #sewcialist #SewingProject #SewingProjects #SewingIdeas #SewingProjectIdeas #SewingPatternInspo #LoveSewing #ILoveSewing #SewSewSew #SewersGonnaSew #MakersGonnaMake #sewaholic #sewaholics #ShareYourSewing #SewingLove #HandmadeWardrobe #HandemadeClothes #ISewMyClothes #MeMadeFashion #diyClothes #diyFashion #diyWardrobe #dressmaking #FabricInspo #FashionSewing #seamstress #MeMadeEveryDay #IMakeMyClothes #IMakeMyOwnClothes #fashion #FashionInspo #MeMadeWardrobe
This sweatshirt fabric has a really warm cosy furry backing, which is going to make these joggers particularly snugly. I'm hoping they will be more suitable to wear on a long walk in the cold, than the jeans I'd been wearing previously. The fox and flowers design is really pretty and will make some fun joggers – I'm trying to avoid the "boring" plain look.
First things first though, and it's time to prewash the fabric to check for any shrinkage. After washing at 40C and line drying, there was indeed some shrinkage - my fabric was originally 150cm long x 156cm wide, and ended up at 142cm long x 154cm wide. It sounds like a big difference, but that's only 6% on the length which is well under the 10% that most patterns allow for. It's also much better for that shrinkage to happen before I've cut out and sewn my joggers, otherwise I could end up with ones that no longer fit.
Speaking of patterns, I was reckless with these joggers, and made a pattern I've never even made a muslin for, let alone sewn properly! I used the My Fit Joggers pattern by Apostrophe Patterns, which actually generates a pattern to the specific measurements you plug in. It sounded ideal, but it was pretty nerve-wracking, as my measuring helper (it's not possible accurately measure it all on yourself) wasn't overly confident! It's not just the normal waist, hips and inside leg measurements you need for this pattern – there's several more unusual (at least for me) measurements needed to get an accurate fit. One advantage to this though, is I can use the pattern as a basis for figuring out alterations to other trouser patterns, to get them to fit my shape better.
Unfortunately the pattern generator doesn't give you the fabric requirement for your personalised pattern, so I had to lay the pieces out and measure the space they took up, to check how much fabric I would need. There is an advantage to being only 5' tall, in not needing as much fabric to make trousers! The pattern comes with plenty of options for fit and style – I chose a regular fit along with curved pockets, low rise, separate elastic waistband, curved back yoke, and leg cuffs.
Despite the furry backing, there wasn't actually much mess from cutting out the pieces. I did have to wipe the table over afterwards, but the furry backing hadn't shed like I thought it would, so there was no need to get the hoover out!
Once the pieces were cut out, I put my pins away and used clips to hold the pieces together while I was sewing. I find they have a much better grip than pins do, and there's no risk of catching my hand on a clip like there is with sharp pins. The My Fit Joggers allow you to pick your own seam allowance, so I chose 3/8" which is the same width as my walking foot. I wouldn't want to try sewing any stretchy fabric without a walking foot, as I've found it tends to bunch up otherwise. It is a bit of an investment, but it's definitely worth it if you're planning on making t-shirts, joggers, or anything else with some stretch.
I tend to gravitate towards Coats Moon thread, as I've found it works really well and you get plenty of it on a reel so there's little risk of running out half way through the project. The blue shade M030 is an almost perfect match for the denimy background of this sweatshirt fabric. As a side note, my only problem with the Coats Moon thread is that the reels are slightly too long to fit on my machine's spool holder. However, it does work perfectly when combined with a cone thread holder.
I cheated and used the 90/14 stretch needle that was still in my machine (I know, I should change my needle for every new project). However, I think a new needle would have coped with the thick seam intersections a little better when I was topstitching! I used my normal triple straight stretch stitch for all the seams, leaving the seam allowances unfinished as the fabric doesn't fray.
As you've probably guessed from some of my other clothing makes, I am a fan of topstitching. As well as topstitching the waistband and cuffs, I also wanted to topstitch the inseam. Changing the assembly order ever so slightly, I stitched the inseam then topstitched with a slightly elongated triple stretch straight stitch to give some reinforcement to that seam, before sewing the outside leg seams. To finish the joggers off, I also topstitched from the bottom of the waistband down to the bottom of the pocket on both sides, like you would see on a pair of jeans.
I had made the mistake of assuming all elastic was the same when making trousers and shorts before, but for these joggers I wanted to use some softer elastic to make them less restrictive to wear. After all, winter is classically a time for 'hearty' meals, and they don't really go with fierce elastic around your middle! The soft elastic is definitely a much better option, and I'm actually quite tempted now to remove all the fierce elastic from the other trousers I've made, and swap it for soft!
I'm really pleased with how these joggers have turned out, and I can definitely see these getting a lot of wear once the weather turns wintry. The only thing I wish I had done, was to add a little label in one pocket with the washing temperature on it, for ease of washing in the future. I did attempt to stitch "40C" on the pocket seam allowance, but I didn't use any interfacing so my machine struggled to feed the fabric through evenly enough. It's just about readable, but I think a label would work better for future makes.
Thank you Minerva for the opportunity to make something with this really warm sweatshirt fabric. I think I will have to get some more sweatshirt fabric and make a similar pair, as my helper is enviously eyeing up my new cosy joggers! I hope I've inspired you to get started on some wintry makes in the hope of suitable weather to wear them.
--
My Fit Joggers by Apostrophe Patterns https://apostrophepatterns.com/collections/customizable-patterns/products/myfit-joggers
#MinervaBrandAmbassador #MinervaMakes #MinervaMakers #ApostrophePatterns #MyFitJoggers #MyFitJoggersSeated #SewnShownSeated #DragonSews #joggers #sweatshirt #furry #ColdWeather
#IndiePatterns #isew #MeMade #MeMades #sewing #sewist #sewists #SewingInspo #SewingInspiration #sew #sewcialist #SewingProject #SewingProjects #SewingIdeas #SewingProjectIdeas #SewingPatternInspo #LoveSewing #ILoveSewing #SewSewSew #SewersGonnaSew #MakersGonnaMake #sewaholic #sewaholics #ShareYourSewing #SewingLove #HandmadeWardrobe #HandemadeClothes #ISewMyClothes #MeMadeFashion #diyClothes #diyFashion #diyWardrobe #dressmaking #FabricInspo #FashionSewing #seamstress #MeMadeEveryDay #IMakeMyClothes #IMakeMyOwnClothes #fashion #FashionInspo #MeMadeWardrobe
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