Flared Leggings IV

A few photos of a new pair of flared leggings I made for Gaby. I have two pairs of these for myself and I wear them all the time, they are my most favourite bottoms to wear at home. Last year I made one for Gaby out of wide rib knit and she loved them, so this year, when I came upon a good quality wide rib knit I decided to make her another pair.

The pattern is one from Knip Mode magazine, which I managed miraculously to modify to perfection.  I shortened the crotch part by 6 cm and the length by another 6 cm - I am definitely not your average Scandinavian woman :) and I also made the flare much more modest, to be proportionate to the shorter length of the legs.

Pattern: Flared leggings N4 KnipMode 10 / 2021

Size: S, shortened and modified

Fabric: rib knit

Time to make:  4 days

The only new element I introduced this time were the back pockets. I had some pieces of the fabric left, after I cut the leggings, and I thought that pockets would be a good way to utilize them. My first idea was to take the pattern of the back pockets from the Sabrina Slims (a Love Notions design). I added them properly and sewed away the leggings, only to find in the end, that these pockets were too big for the leggings and were lying too low on my behind. So I removed them and added a new pair of pockets, using the pocket pattern in my latest Burda calf-length jeans. These I find fit the leggings much better and I am quite happy with them.

I showed Gaby the pictures we took of the leggings yesterday and she eagerly approved them, now it remains to plan how to give them to her. I'll probably continue to sew for her and give her the bunch when she visits later in the summer.

White and Grey

Two more knit items I made for Gaby - a blouse with a round yoke and one more pair of flared leggings, my favourite leggings pattern this spring :)

The pattern of the blouse is from the latest Burda Best of 01 /2022, which is a collection of best selling old patterns. This very blouse was first published in Burda 06 / 2018. I liked its unusual construction, which, I hope, elevates the blouse a bit above the simple white t-shirt.

Pattern: Flared leggings N4 KnipMode 10 / 2021

Size: S, shortened and modified

Fabric: rib knit

Time to make:  2 days

Pattern: Blouse with Round Yoke, Burda Best of 01/2022

Size: 36

Fabric: viscose knit

Time to make:  3 days

To be honest, I'm not entirely convinced the short fringe I added is as good as the original they used in the magazine. And to my further disappointment, it turned out to be of low quality, though fairly expensive. On the upper side, I attached it over the seam, so it can be easily removed and replaced, if needed.

Hoodie and Flared Leggings

I fell in love with that hoodie from BurdaStyle 03 / 2022 from the moment I saw it. I had no idea out of what fabric I wanted to make it or if I needed another hoodie, but I knew I just had to try these sleeves. And so, I bought the pattern.

After I printed and assembled the pattern and went through my fabric stash, I decided on this purple fabric, sort of french terry, but not quite (purl knit?). I laid out the pieces of the pattern on the fabric and found that I had enough left for a pair of leggings as well. But only if I cut it all not along but across the grain.

I am usually very strict when it comes to following the grain of the fabric, but in this case the fabric had an unusual warp knit and high elasticity in both directions. And a defect right along the middle fold, where it had faded from long stay in the shop, I guess. So, I decided to risk it and cut my hoodie and leggings set across the grain. Thus I was able to lay all the pattern pieces on both sides of that middle fold, without cutting into the faded line - win-win.

I made almost no mods to the pattern but my usual shortening to adjust for my height and I also made the hood double, as the single layer hood in the pattern didn't look professionally finished at all.

Pattern: Hoodie 102 Burdastyle 03/2022

Fabric: warp knit, sort of french terry, cotton/polyester

Size: 36, shortened

Time to make: 4 days 

The pattern of the hoodie was obviously influenced by the Mother of Pearl original design. I am really glad that Burda adapted the extravagant pattern for home sewing and I hope to find other similar patterns in their next issues too.

Pattern: Flared leggings N4 KnipMode 10 / 2021

Size: S, shortened and modified

Fabric: sort of french terry

Time to make:  1 day

Flared Leggings

I found my new favourite style of pants and leggings - the flared leggings. No more skinny yoga style leggings or pants for me, just give me the flare! I love it and I find it very flattering, especially on a petite person like me.

This is, if I'm not mistaken, my first KnipMode pattern I've made for myself. I have bought probably half a dozen of their patterns for women, but because their standard women height is 172 cm and even the small size in their size table seams biggish for me, I kept postponing the actual testing and sewing of their patterns.

In the end, I fell so much in love with these leggings, that I decided to give them a go. I printed the pattern, then took out a pair of old ponte trousers I had once that I know fit me well, measured the relevant lengths and widths and ended shortening the crotch part of the leggings by 6 cm (7 cm for the back!) and additionally shortening the legs by 6 cm, so a total -12 cm from the smallest size. However, as far as widths went, the pattern turned fitted enough, just as I like it, so I didn't meddle there. Because of fabric shortage and some personal preference, I also significantly reduced the flare of the pants.

I am totally happy with how these turned out, but next time I am willing to experiment with a fully flared pair, probably in a lighter ponte fabric in a large floral print, or a bright solid colored pair with a big yoga-style waist band. Yea, we all need cheering with the awful situation only several hundred kilometers away from our borders :(

My fabric is some Italian cotton ponte of excellent quality. However, after I washed and centrifuged the fabric in advance, it shrank more than I had envisioned when buying it, so I was a couple of centimeters short of length for the back of the trousers. To save the day, I decided to add a small yoke at the back and make it a feature. I think it turned out very well and even adds to the otherwise pretty simple design of the leggings.

 

 

Pattern: Flared leggings N4 KnipMode 10 / 2021

Size: S, shortened and modified

Fabric: cotton ponte, 1m

Time to make:  2 days