September 20, 2015

Sewing sporty stuff... again

I had planned to show you a whole outfit today. Sportswear, that is. 
However, I didn't quite manage it. 
Yesterday I was working on the last and most simple piece, a top. I thought I could finish the top with lingerie elastic but the neckline was a bit on the deep side already. Perfectly fine as it was but too deep when folded back another centimeter. The obvious solution was fold-over elastic but I didn't have enough of it for the top. I'll buy more tomorrow to finish it.

I did make another, warmer, version of this sporty cardigan. The first one was made from thin sweatshirt fabric. It is nice and comfortable and I wear it a lot before and after climbing. Now, with autumn on the way, I thought I could use a warmer option. 
This one is made from a thicker knit, a mixture of wool and synthetic fibers. The fabric is not very nice to the skin and I recently found some material on sale which was kind of like the lining material of some sports clothes. 

So, I lined it. It is nicely warm and snug.

I also made a pair of trousers to climb in. So far, I have only worn RTW sports trousers but why not make my own? I know I prefer slightly loose fitting trousers over leggings and I like a length to just below the knee (far enough below the knee so the legs don't ride up when I bend my knees). 

My RTW trousers have a similar waistband: Soft wide elastic encased in fabric, with a drawstring. They also have pockets but those are useless for climbing and can be annoying because the pocket bags get pulled out with some movements.   

To hopefully get the right fit over the knee, I added knee darts at the front leg and elastic in the hemline (this is a picture of the inside where you can see the darts more easily). 
The fabric I used is a dark brown pique knit (the same stuff which is used for polo shirts). A stretchy but stable cotton fabric.  

Today, I put the trousers to the test. Because the person taking the pictures is also the person belaying when I climb high walls, I only have a picture of me bouldering in them. So, you'll just have to believe me when I tell you the trousers also performed well under a climbing harness. 
Before I started climbing, I wondered whether the legs were just a bit too short but they were not. In fact, the trousers were very comfortable. I may just have to make a few more pairs.

1 comment:

  1. I love the action shot! I was surprised that you do still own any rtw actually! I'd assumed you made everything. You did a great job, these look very nice and fully functional :)

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