Pattern: Papercut ooh la leggings

I was inspired to make these leggings by Karen’s Sporty Summer Sewathon, and also in an attempt to get me back on track with my own exercise routine.  This past year, my active-ness has ranged from triumph – running my first half-marathon (Yay!) to disappointment – having to drop out of my second half-marathon due to injury (Boo!).  But I’m ready to put all that behind me and get back to work!  Oh look a button!

I immediately liked the Papercut  pattern, because the seams are actually quite flattering and more interesting than your normal boring leggings pattern.  In order to make these leggings into a pair of practical running pants, I knew I had to add a back pocket.  Often for races, I need a spot to hold a car key, license, and maybe even some cash.  Instead of constructing an actual pouch, I thought it might be easier to just double up the waist area and create a pouch that way, similar to another pair of running pants I already had.

I cut two panels of each and serged the front and back of each separately.  I then stitched the waist pieces together, seams on the inside, and used it as one piece when attaching the legs.  I used a serger on all the seams, because, you know…knit.  I decided to use an invisible zipper for the back pocket, in order to keep that clean, legging-like look.  I cut a slit on the back panel, sewed in my invisible zipper (cut to fit), and sewed a seam Continue reading “No Sweat! Workout Pants” →