Do you even lift, bro?

My husband Luke has always been really good about working out on a regular basis. Me, on the other hand... not so much. I enjoy taking yoga classes from Niccola Nelson (and if you live in the San Luis Obispo area I highly highly recommend her!!!!), but other than yoga there wasn't a workout class or routine that I was totally sold on.

My bestie Ariana's husband is a personal trainer, so my husband and I have been working out with him. Matt is super knowledgeable, doesn't use "traditional" gym equipment, and mixes up our workouts so we aren't doing the same things every time we see him. His workouts are intense and I leave feeling exhausted, knowing that I gave it my all. I feel stronger, my anxiety chills out for a while as I focus on what I'm doing, and it's fun working out with my friends. At least, as fun as a workout can be haha

The point to all this rambling is to say that since I'm working out more I'm going to try and make some workout wear, starting with the Seamwork Shelly leggings. I've made leggings before, but never with a gusset and not without an elastic waistband. Wait, I take that back, I've made two pairs without an elastic waist and they wouldn't stay up during yoga and got banished to the pj drawer. So, I was curious to see how a different construction and a new pattern would hold up.


This fabric is a nylon spandex from Michael Levine. On their website it's listed under swimwear prints, but in the description it says, "perfect for creating designer swimwear and activewear separates." It might be great for laying out by the pool and drinking Mai Tais, but it's not ideal for yoga or anything super physical. There isn't four way stretch (which always makes fabric more comfortable in my opinion) and I don't like that. When I wore these on Saturday for my sewing day with my buddies I felt sweaty when I was sitting down and can't imagine what it would feel like after a one hour workout. Definitely going to wear them casually and not when I'm swinging a kettle bell around.

Can I just say that I am really pleased with how the fit turned out? I am in LOVE with this pattern. My husband and I both agree that these are the best fitting leggings I have sewn and the best part is that I didn't make a single adjustment to them. For my next pair I will have to make a little more room for my butt (I have a big butt) because the waistband dips slightly lower in the back. But even without that change I am super stoked on Shelly. Way stoked. Like, "I'm going to cut into the nice fabric I bought from Blackbird Fabrics" stoked.


The gusset was not hard at all to sew in, but the construction was different from the other leggings I have made, so I tried not to overthink things and trusted the instructions. The gusset ended up being longer than I originally realized, it reaches my knees. This fabric is super busy and it's hard to see unless you are looking for it, but just an FYI to you guys reading this in case you care. Oh, and another FYI, I'm considered petite and normally have to shorten patterns or omit cuffs to make garments fit better. The hem on these leggings are 5/8 inch as opposed to the 1 inch hem suggested in the directions. If you are on the taller side you may need to add some length.

Now I need to work on some tank tops for the gym. Do any of you have a favorite pattern that I should try out?