Monday 27 January 2014

Essssspressssso leggingssssss



Not, it's not a typo - it's snake print espresso leggings! And you know why...




Yes, it's the return of Jungle January! That baby wrapped me in its coils till I was powerless to resist. Like this, where Kaa the snake = treacherously sale-priced jersey, and Mowgli = me:




You know what else lives in jungles? Fruit bats.




And how's that for a segue into HEY LOOK I made my batwing top too! (See what I did there?? BATwing?!)





The plush snake is called Bert. I won him on the Brussels funfair, 13 years ago.


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Pattern notes: leggings

  • Pattern: Cake Espresso
  • Size: mine! Innovatively custom-sized by measuring yourself and joining the dots. It's a lot of fun! (Disclaimer: if you're really into sewing and stuff. If you're reading, I suppose you are).
  • Fabric used: 1 metre of medium/light weight jersey from the Maison Doree sale (so many knit bargains there this month!)
  • Fabric notes: the espresso leggings are drafted for two-way stretch fabrics, and the pattern instructions mention that if you use four-way stretch fabric instead (like I did, because SNAKE PRINT), you might need to shorten the leg length due to the leggings stretching down lengthwise. I don't really mind wrinkly ankles on my leggings, but I did have to cut off my original waistband and shorten the rise all round by about 1" - the lengthwise stretch happens at the top of your leggings too, which led to crotch-area sagging. It's an easy fix, so you can definitely make first and change later if you're not sure how the fit will work out, but I thought I'd mention it.
  • Construction: insanely quick & easy. I used Fehr Trade's elastic waistband method (tutorial here) and it's GENIUS.
  • Conclusion: there are many more pairs of loud leggings in my future. 


Pattern notes: top
  • Pattern: Blair Batwing shirt from the first pattern collection by Named (this pattern seems to no longer be available now their next collection has come out - I'm very glad I snapped it up in time, as it's a winner!) Update: it's back online after a pattern revamp!
  • Size: the smaller of the two. I think EU 38-40? It doesn't exactly require accurate sizing, anyway.
  • Fabric used: 1.5 metres of what I believe gets called "wellness" fleece - the sort of plush stuff that bathrobes are made of.
  • Fabric notes: It sheds fluff like a bastard. And is a disaster to get through the overlocker, don't even try. I did it all on the regular machine.
  • Construction: as above, insanely quick & easy. Clear elastic in the shoulder seams, instead of whatever Framilon Band is (recommended in the pattern). I also added a +/- 20cm band to the bottom of the shirt, to bring it down to tunic length. As far as my own personal wearing is concerned, the one and only rule of leggings-as-trousers is: full crotch coverage at all times, please.
  • Conclusion: there are many more slouchy batwing tops in my future too. 

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What about you - are you an animal print wearer? Or would you, like me, need a little push from some jungle-theming sewcialists?

Either way, I fear there's no going back...

23 comments:

  1. Fabuloussssss sssssnakeskin leggingsssssss. And, I really like your batwing top too!

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  2. Thanks! They're a winning combination :-) Highly recommended, both of them!

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  3. ACk! Adorable!!!! That looks really great on you! And I want the top and the leggingssssssssss!

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  4. Wow. Love them. Must give the pattern a go, and thanks for the waistband link too #lifechanging! Must finish my last jungle January make ... Also leopard but more or a neon disco vibe (could be too garish even for me!)

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  5. This is so awesome!!! Snakes and bats - I love them both! You know, as clothing... You are totally rocking this look.

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  6. Super cute outfit! I'm diggin' those leggings, especially... I feel myself falling onto the Espresso bandwagon. :)

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  7. Awesomenessss!!!! Yep, bats and snakes - love your work!!

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  8. I love this outfit - the leggings look great in snakeskin! I'm not normally an animal print wearer, but I did make a snakeskin print dress for Jungle January and I agree that there is no going back!

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  9. Hehe thanks! I have to tell you, I'm on such a knits kick at the minute, I have you at the back of my mind every time I enter a fabric shop. Am I becoming the Gillian of Belgium??? :-)

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  10. Noo garish is good! I'm sure you can carry it off :-) The leggings pattern comes highly recommended - so easy!

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  11. Aw thank you Katie! Despite never having imagined myself in animal print anything, especially not on my legs, this outfit feels like the most 'me' of all my me-mades for a long time!

    But - I bow in awe of you and Myra as the TRUE queens of animal print :-)

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  12. They're good! Half the work is the measuring, once that's done you've got personal-fit leggings in no time at all!

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  13. I think it's just another of those great things about sewing your own - it's really cool to be able to "reclaim" certain prints and work them into clothes that work for you, instead of just being turned off by the animal print offers in shops. Animal prints for the win!

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  14. Meant to add - that waistband trick is a LOT easier if you lower the blade on your overlocker first. I tried it a while back and just sliced my elastic into big mess. Ended up throwing the whole thing in the bin!

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  15. Love them both! I had 2 crazy batwing jumpers (jerseys?) when I was a teen, now I want one again! Great leggings!

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  16. You look too cool in this outfit. Why haven't I done a jungle january thing ? Why?
    Those leggings look like an amazing fit. Well done!

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  17. Haha that's what I was thinking last January! I hunted the shops until the right fabric got me this year :-) And the leggings are genius, they really do fit that well and easily - once you've got the waistband where you like it, you're basically set for making all the pairs of leggings you might ever want. I'm going to be living in variations on this outfit all summer I think!

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  18. Yeah to recurring fashions! I think it's time you made yourself some more...: -)

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  19. ...and thank you, I meant to add!

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  20. I love both these pieces! I want an outfit just like this!

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  21. Love a good animal print. I've got a great pair of leopard print pumps that are claasic, also dresses and skirts.

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  22. Ahh they're supercool! Your batwing top too! I think I'm going to have to buy it when they re-release this pattern..

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