Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: Jalie Running Gear


New Year, new handmade running gear!! I have been a bit obsessed with obtaining technical fabrics and sewing up functional (and colorful!) clothing for my running routine for the past years.  A major amount of my technical knit stash is from the Fabric Mart activewear category, including all of the yardage I've used to sew up these Jalie Cora Tights #3462 and Jalie zip top # 2682.  The animal print is still actually in stock at this moment I am typing! They even sell Jalie patterns now. I've never found Fabric Mart to label their activewear fabrics as "wicking" but the animal print material is actually sweat wicking!  It's rare to find prints that wick!!!  How do I judge whether a mystery fabric can suck up sweat or let it just sit there and irritate the crap out of me and cause problems during very long runs??  I let a few droplets of water fall off the side of the material that touches the skin-- does it get absorbed immediately or form a perfect water droplet and sit on top of the knit?  The animal print absorbs as soon as the water touched it.  Same with the solid orange.  On the other hand, the solid black knit is not wicking... the water droplets did just sit on the fabric.  I wear a form fitting layer under these half zips, so I don't have worries.


I can't take myself too seriously in animal print tights, c'mon now.

The orange material I picked up well over a year ago.  It's from New Balance, a poly/spandex... I even sewed up other running gear last New Year's here for Fabric Mart with this same stuff in other colors (I bought many, many yards when it was in stock).  The black stuff is a beefier nylon/spandex ideal for cooler weather (no longer in stock unfortunately, I bought this stuff several months ago).  All of the fabrics are 4-way stretch.



The Jalie half zip top is pretty great.  This was my first version, I cut a size X in the bust and graded to a Z at the hip.  I found that I needed more room in the hip, especially the rear end area so I fixed that in version two (the animal print one below).  I also added 1" to the length of the bodice just below the underarm.  I made my own wide binding to finish the sleeve cuffs.  I've sewn up the Jalie Cora tights before-- found here on my own blog.  I went one size down to create compression style tights.  I sewed a size X waist and a size Z hip/leg.  On a recent blog post of mine, an anonymous person commented they thought my jeans were too tight and they didn't like them... man, I'm really gonna annoy them with these tights, huh?!?!!!  Ha!!  I've crossed more than one finish line running in tights, from 5Ks to a half marathon and soon a full marathon.



This animal print top does technically match the animal print tights, but even I know when to quit with the head to toe print whilst wearing spandex-- they shall never be worn together.  (The black tights here are store bought, as you could have guessed easily with the lack of color or print on them). With version #2 of the Jalie half zip, I did a swayback adjustment and added a little more width on the back hem.  It helped a good deal.  I am surprised at how smooth the back area lays in my photos here, I felt like there was still room for improvement when I was wearing it.



If you've ever run/hike/walk/bike/leave the house in winter, you may have experienced the thrill of freezing cold hands like I do.  I've tried several hand coverage options for running, including gloves and mittens.  Hands down these fold over mitts are the very best for me. (Aww, geez... I know).  I took the pattern pieces from the Fehr Trade Surf to Summit Top and added them on to the Jalie half zip.  I wore this top this morning for a very chilly run and they did the job!  I prefer these attached mitts because I can flip them off if I need and not have anything to have to carry.  I don't like gloves because separating my fingers from each other, they freeze still.  And those sleeves with thumb cuffs, fingers free and blowin in the wind... not functional at all.



The zippers are all from my mega stash of vintage zippers.  Oh and if you ever sew up this top, somehow Jalie totally forgets to tell you to stabilize the fabric before sewing on your zipper.  I used iron-on narrow strips of knit interfacing.  I ironed it to all the edges of fabric where the zipper is attached.  Otherwise, it's a hot mess without stabilizing this spandex material, knit fabric getting stretched out and what not, even under a walking foot.


Fresh from the freezing cold morning & completing a hilly 5k in the park

Anyone else sewing up some activewear this year?  I've said it before, it's a major motivator in my running routines.  If I sew up a fun new top, I have to go out and wear it.  Maybe it's yoga, or Zumba or hiking or biking for you.  I'm not out there to compete against anyone but myself.  I do what I can with what I've got... and that ain't half bad.



Happy New Year's Sewing!!
~Kathy

Comments

  1. I love the outfit! I grab activewear fabric anytime I can find it. I love making my own workout clothes, I even bought a Coverstitch machine this past summer. Store bought is never what I want and it's way too expensive...$100 for leggings!!! I think not. I've been sidelined with a tendon injury the past year but it's finally healed so I'm getting ready to hit the trails and the gym again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!! I use my serger for most of my knit sewing like this and will top stitch with a twin needel or zig zag on my regular machine to get that juicy coverstitch look. I can't believe still I don't have me a coverstitch yet!

      Delete
  2. Love the leggings and tops Kathy! I snagged some of that animal print activewear fabric from FM last week (while also keeping Jungle January in mind :D). I am really happy to see how great it looks as leggings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!!! We can be Jungle January twinsies!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Delete
  3. These look great Kathy and I think that these pants plus your jeans in your last post look great! :) One of these days I have to try my hand at making activewear! I will be sure to reference your posts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Elizabeth :) ONce I started making my own activewear, it was all over... I'm addicted.

      Delete
  4. You look great Kathy! I've been making a few pairs of sports leggings but am having trouble with the stitching snapping as I move around. Can I ask what kind of threads do you use?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!! I use a 4- thread serger with Stretch Maxi-Lock thread. Yes, I use all four threads, I've often come across patterns that say use only three... I want all threads for minimal thread popping opportunities. There are other good thread options like wooly nylon. In critical spots, that's the seam on the butt and between legs and up to the waist...after serging, I do a zig zag stitch with my regular machine. That i only have regular, multipurpose Gutterman thread in. I've bought my stretch thread from wawak online. I know big box sewing stores do sell wooly nylon. Hope that helps!

      Delete
  5. I love the way you added the fold under mitts to the sleeve, great solution for Minnesota winters! You are a genius!

    eileen

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Summery Chambray Linen Mini Capsule

Hello all! With summer on the horizon, I'm gearing up for the heat with some fabrics and styles to carry me through weekend trips and general running around in hot weather. No matter the temperature, I still aim to appear stylish and put together, at least, you know, most of the time. Fabric Mart's exclusive linen chambray is superb for this exact use! I requested two colors of the glorious lightweight yarn-dyed linen chambray. Putty is a cool-toned light gray that leans toward purple and taupe tones and the Medium Sky Blue is perhaps a little more self-explanatory. I have sewn with this base before, and I was just as delighted and impressed with these two colors as I have been in the past. I can't recommend them more, these are quite lightweight and very finely woven. They are sturdy with a very smooth face and have some body, but still maintain nice drape for linen. Despite being lightweight, they have enough structure to support the rounded curves of the pant seams an

Made By A Fabricista: Rayon Challis Separates for Me!

This month I decided to take a minute to sew something for myself! Knowing that I was about to move house (I'm excited to be getting a nice big sewing room!), I opted to use some tried-and-true patterns that I knew would be quick and easy to sew: Jalie Michelle and Jalie Geneviève . I've really loved seeing garments made in crinkle challis lately, so I selected a solid mustard yellow crinkle challis with a plan for either pants or a skirt ( Geneviève is a skirt, but there's also a culotte option available for it), and two sateen challis prints for a top (Michelle can be made either as a top or a dress). I considered making a reversible top with both fabric prints, but upon playing with them in real life, opted for two separate tops with a facing. Given that challis tends to be a bit shifty, it's best to starch it before you begin cutting out your project. It's also best to cut it out on a large surface with a rotary cutter so the fabric doesn't get distorted.

Made By A Fabricista: A Mother’s Day Gift - Making my Daughter’s Prom Dress

Happy Friday All! As a mother and sewist, I am always planning months in advance for any special occasion dress. Due to the pandemic, my daughter missed all the activities at the end of her elementary journey and I was truly heart broken. She did not have any promotional ceremony, field trips or activities for the last few months of elementary school. I made a vow to myself that in Middle School, no matter what life throws us, I would make the perfect Junior Prom dinner dance dress even if she had to twirl in it at home. When I came across this beautiful blue lycra sequins fabric, I was thrilled. My daughter Arielle and I spoke a few months ago about the perfect Grade 8 Junior Prom dinner dance dress. She found an inspirational photo on Pinterest back in December which was a one shoulder maxi dress that sparkles and she was excited about me making her special dress. At the time she wasn’t quite sure of the shade of blue she wanted but after our trip to Jamaica during Spring break, she