Makes for the Boys

A few knit fabric practical sportswear I made for the men in my family. These are patterns that I've used many times and I've tweaked enough to fit the recipients.

First - two joggers for husband and son. The fabric and the pattern are the same, cotton and viscose, very light french terry for the home office in the summer months. The pattern is Jack by Vikisews, which i bought for husband, when he was a size bigger. Being lazy and thrifty in the best way :), I just adjusted the width to fit his new size (-1 cm from all parts, a total of -4 cm). 

I've tried several other men's joggers before, Burga and Shkatulka, but Jack from Vikisews is the best, in my opinion. My husband prefers his joggers with an elastic at the ankles, so I added coordinated grey rib knit.

Pattern: Jack by Vikisews

Size: 44 (L) Height: 178-184 cm

Fabric: cotton viscose French terry

Time to make: 5 days

The second pair is for our son, his has straight legs without the rib knit and is one size smaller - so I removed -2 cm width from every pattern piece, a total of -8 cm. I also had to add some length to the legs, to compensate for the lack of rib hems.

Pattern: Jack by Vikisews

Size: 42 (M) Height: 178-184 cm

Fabric: cotton viscose French terry

Time to make: two weeks

The third make is for my father - a long sleeve blouse. I've made this pattern many times for the boys, this time I chose the biggest Burda size - 54. The fabric is very soft and stretchy cotton with lycra.

Pattern: Burda #132 from 12 / 2020

Size: 54 with with added length

Fabric: cotton knit with lycra

Time to make: 4 days

I made some of my usual mods - I added a small pocket for interest, I also added cuffs to the sleeves and finished the neck, using my favourite method with a contrast knit fabric tape. I hope it fits well.

Plush Loungewear Set

I made myself a new set of loungewear and I am quite happy about it. It is another part of my 2026 Make Nine pledge, featuring Fabric 11 (asphalt-colored plush) and the remnants of Fabric 12 (brick-colored fleece). I sewed the heck out of these fabrics: two zippered jackets, one pair of joggers, and one hoodie, all from just 3.5m of fabric!

The pants use the same pattern - Burda #135 (11/2012) - that I made earlier this year for Gaby, but I opted for a larger size 36. I made some major modifications: I elongated the crotch by 3 cm from the top (including seam allowance) and the legs by 11 cm from the bottom. I also straightened the leg below the knee to get a nice straight-leg fit .I am thrilled with the result; the fit is much, much better than Burda #117 from 06/2021, which I’ve sewn a few times before. This is now my go-to pattern for straight joggers!

Pattern: # 135 Burda 11 / 2012

Size: 36, elongated

Fabric: plush fleece

Time to make: 4 days

My only regret with this set is making the jogger pockets entirely out of the main fabric. I had planned everything carefully, intending to cut one pocket piece from plush and the other from a thin black cotton knit. However, it was late in the evening after work when I started sewing, and I accidentally attached the plush piece to the front instead of the lining.

I only noticed the mistake after the pocket was fully assembled. I made a calculated choice: instead of undoing the seams—a nightmare since this plush frays like crazy and hates being unstitched—I decided to just cut two more fleece pieces. It’s not a dealbreaker, but the pockets are a bit thicker than I’d like. Next time, I’ll remember: the best combination for fleece or plush is one piece of main fabric and one piece of thin lining. Trust me, I know from experience!

After the joggers and jackets, I still had some large remnants left, so I decided to make a matching hoodie. This little project took so much effort - measuring, browsing patterns, and Googling colorblock inspiration. I’d wake up with one image in my head only to scrap it and replace it with another!  In the end the choice fell on Burda #103 (01/2017), which I've already made once for myself, out of sweatshirt fleece remnants.

Pattern: Burda #103 01/2017

Size: 36, modified

Fabric: plush fleece, polar fleece

Time to make: actual sewing - two days

I chose the pattern, as raglan sweaters suit color blocking exceptionally well. Besides I know the pattern and my "Page" hoodie, with its relaxed fit, is still one of my most favourite winter wears. 

The hoodie is hemmed with a mirror piece of fabric on the inside; the polar fleece front is hemmed with polar, and the plush back with plush. Yes, I am that pedantic!

For the hood lining, I originally cut a blue polyester piece left over from my zippered jacket. However, I realized I preferred the feel of the brick-colored fleece against my skin. I gathered all my scraps and played a little "fabric Tetris" - one side of the hood lining is made of two pieces, and the other of three! The seams are hidden inside, the look is consistent, and I am so proud of myself for pulling it off. (And don't worry, the blue lining was used in my next project, so nothing went to waste!)

My overall impression - I am so glad I made this hoodie happen, never underestimate the potential of fabric scraps - you just might find an entire hoodie in there:)

Joggers for Gaby

My first make for the new year is ready and it is a pair of joggers for Gaby. This is my first Make Nine for the year, and I hope the list of fabrics from the stash, successfully made into garments, will grow steadily.

The pattern for the joggers is an old Burda acquisition, that I've already made twice, once for myself and once for Gaby. As my daughter is a bit slimmer and taller than me, the joggers are a little tighter around the hip area and longer, than if I was making them for myself. However, Gaby is in Vienna and me posing is the second best way to demonstrate my new make.

Pattern: # 135 Burda 11 / 2012

Size: 34

Fabric: french terry

Time to make: 2 days

 

My mods to the pattern - as per usual - I added 3 cm to the upper part of the pattern pieces (including 0.8 cm seam allowance), as the joggers are cut too low. I also added 6 cm (including 0.8 cm seam allowance) to the length of the legs - the original envisions long cuffs, I prefer normal 6.5 cm cuffs.

The joggers have deep and comfortable inseam pockets.

The cuffs are out of rib knit and I made the waistband out of the main fabric and added a 3.2 cm wide elastic inside. All in all I am very happy with how these turned out and now I want a pair of similar joggers for myself, I will only have to find another piece of quality french terry.

Grey Joggers for Alex

The second piece of precut fabric I bought recently, was light double-thread sweatshirt knit. I bought it with joggers for Alex in mind and these have now been made. The fabric, unfortunately, seems not of high quality (perhaps too much polyester content?) and pills lightly, so we'll see how well they'll favour in the long run.

The pattern is an old Schkatulka pattern I had made for him before and of all the jogger patterns I've made for him, he chose this one as the most comfortable.

Pattern: Simple Joggers by Shkatulka

Size: 46 for height 178-183 cm

Fabric: Cotton-polyester double-thread sweatshirt Knit 

Time to make: 1 day

I made the joggers almost identical to his previous Schkatulka joggers, I only changed the pockets to be with slanted entrance opening and not in the side seems. I find such pockets more comfortable, better looking and at the same time easier to sew. Intentionally I added a strip of dark grey to the opening of the pockets, both for interest and to make them a set with the T-shirt i made for him recently.

It was a very easy make, which took me only a day, with the paper pattern already cut and the fit tried and tested. However, for future makes, I think I might make them just a tad shorter, perhaps by 1.5 - 2 cm.

Light Jack Joggers

I made another pair of Jack Joggers by Viki Sews, my fourth of this pattern and second for husband. 

When I bought the pattern some time ago, my husband was about 12-13 kg heavier and I bought the 44 size. However, he's been on the path to getting in shape and now he needs a smaller size joggers. I didn't feel like buying the next size, printing and gluing lots of pages, so I simply took off 2 cm width-wise from the front and the back pattern pieces and it worked like a charm.

Pattern: Jack by Vikisews

Size: 42 (M) Height: 178-184 cm

Fabric: cotton French terry

Time to make: 3 days 

The pattern is simple to follow and produces nicely proportioned joggers, which husband liked. The only frivolity I added is the yellow stripe at the pockets. I bought quite a piece of this light grey French terry and I plan a hoodie to go with it as well, with some yellow interest, added to the pockets and the hood there too.

Husband is such a sport for posing for my blog! Here he's trying to be funny :)

Gaby's Hoodie and Sweatpants Set

My latest make - a hoodie and sweatpants set for Gaby. I used two of my already tried Burda patterns, based on which I made a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie for myself. When Gaby was home in November, I asked to try on my items and marked the corrections I would need in order to make hers fit her properly, so I hope I've succeeded. Of course, a lounge set is not a ballroom gown, so even if the fit is not perfect - this is knitwear, it's forgiving :)

The fabric for the set is sweatshirt fleece (I think this is the name in English, but I'm still not sure about knit fabric names in different languages) - it is smooth on the outside and fluffy and soft on the inside and very warm. I bought 1.5 m of it and it was perfectly sufficient, with a fairly big remnant, that I intend to combine with a couple of other remnant and make a color-block hoodie for myself.

Pattern: Hoodie #113 from Burda 09 / 2020

Size: 36

Fabric: sweatshirt knit fabric

Time to make: 10 days

I made the hood lined with a lighter sweatshirt knit fabric and I used rib knit for the cuffs and the hems and the openings of the pockets of the hoodie. i am especially happy with my coordinating metal notions - the zipper, the aiglets and the decorative tag on the pocket.

Pattern: # 135 Burda 11 / 2012

Size: 34

Fabric: sweatshirt knit fabric

Time to make: 3 days

The pants are size 34 and they are a bit tight on me, but I hope they'll be just fine on Gaby, as she is taller and slimmer than me. They have comfortable deep pockets in the side seams. The original pattern includes long cuffs and is low cut, but I elongated the length of the legs and shortened the cuffs and also raised the waist line by 2 cm.

All in all, I am extremely pleased with myself and can't wait for Gaby to be back for Christmas break and to give her her new lounge set.

Jack Joggers for Husband

The second of my additional Christmas presents for family members is ready - another pair of Jack Joggers, this time for husband.

These are very similar to the ones I made for Alex, but this time I added 2 cm to the rise of the pants at the waist, as husband really dislikes low rise. Also, and as per his request, I made the inside part of the pockets out of red lining knit fabric, a remnant from my Houndstooth Hoodie. He wanted some hidden red for interest.

The fabric I bought for husband is his most favourite soft, thick and warm cotton sweatpants fabric, very similar to the one I used for his light grey Burda joggers. These latter sweatpants are his most favourite this winter and he's been asking for another pair ever since I made them last month. So, he's getting another one for Christmas :)

Pattern: Jack by Vikisews

Size: 44 (L) Height: 178-184 cm

Fabric: cotton sweatpants fabric, rib knit fabric for cuffs and waistband

Time to make: 2 days