Linden and Ooh La Leggings (beach edition)
My neck is red from wearing my camera strap :P
The top pattern is one that you've most likely seen online already, the Grainline Linden sweatshirt. I purchased the sweatshirt fabric and ribbing from Michael Levine in Los Angeles during my last visit. I had phenomenal customer service from Guadalupe, (can I get a "hell yeah" for great customer service?) so if anyone from Michael Levine is reading this please let her know that she is awesome :) The fabric isn't as thick as it appears and is a soft, comfy, lightweight sweater knit, which I like. Honestly, I can probably get away with wearing it as a shirt and it will get more use that way too. The ribbing isn't an exact match color wise, but I'm ok with that. I wish that I had taken a cue from Heather and made the ribbing around the neck a little bit bigger because my bra strap is definitely hanging out. Oops! It also doesn't help that my sweater/shirt is crooked in every single picture. Oops again. Luckily, it's an easy pattern to sew and I'll probably be making another one soon with less bra showing.
The leggings are the Papercut Patterns Ooh La Leggings sewn in this black nylon lycra from Funki Fabrics. Not that you asked, but whenever I see "Ooh La Leggings" I read "Ooh La La Leggings" for some reason. I purchased the fabric with this pattern in mind to make a test garment before cutting into the fancier watercolor lace I was given from Funki Fabrics. I'm really glad I made a test garment first because there were a few changes that needed to be made, especially in the crotch area. The pattern was sewn initially without any alterations, but I ended up taking in the crotch a bit because it had a weird bubble in front. I kept making tiny adjustments, trying the leggings on, and then asking my husband if the crotch looked better. It was probably the weirdest question I have ever asked him. The leggings are wearable, but not perfect by any means.
And just because I feel like it, here are a couple of photos of my evening at the beach. My husband, Frankie (our pup), and I took pictures and walked around at sunset. We haven't been on many night walks because it has been too dark after work, so I am ready for the upcoming time change!
I love where I live!
Before cutting into the watercolor lace I made the following adjustments to the paper pattern: shortened the legs by 2 inches, shortened the waist by one inch, took in the front crotch by 1/4 inch, and shortened the center front curve by 1/4 inch. I don't know if these adjustments were technically "right," but they improved the fit and that's good enough for me! When I tried them on I was proud that the changes made the leggings fit much better, so I immediately went into the other room and said, "Luke, look at the crotch.... Luke, look at the crotch." This went on for a minute before I realized that he was sleeping... I totally would have sounded like a crazy person if anyone had heard me haha
Both pairs are really comfortable and now that I had worn them in a semi athletic setting (well if you count power walking on the beach as athletic haha) I feel confident reporting back on how they feel as workout wear. Saturday morning my friend and I walked 4+ miles on the beach in a lot of soft sand and through some dunes/hills. It was pretty warm (in the seventies) and we were both sweating. My legs were dry (the polyester in the leggings helps with that), but since I was wearing a cotton shirt my upper half was sweaty. The best part about the leggings was the fact that I wasn't fidgeting in them or pulling them up, in fact I kind of forgot about them because they felt like a second skin! This is due to the four way stretch in the fabric that moves with your body. Some of the others I have made in the past have not been with four way stretch and now that I have a few nice pairs there is no turning back. My old leggings are going to be banished from the yoga studio and from my walking/running routine. Laters, bad leggings.
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