Color makes you happy; winter doesn’t have much color; ergo, all my projects have been rainbow since November–even the thread:

This is a pair of Greentstyle Creations Brassie Joggers for the gym in a “rainbow faux knit” athletic from The Styled Magnolia.

The Brassies are definitely pants, not tights, but they are much, much sleeker than the True Bias Hudson Pants, with a flatter front, higher rise, and better “rear view.” They also sew up in about an hour and don’t require any fiddly topstitching.

I ended up trying this pattern because my fabric didn’t have quite enough stretch for my preferred tights pattern, but I really love it. I’ve already made two more pairs–one for around the house and one in a print to wear to work (stretch pants 4EVA!).

I wasn’t able to blog most of my sewing after Thanksgiving because it was all for Doc! First up, a birthday shirt, in this amazing Japanese oxford and the tried-and-true McCalls 6044:

The modeled shot colors are way off, because winter is dark, but the print really pops in person. He didn’t pick this fabric but I thought it was a pretty safe choice for him, based on the last cat print he chose.

Then I made him a Christmas shirt, in a print he did pick back in the summer: this panda cotton lawn from Lady McElroy. I used the New Look pattern I tested earlier in the year for more of an aloha shirt vibe:

I didn’t get a modeled shot of this (I believe the hanger shot is from when I finished on December 23rd, eep),  but he’s worn both and reports all compliments they receive, so I think they were good gifts.

Finally, what do you do for a man who wants no material goods but whose underwear is wearing out? You sew him some for Christmas and hope the fact that it’s handmade cancels out the fact that you’re giving him…underwear for Christmas.

These are the Greenstyle Creations Walbrook Boxer Briefs. The gray pair is some leftover bamboo knit I had in the stash (originally from The Fabric Fairy, I think) and the cats are just cotton interlock I got on sale at Jo-Ann.

By dint of some SUPER CASUAL AND NORMAL questioning, I determined I did not have to make him the version with the functioning fly, so they were a really fast sew. I did the optional “burrito” method to enclose the edges of the pouch on both sides and finished the inseams with a faux coverstitch (serge with right sides together and topstitch the seam allowance down with a twin needle).

As you can see, I played with waistband finishes but I think the enclosed elastic is the winner.  Doc reports that they are “comfortable” and would like more pairs, so I guess it was an OK present.

Doc suggested a skate party right around the time this amazing Ruby Star rayon came out. I ordered 3 yards for the grooviest disco Amy Jumpsuit you’d ever seen–except that when I started to lay out my jumpsuit pattern for cutting, I realized Ruby Star rayon was only 45″ wide and I didn’t have enough.

I scrambled and found a Butterick pattern (B6714) that ended up being even more perfect: the same flowiness I wanted from the Amy Jumpsuit but none of the dangers of a skate getting stuck in a really wide leg (and, let’s be honest, more appropriate to the venue, which really isn’t a “glamorous jumpsuit” sort of place).

I love how it turned out. The cape on the back was DEEPLY satisfying to skate in, as were the huge sleeves. Construction-wise, it was really fast; I couldn’t visualize how the cape and the back yoke got attached and turned but I just followed the instructions and it worked out.

At this point in life, how many things can you say that about?

What I did the most of in 2019 (besides sewing)

Happy New Year’s Eve! My birthday on the 3rd is for resolutions, but I like to go back through the year and do a project recap–just to get what I made in one place and remember what worked and what didn’t.

What I sewed the most was active wear, which makes sense because it’s probably what I wore the most (I’m lifting 4 days a week, bros!). I discovered Greenstyle Creations, whose patterns make your butt look amazing, and I discovered a whole new world of athletic fabric suppliers and custom printers. Being able to make my own tights (with POCKETS) was a revelation and also saved me about $80 per pair vs. buying the high-performance, colorful ones I’m drawn to. Plus, they’re so comfortable and, as I said, make your butt look amazing (I mean, all the squats help, but it’s good drafting.).

I pretty much made a whole new gym/hiking wardrobe, plus a swimsuit (!):

• 6 pairs of gym tights (plus 2 test pairs, but they’ve fallen apart [it took me a while to figure out how to do a secure faux flatlock])
• 3 gym tops
• 1 pair fleece hiking tights
• 1 pair hiking shorts
• 1 swimsuit
• 1 pair gym joggers (not blogged yet; I finished them Sunday)

I made regular clothes, too, from lounge wear to work outfits:

• 2 turtlenecks
• 3 sweatshirts (2 Sloanes and 1 Linden)
• 1 pair linen lounge pants
• 1 pair Winslow Culottes
• 2 camisoles (only 1 blogged; the other was a wearable muslin to match the Winslow Culottes)
• 1 jumpsuit
• 2 girly blouses (not blogged yet)

And, in a departure from my all-pants wardrobe of the last 5 years, I made skirts and dresses:

• 3 dresses (2 big, 1 party)
• 1 flouncy skirt

Doc got some things this year, too:

• 4 woven shirts  (2 still to be blogged–birthday and Xmas!) [update: blogged here]
• 2 sweatshirts
• and 2 pairs of underwear

That’s 36 sewn garments for me and Doc (plus 2 knitted sweaters). Last year’s output was 32, so it’s about the same for this year–but it feels like a lot more because I really filled a hole in my wardrobe with all the gym clothes. I also finished 7 out of the 9 things I planned for the 2019 Make Nine (included in the list above). And let’s not forget that I got a NEW SEWING MACHINE in August, which is seriously some of the best money I’ve ever spent.

I’m not doing a Make Nine again (I get too distracted) but 2020’s plans will probably include sports bras, more gym tights, finally sewing up this fabric from 2018, and maybe getting a coverstitch machine (so I can make gym clothes even FASTER, of course).

Favorite make of the year and it’s all due to the fabric

I’ve had a pair of cold-weather hiking tights on my list to make since I figured out I could make my own active wear in the spring. I placed a big order from The Fabric Fairy in July and included a cut of fleece-backed Polartec PowerStretch and sewed it up this past weekend.

These are the Super G Tights again (this is pair #10, if you count a couple test pairs?) and I decided to go for a TNT (tried and true) pattern even though I had my doubts about those layered pockets and the thickness of the fleece. To mitigate the layers I’d have to sew through, I lined the waistband and the pockets in some plain Lycra:

My serger did ok, though, and my Bernina didn’t even blink (god I love that machine). And these are so cozy with the fleece inside. I think I’ll need another layer over them when we get to deep winter but for now, they’re just right.

I’m turning 40 in a few months and I’ve been playing with the idea of celebrating with a trip to Hawaii. We haven’t made any reservations yet but I’ve already started thinking about vacation sewing, so….I guess there’s a high likelihood of this trip happening.

Vacation sewing thoughts started when I saw this New Look pattern, which features his-and-hers Hawaiian shirts.

Clearly I needed to make one for Doc!

Since this was a new pattern I didn’t want to get too fancy with my fabric in case it didn’t fit. (It fits great! Follow the chest measurements and trust the ease in the pattern.)

Reader, I used quilting cotton for this–but LOOK at that print:

Cats dressed as geisha, with human hands, riding turtles and koi? OK! Doc picked this one out of a lineup of possibilities and what can I say? He has great taste in fabric.

I decided Doc needed a mid-weight layer to wear around the house, after it was too cold for a t-shirt but before it was cold enough for his giant fleece pullover. I’ll be honest–I decided this after I saw Stonemountain’s new bamboo-cotton fleece and matching ribbing. Nothing makes a sweatshirt pattern look more professional, so I ordered the fabric and then sewed it up Sunday.

That fleece is gorgeous–warm but not too heavy, super soft, and really plush inside. I’m tempted to order some for myself. His-n-hers loungewear is a thing, right?