Jalie 3461 Eleonore Pull-on Jeans

This Jalie pull on jeans pattern has proved really popular and I was curious to try it having only ever made Jalie tops before.  I used a medium weight stretch cotton sateen that I really thought was dark olive in the store when I bought it, but is clearly chocolate brown.

I used the size that corresponded to my hip measurement and the fit was pretty good except for some gaping at the centre back, before attaching the waistband.  I just took a wedge out of the back yoke centre seam.  I also took the waistband in at the side seams.  I made these adjustments completely independently of each other by fitting as I went so I'm not quite sure how I still managed to get the waistband to line up with the body of the pants - the wonders of stretch fabric I suppose!

The instructions, as always for Jalie are excellent and these jeans are very easy to put together.  The leg seams are sewn after the crotch seam which makes it easy to tweak the fit of the legs.  The only part that needs a bit of care is attaching the very curved front yokes to the front pieces to give the false front pocket effect.  I had to unpick one of mine as I messed it up the first time.  You could also just extend the front pieces when cutting and eliminate the front yokes altogether, but if you follow the directions to clip the curve and go slow you should be fine.

I really liked the waistband treatment on these, I haven't come across it before.  The elastic is zig zagged onto the inside of the waistband without stretching it and then the waistband is assembled and attached to the pants.  Obviously this method only works with stretchy fabrics.  I've seen a few people comment that they did stretch the elastic at the back and I might try that next time given the alteration I had to make to the fit at the waist.

This is the inside back waistband, the zig zag stitching securing the elastic in place is only visible on the inside.

Overall I really like how these turned out, they are quite quick and easy to make, very comfortable and I can definitely see more of these in my wardrobe including the cropped ones for summer.  Actually I must confess I cut a pair in navy soon after finishing these, but when I went to sew them I have somehow lost the back legs!  I really need to have a good clearout of my sewing room, they've got to be in there somewhere!

Jalie 3245

I knew it wouldn't be long before I tried out the sleeved version of this pattern as a casual top instead of workout gear.

This is view A in a very soft printed cotton jersey from the stash.  High fashion this is not, but it is an immensely practical and comfy wardrobe item (that makes me sound very old I know!).

Cutting out my sort of uneven striped fabric and focussing on pattern matching I stupidly cut two fronts by mistake and then didn't have enough to match the sleeves, it's not what I originally planned but it's OK.

Again I made a straight size V, but I raised the neckline at the centre front by about an inch tapering to nothing at the shoulders.  I also did a different, and to me, more conventional binding treatment on the neckline than the sporty look per the pattern instructions.  I simply finished one long edge of the binding on my serger and stitched it right sides together to the neckline.  Then I folded it to the inside and stitched it down with a twin needle - very easy to do and it lies nice and flat.

I'll say again this is a great pattern and it's also reminded me that I have a few more Jalie top patterns in my stash which will probably work for both casual and workout wear too.

Workout Gear - Jalie 3245 & more Fehr Trade VNA and Duathlons

I'm pretty much wearing all handmade activewear these days and have made quite a few pieces in the last few months.  I still need more so I will just do a roundup every now and then.  I have to say making  workout gear is actually so much easier and cheaper than buying it (at least here in Hong Kong), not always the case when you make your own clothes.  That isn't necessarily my motivation, but it is a nice bonus!

I've made a few pairs of Fehr Trade Duathlon capris, some with minor variations on the pattern.  Also a few more VNA tops, all lengthened by around 2 inches following the instructions in the pattern to a length I prefer on me.  I've started making them as sets, I don't always wear them this way, but it does make packing the gym bag much easier if I do.  Here are a couple of example sets:

Black & Lilac Set
The VNA top is black with a tiny print of lilac stars and I used plain lilac for the neck and arm bindings.

I modified the duathlon capris to 3/4 length (somewhere between capri and legging length) and redrew the contrast strip and lower legs so that the contrast wraps around.  The lilac contrast is a lighter weight than the main legging fabric so before finishing the waistband and hem I overlaid a piece of powermesh on the inside which is held in place by zig zag topstitching on the outside.

Coral & Mesh Set
This was a fun print to use on the VNA top mixed with a plain black lower bodice.  The duathlon leggings, again 3/4 length, have a piece of powermesh inserted on the lower contrast band.  I moved the contrast band seam down so that the transparent mesh part is only below the knee.

Finally, inspired by Two On Two Off's million versions of Jalie 3245, I purchased the PDF pattern and made View C, the sleeveless tank in a very bright coral fabric.  I made size V based on my measurements which fell somewhere between a U & V and am really happy with this first version.

I will be making the sleeved versions for everyday wear too, although I will probably raise the neckline a little.  The instructions are great and it is very easy to put together.  The binding treatment is interesting, it is wrapped to the outside of the top, turned under and zig zagged in place.  Even with my slightly wobbly topstitching it makes for a nice finish.  The only thing I did differently was to shorten the hem allowance from 2cm to 1cm - the hem is quite curved and I found it difficult to turn in that much without getting pleats.  It looks really wobbly in the dressform photos above, but that's just the way it is draping, it came out alright in real life!

I'm wearing it here with a plain pair of navy leggings that I also made from the Duathlon pattern, but I eliminated the side contrast band and just added the width back to the side seams.  I know there are many plain leggings patterns out there that I could have used instead, but I know that these fit me so it was easier to just modify my existing pattern.