The Athleisure Reveal

So the question is.....

 

 

I had so much fun delving into the world of athleisure. Who knew sweats could actually be, dare I say, stylish. These clothes make me feel like I'm strutting down the runway at Armani!

 

 

Of course I'm really just in my backyard in Maine, and it's something like 18 degrees F.

 

I realize this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but for me it's been a success. The comfort and warmth factors alone have won me over. Plus, I feel I've successfully taken something trendy and made it "age appropriate". Like all trends, Athleisure will fade, but these pieces are basic enough to have some "staying power" in my wardrobe. That's always a win.

 

Kudos also to Gorgeous Fabrics. These fabrics were perfection, a joy to work with. I can't recommend them highly enough.

 

 

The pants are Thread Theory's Jedediah pattern. I made them 1.5 inches longer than usual so I can easily tuck them into a pair of boots (and they'll stay there!). It's also just a different look for me.

 

Not much interesting going on back here. I've worn the pants around the house for a few days, and have to tell you that they eventually bag out at the knees and the butt with wear. I washed and dried them before the photo shoot, and they thankfully snapped back into shape. Next time (I have fabric for another pair) I'll forget the welt pocket and sew them with the back yoke and patch pockets as designed. I'm thinking this might help them retain their shape better in the rear. I also might try going just a tad slimmer.

Then again, my daughter has suggested a hoodie vest, which could be interesting and something very new for me. Decisions, decisions...

 

 

I was Soooo short on material for the jacket, I'd only ordered 2 yards, that there wasn't enough left for the pockets as designed. I had to cobble them together with the scraps that were left over. A band of lengthwise material was added at the top of each pocket. In the end it turned out to be one of those fortunate blunders, because it made for a much more interesting jacket.

 

 

 

 

This project also opened my eyes to the versatility of adding gray to my existing wardrobe. Hey, I have the hair to match, right??? I'm also seriously considering black, a color I was told years ago to avoid. Maybe I've grown up enough to pull it off! I'll never be the all black kind of person, I love color too much. But a little bit might be a good thing.

 

So ends another project. (On a successful note!)

 

As always, I appreciate all the support and inspiration I receive from the sewing community. It's overwhelming.

 

Arrivederci from the coast of Maine, where I can honestly say that ..... "I'm living......

 

 

 

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Athleisure Progress

As I mentioned in the previous post, I'll be using the fleecy backed knit for my first foray into athleisure. It looks like it would be the most forgiving. (The loopy backed fabric has me completely freaked out!) I'll also be using the Jedediah pattern from Thread Theory. It's a moderately slim pant, and I've made it multiple times. Since I have pretty limited experience sewing with knits, I experimented a bit just to see what's possible (and also what's probably not).

 

 

The Armani pants I tried on had a single welt pocket in the back, and it looks like that's entirely possible. I've pulled out my serger, which only does an overcast stitch, and it had no problem going through the material. One thing that's clearly obvious is that I'll be doing lots of trimming, and I'll need to be thinking of strategies to reduce bulk wherever I can. Oh.... And making a buttonhole was a complete disaster.

 

 

I've decided to make the pockets with bemberg rayon. It's super slippery and can be a challenge to work with, but it adds almost no bulk. Here I've stabilized the edge of the slant pockets with a strip of Snug Hug seam binding. This should prevent the pocket openings from stretching out. It also adds almost no bulk.

 

Not everything goes smoothly. Case in point, this dreadful zipper shield. Oy!

 

 

Ah, much better after applying a lightweight fusible to the bemberg. Another helpful tip from Roberto Cabrera is to always sew with the slippery fabric on the bottom. It really does help.

 

The completed front / fly from the inside. The bias binding was a gift from one of my readers and it was perfect for this project.

 

 

And here is the front view. No fake Bottega Veneta fly!

 

The waistband is interfaced with Light Crisp sew-in interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply.

 

 

It's a lot of basting, and probably my least favorite step in making a pair of trousers. I should be wrapping these up soon. Next I'll be launching into a jacket to go with them, so no reveal for awhile.

 

Lastly, have you been checking out the menswear shows in London? Fall 2016. Holy Athleisure, Batman!!!! It's everywhere.

 

 

I'll be adding my own take on the trend soon!

In the meantime, here's a little compilation of boat progress.

 

Cheers! And happy sewing.

 

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"Athleisure" -- it's a thing, kids.

I'll admit it, I stumbled onto this fashion trend totally by accident. It all started when a young MD that I work with, showed up wearing a great looking pair of gray knit pants. They looked amazing (anything would look good on him). I felt uncomfortable asking him about them. Maybe I'm alone in this, but there's something a little creepy about letting a coworker know that you're checking out his pants. So I ran home and Googled "mens knit pants". BOOM...the entire world of athleisure opened up for me!

Trendy men can now move effortlessly from their health club to their hip jobs without skipping a beat. Or, with the right pair of sweats, one can create the illusion of fitness and skip the gym all together! But be warned, these are not your father's sweatpants. We've entered an era where a pair of sweats can cost hundreds of dollars.

Don't believe me? Follow the link for sweatpant sticker shock on this pair of very ordinary looking cotton pants. We're living in crazy times.

Here are some examples that are showing up on the runways for Spring. This group is from Greg Lauren, nephew of Ralph. The influence is pretty clear IMO.

Bottega Veneta with a fake fly front. Seriously??? I'm sorry, that's so cheesy. (No comment on the socks and sandals).

I'm not sure what to make of this, but I couldn't help but share it.

The Italians are clearly the kings of the look. This group is Emporio Armani. I'm loving it, especially the brown ensemble on the right.

Somehow this look reminds me of vintage skiwear from the 50's and early 60's. (Can stirrup pants be far behind?).

Canali. Yes, please! But getting back to reality......

I had the chance to try on a pair of these fancy sweats at an Armani A/X outlet store a few weeks ago. They had a zipper fly, a waistband that buttoned and one welt pocket in the back. The fabric was a creamy gray knit with a super loopy reverse. Very nice. The original price was $189 and they were marked down to around $80 I think.

They were a bit slimmer than Thread Theory's Jedediah Pant, but otherwise very similar. Suddenly I'm saying, "I can do this". If I fail, I can always wear them to snowblow the driveway! Now to find the right fabric.

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A flannel shirt to close out the year.

I'm pretty much set for the staff Christmas party / potluck next week. Skip the velvet blazer, bring on the flannel!

 

I bought the fabric this summer at Peter's MPB day. It's from Metro Textiles and was so inexpensive it's almost embarrassing. It's much beefier than any of the flannel offered at the "LL" store a few miles from here. The pants are a hack of Thread Theory's Jedediah Pants.

 

I always like a left chest pocket on my shirts but I'm not crazy about plaid patch pockets cut on the bias. Throw in the patchwork and I envisioned an even bigger mess. My solution was to make a welt pocket with a flap.

 

 

The welt is made with some solid red flannel I picked up at my local JoAnn's. I also used it for the inside collar stand, inside yoke and inside of the cuffs to help reduce bulk. All those patchwork seams can make for a very lumpy shirt.

 

The pocket bags are black flannel from my stash. I use the instructions from Roberto Cabrera's mens tailoring book. It's actually a double piping pocket for the back of a pair of trousers with just a slight twist. It's surprisingly easy to make, and results in a neat French seamed pocket. I've never posted a tutorial, but if there's any interest in how to sew this type of pocket, I could be talked into it.

 

 

 

As always, I'm greatful for all the friendship and support I've received through the sewing community. See you in 2016!

 

Peace.

 

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It's Fall, Let's get Sewing!

Another summer has come and gone, and with the arrival of Fall it's time to get sewing again. I'd taken a break from sewing to work on some household projects this summer, and I confess that they're all pretty much half assed done. The banister got put up, but still needs painting. And the drywall repairs.....well, let's just say that it's not my specialty. It makes such a mess that I talked myself out of doing it repeatedly. It was much easier to cheat on my "summer projects" and sew some Jeds instead!

 

 

 

I made two pair of shorts, which were badly needed. I'd made some pretty crazy clothes in the spring. Fun... Yes... but I was in sore need of some basics.

Both shorts are hacks of Thread Theory's Jedediah pants. There's a tutorial on their blog showing how to remove the back yoke and add welt pockets. This has become my preferred way of making them, not that the original pattern is bad. It's just nice to have a choice. One pair is made up in an olive green linen with fun colorful batik pockets and bias trim. The other is a textured cotton khaki with madras plaid accents on the rear welt pockets. I had fun wearing these with my Watanabe inspired fishing vest, even if I was accused of looking like an extra from Troup Beverly Hills!

 

 

 

I had lots of the khaki cotton left over so I banged out a pair of pants. Again, basics that I really needed. This time I skipped the madras!

 

 

 

 

I added an extra welt pocket on top of the left side pocket for my cell phone. It's basically a rear welt pocket just turned on its side. It was fun to do, practical, and I like the asymmetry it creates.

 

The real work of the summer, however, was wrestling a 600 lb. lead keel under the boat. I won't go into all the gory details. I'm just glad that it's finally fit and rolled under the hull one last time, waiting to be bolted on. Hopefully that can happen within the next couple of weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

But back to sewing! What's on tap for Fall?

 

 

 

Splash on a ton of Z-14, and dig out those BeeGee's LPs. It's HALSTON, baby!

 

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Finally! The completed "Missoni" jacket

Wow, this has taken forever! Not the making...waiting for a chance to get outside and snap some pictures of the finished product.

Finally, it stopped raining, I wasn't working and the sun came out. I grabbed my tripod and took advantage of our unseasonably warm, almost spring-like weather. So here it is....

 

This may not be every man's cup of tea, but I'm totally loving it.

 

 

It "works" both buttoned and unbuttoned. I'm very glad that I increased the width of the front facings. Nothing "falls out".

 

 

Like the Missoni model, it has rounded patch pockets and soft shoulders. I like to think of it as a jazzed up cardigan sweater.

 

 

The texture of the knit really shows in this back view. (Please excuse the wrinkle... my stylist had the day off)

What I feared was going to be a very difficult fabric to sew, turned out to be incredibly easy to work with.

I have this fabric in a green color-way, and will no doubt be making another one of these "Phoney Missoni" sweater / blazers in the future. I love it that much.

 

 

I've already worn this several times, and always to rave reviews. It looks great with jeans and also with my velvet Jeds as shown here. All in all, a very satisfying project, and a garment that I can dress up or down depending on the occasion.

 

Just to recap since it's been so long....

Fabric -- "Chase Crush" from Vogue Fabrics. (I think no longer available)

Lining -- Bamboo terry knit, Eggplant from Vogue Fabrics

Pattern -- Simplicity 9293 (1979)

 

Wishing you all a Happy New Year filled with sewing adventures.

 

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