The knee-length yoga leggings that I made last July are one of the most-worn item that I’ve ever made. But since the weather got cold, I have gone back to wearing my old store-bought leggings. I suppose it is time to make another leggings!
I have been learning more about sewing workout wear through Sew and Draft Your Own Personal 7 Piece Workout Wear Collection course that was sent to me by Burdastyle. In one of the lessons, Meg Healy (the instructor) teaches how to develop the basic leggings sloper pattern into a pair of leggings with crotch gusset.
The gusset is drafted in a very simple manner, basically it is consisted of two pairs of pieces from the front and back crotch pattern. For my next pair, I want to draft the gusset in one piece instead of four pieces like this one. On the inside, the gusset has a piece of jersey lining to make it more comfortable.
The waistband is drafted wide with folded edge on top. There is no additional elastic in the waist band so it is very comfortable. I like wide waistband like this that reaches to my belly button. The crotch and waistband seams are topstitched with decorative stitches that look like flatlock. I read about this technique on Tasia’s post in Sewaholic blog.
Speaking of Tasia from Sewaholic, I bought her Dunbar top pattern to make a sports bra! I use the same black spandex fabric as my leggings, carrot red spandex for the contrast, and store-bought foldover elastic.
“The Dunbar Top or Sports Bra is fully lined, with a powernet shelf bra that includes pockets for optional padding or removeable bra cups. Racerback styling and contrast seaming gives it a cool modern look. Choose high-impact contrast like black and white, or opt for tone-on-tone fabrics for a subtler look. Edges are bound with fabric binding strips. View A is a mid-hip length tank top with a shelf bra lining. View B is a sports bra with elastic along the lower edge.”
My lining is powernet in orange-red color that is actually quite thin, so I added another layer of stronger black powernet between the layers. The bra cups have openings on the side for removable bra cups.
I really suggest to make a muslin if you are interested in making this bra. The bra is quite short from top to bottom. I cut size 2 and had to add 2 cm on the bottom end of each piece. The recommended elastic length for the underband is way too long for me. I measure my elastic by putting it around myself snugly and cut the desired length. When attaching the binding, I made sure to stretch the elastic binding slightly so it will fit snugly when the bra is being worn.
I usually wear encapsulation sports bra with separate cups and underwire like this Panache sports bra and not the compression type like the Dunbar. The feeling is a bit different, it is much lighter. I like this one better! The bra is very comfortable, I think I want to use this pattern to make another bra in jersey fabric without the shelf bra just for lounging at home.
Unrelated to the sportswear, today is my 44th birthday! I’m not sure how I feel about being 44, sometimes I feel like I’m still not an adult yet.
Here is a pot of succulents that Sidra bought for me. He bought it at the market near our house, but on the way home the pot got turned over. He didn’t have the chance to fix it because he had to hide it rightaway when he got home. I think it is a very endearing story.
The cards are from my husband and Sidra. My husband wrote ‘Happy birthday Mama’ in Indonesian, and the little writing around it is something like ‘together forever’. Sidra drew me from a photo. He said that the mouth part is very difficult, so he just gave me a wide grin instead.
I feel very lucky to have these two sweet men in my life at this moment!
Sports bra pattern is Sewaholic Dunbar top (PDF), size 2.
Leggings pattern is developed from Burdastyle knit leggings sloper (PDF), size 38 printed at 92%.
Disclosure: The leggings sloper pattern is included in Sew and Draft Your Own Personal 7 Piece Workout Wear Collection course sent to me for free by Burdastyle.
Hi! I love your leggings and top! I am on a workout wear kick right now- I just made the Pacific Leggings and am working on the Dunbar top. I wanted to ask about the Burda class (since it looks like something I would really enjoy)–does she teach you how to to draft your own slopers, or do you have to buy the slopers separately from the class? TIA!
Thank you!
The Burda class already has the slopers included. If you don’t buy the class, you can buy the slopers separately.
Love both items – having a gusset in leggings like this makes them so much more wearable I find! And Many happy birthday returns to you – the succulents are gorgeous!
Happy birthday Novita, from Greece. I` m 44 years to, but certainly you look younger than me and you have a flat stomach! I love your style and your posts although i don` t know to sew. Be healthy and happy girl!
Happy, happy birthday! I love your sports bra… I really need to try this pattern!
Happy Birthday! You do NOT look 44 at all!!
aww thank you!
Happy happy birthday Novita! Here’s to another year of inspiring me and I’m sure others.
Thank you Maddie! Cheers to you
Your workout clothes look great! I love the color. combination. And happy birthday! Such sweet gifts from your family.
Thank you Lisa
I just turned 50, and I’m still wondering about adulthood! Happy Birthday! Thanks for showing me that you can actually make workout clothing. It’s been one of the areas that I’ve felt I was resigned to buying ready-made. Nice job!
Store-bought activewear is so expensive
We are lucky that we can make them by ourselves!
Thank you
Happy Birthday Novita! I hope you enjoy a lovely day! I did a little happy flip when I saw the bright red on your Dunbar Sports Bra. I love it. I too, have just completed Tasia’s Dunbar Top pattern. I made the full length one, and have yet to give the sports bra a go. I agree about adding length to the top and stretching the binding a little on the edges! I’m all about the sportswear/yoga wear right now. The Burda course looks very interesting.
Here is the link to my Dunbar Top: A Colourful Canvas: Yoga Pants and Dunbar Top I’m just working on another one and I’m pleased that I did add an extra bit of length in the lining.
Wow you have an awesome collection of yogawear! It is a clever idea to use the Ginger pattern for the yoga pants
Happy Birthday to you!
I am soon to be 51 and I do not really think of myself as 51… I remember once a very eldery woman told me that in her mind she was still very young, that she never really thought of herself as being a eldery woman. :O) She was such a inspiration a real go getter :O). I think this is a very healthy attitude. I do believe what we think in our minds affects how we are :O).
I really like the colors you used in your sports bra. I have material to make leggins. :O) when I figure out a way to get 48 hours in a day I will get to them and many other clothing pieces I have purchased a pattern and material to make! :O).
I sew for a living and have been very busy. I make corded shades, roman shades, balloon shades, london shades. etc. This time of year is always super busy. Actually my entire year has been that way. This is a good thing right :O)
Thank you! Then I guess I’m in the right path by not feeling like an adult 😀
I think it is great to always have things to keep you busy! It makes us feel alive, doesn’t it?
Happy Birthday!
I love the pop of orange colour you used, maybe add a pop to your leggings as well? ?
I have thought about it, but I want to wear the leggings with other top as well. So, better make it as basic as possible! Thank you!
Happy birthday! I’m just a hair older than you are, but I sometime feel like I’m pretending to be an adult, too! I wonder if that ever goes away? Maybe it’s a good thing that it has’t yet?!
Recently I had a chat with a friend who is 20 years older than me, and he feels that he’s not an adult yet! I guess it will never go away 😛
Great activewear set! I love Tasia’s sports bra and I’m thinking of making one at some point. I just made an activeweay set myself with the pneuma tank and the Jalie tights (on my blog). The interweb is filling up with self-made activewear, I love it!
I have Pneuma tank pattern as well. Might make it soon! It’s great that lots of people are working out and making their own activewear
Happy birthday! I’ve just had one too – I’m not feeling quite grown up either! Thanks for the info about the Burda classes. It’s really helpful. Very nice workout outfit too.
I guess we aren’t going to feel like a grownup ever! 😛
Happy birthday! And what a lovely birthday workout outfit – you look HOT.
Hahaha thanks Jenny! 😛
Happy Birthday! I love your cards:) Great sports wear set – I love the fabric combo on the bra top.
Thank you!
Happy birthday, dear Novita! Big warm hug from the cold Ireland! Our physical age is only in our passport, but our real age is in our heart! I hope you had a nice everything with you two wonderful men at your side.
I love your new sport wear ensemble: it looks comfortable and, given the adjustments, perfectly fitted. By the way, how do you find the BurdaStyle online classes, compared with, say, Craftsy?
Thank you Inna! It’s getting colder here too, and it is always such a bummer for a tropical creature like me 😛
This is the first Burdastyle online class that I joined, I don’t really know about the others. I feel that the materials is great, Meg is a great instructor with a lively personality. She shows every step very clearly.
However, my problem is with the platform. I got bored easily, so I always watch online video lesson in 1.5-2 x normal speed, the Burdastyle videos don’t have this feature. It means that I get bored and often skipped the videos (maybe my own fault for being so impatient!).
I can’t see how many people have joined this class, maybe there is not many because there is no one in the discussion section. I like to read discussion/forum, it is always very interesting with lots of knowledge.
You can only see the gallery for the course that you have joined. I think it is important that we are able to see what other people make from the courses. I don’t see any review section either.
And etc but mostly platform-related.
Having said that, I still want to try other courses because I think the content is quite good. In the past couple of weeks I have made two items from this course alone, while rarely made anything from the Craftsy courses I have been hoarding 😛