Wednesday, 2 April 2014

It must be spring, I can feel it in my legs

Have you ever tried to take a selfie of the back of your leggings, while wearing them?  Or am I the only one stupid enough to do that?




I actually quite like the contours of my bum in real life, and I can live with the shape of my thighs too. But ouch - that picture up there doesn't flatter (really, it doesn't! It's just so dumpy!), and I can't quite believe I've put it on the internet.

But anyway. Let's backtrack. I've been slowly sewing, making progress on an Archer shirt and muslining some jeans. Both of which are very exciting, and it's nice to have some challenging projects on the go. But this afternoon I needed a quick fix - and I needed to feel like I'm making even the tiniest dent in a rather ambitious summer sewing list.  Enter the floral leggings.




I bought this fabric during the Antwerp sewing meet-up in January - it just got in my face and screamed SPRING LEGGINGS!!!! at me. Who was I to argue? Spring leggings it has now become. The pattern is Cake's Espresso again - a hit the first time, so I presumed an easy hit the second time. Ha. Obviously, I failed to take into account that this fabric does not have 4-way stretch like the previous one and therefore behaves differently. I studiously implemented the pattern changes I'd noted since wearing my first pair - lowering the rise a little at the back, a little more at the front - and it resulted in a fine, wearable but not exactly perfect pair of leggings which are ever-so-slightly too short. The waist sits pretty much where it's supposed to, but it's not the perfect fit I know this pattern can give.

And to top it all off, despite all that floral splashiness, I just felt a bit meh about the whole thing.




And then I turned around and selfied the back of my legs and realised that the party colours were not where I wanted them but having a little party of their own, on my rear. And as I was futzing things around my waist, trying to get it all satisfactorily comfortable, a little voice of inspiration whispered: put them on backwards. They don't sit right anyway.

So I did. And they still don't sit quite right, but it's not worse than it was and no-one else need know. Don't tell, ok?




They sit plenty well enough for real-life wearing. The party is now in front where I can see it - and I'm ready to go out and match the blooming, blossoming, exuberantly-scented park on our after school playground runs. Of which there are currently many, because the weather is doing this:




Sorry, was I complaining before? I take it all back. Shortest winter ever.

When the unusually warm temperatures cool down, as they inevitably shall, I have actually finished my Archer and will be posting it here poste haste. It was rather unfortunate timing to make myself a long-sleeved flannel shirt just as the mercury hit 20°C on a regular basis, but aside from not being able to wear it much yet, or possibly even till next autumn, I LOVES it. In the meantime, I took pictures of my no-dart full bust adjustment, so next up'll be a tutorial on that. Slouchy fit for the busty ladies!!

What are you sewing now? Have you ever made something seasonally inspired - beyond the "spring/fall wardrobe" changes?  I love how these feel like those tulips came to life on my legs!