Tag Archives: Virginia leggings

What I sewed in March – What I want to sew in April

print fabrics
Wearing my print fabrics for MIYMarch17

Although March is a long month I didn’t achieve a lot of sewing. There were a huge workload and family to take care of. On top of that, my sewing room was such a mess that I felt no desire to smuggle in some sewing minutes.
Luckily there is the Project SewMyStyle so at least I sew one item a month. But I succeeded to sew some more. Read all about below:

March sewing
The nanöo top

sewing realizationIf you follow my blog then you know that every week I select patterns that are special for me: “the eye-catchers“.  The nanöo top was one of them. This pattern gives striped fabric a nice cachet. I wore it several times and get compliments about it. Probably there will follow more.

Watson bikini’s

sewing realization

I was desperate in need for new undies and nothing better than using your leftovers to sew some. This time I used the Watson bikini pattern because I have it for more than two years now. Also, the pattern kept popping up lately. It is a quick sew—especially when you use your overlocker. But I like the fit of the Ladies Basic Briefs Bottoms from Jocole more. That is the pattern I used for my previous self-sewed undies.

The Virginia leggings

sewing realization

The third project of SewMyStyle was the Virginia leggings from Megan Nielsen. Leggings are way out of my comfort zone but I accepted the challenge. I am glad I did because these are so comfortable and I love to wear them combined with a dress or a skirt.
sewing realization

Straight skirt

I finalized the muslin of my self-drafted pattern for a straight skirt. This is the project I’m working on in the pattern drafting class I am following

WIP’s

Did I finish any WIP’s this month? No! Did I create new WIP’s? No! So the score remains 6 WIP’s.

April Planning

What are my sewing plans for this month?

  • First, I would like to sew a Moneta dress for my daughter. (repeat from my March planning)
  • Second, I am going to test a pattern for Snitchenatterns. (sshht, big secret)
  • Third, the April project of SewMyStyleThe Bridgetown Backless Dress from SewHouse7
  • Fourth, I would like to start on the V9015 jumpsuit. This pattern has been an eye-catcher twice now.
  • And last—this is a keeper—I really would like to finish at least one of my WIP’s.

What are your sewing plans for April?

 

The Virginia leggings from Megan Nielsen – SewMyStyle#3

The third piece of the Project Sew MyStyle are the Virginia leggings from Megan Nielsen. Although wearing leggings is way out of my comfort zone I accepted the challenge. Now, I am glad I did because they feel so comfortable and the fit is on the spot.

 

Is this a quick sew?

The goal of the SewMyStyle project is to sew together one garment every month and post your sewing on the last Sunday of that month. Strange enough I was still expecting there to be another Sunday in March. So I thought I had all the time left and was planning on sewing my leggings next week. It was the post of Alex on Instagram that warned me that in fact, I had to sew it this Sunday. Luckily I had my fabric and I could finish it in exactly two hours—from printing the pattern till putting it on.

The Virginia leggings pattern

This is the first pattern from Megan Nielsen that I sewed and it was a very pleasing experience. The 17-pages PDF-pattern has clear marks for the gluing. There are only two patterns pieces: the legging and the waistband.
Based on my measures I cut out a straight XL and I did not lengthen the legs, although I am 181 cm. I checked it with my Hudson pants and saw they were long enough. I love the scrunched look at the ankles.
I opted for the natural waist version and raised the waist with another 10 cm. In hindsight, 8 cm would be enough but they are sitting comfortable.

The Sewing Process

The Virginia leggings come together easily. The instructions are clear and you only have to sew three seams and the waistband. I sewed all the seams on my serger and used my beloved fagot stitch on my sewing machine for the hems.
I believe an important condition for the success of this project is the fabric choice. It is absolutely necessary to use fabric with at least a 40% stretch. This cotton-viscose jersey with a good stretch was a lucky find at my local fabric shop. It was the only colour they had.

Conclusion

Virginia leggings Megan NielsenI would have never thought it but I ‘heart’ these leggings. They are comfortable and feel like a second skin. I even wore them to school today. On top of that, without the SewMyStyle project,  I wouldn’t have sewed them. So again a big win.
Will I sew more Virginia leggings? I guess so. Definitely for my daughter because she loves them too.

Virginia leggings
That’s how I look after a day of teaching.