Summer of Basics 2018 Plan

June 15, 2018 by steelyseamstress 8 Comments

Last year I entered the Summer of Basics challenge. I entered it a bit late and I hadn’t really been planning to enter it at all. In the end I didn’t finish on time as I just couldn’t knit my last item, a hat, before the deadline.

I’ve noticed that this contest is running again this year (hurrah!) and this time I’ve properly planned to take part. More importantly I’m going to make my knitted item for the outfit before the sewn items as I know that I’m more able to sew in a hurry than knit.

After a little deliberation, I’ve decided that the “basics” I need in my wardrobe are activewear, specifically a go-to outfit for yoga. I have been wearing the same hoodie, t-shirt and yoga bottoms for ages (probably over a decade). I managed to update the t-shirt at the beginning of the year, but I require the other two items, plus I’d really like some yoga socks for the colder months.

Yoga bottoms:

First of all I considered making a pair of yoga bottoms similar to those I currently wear. They are wide-legged at the bottom, but figure hugging around the hips and thigh. Here were the patterns I considered: Becky Yoga pant from Style Arc, Yoga pants and shorts from Jalie and Assorted active wear from Jalie

However, I hit upon the Ruri Sweatpant pattern from Named Clothing. I was particular drawn to the snap fastening on the hem and the mock fly. I think this pattern will be quite versatile and I’ll be able to make some casual trousers from it too. In fact, I noticed that on the internet there are versions of this pattern in velvet and woven fabric (I think it’s cotton denim, but the blog’s in French!) I like the flexibility of this pattern, because, judging by my past behaviour, I will probably stick to just one yoga outfit and I like to get a bit more out of any pattern I buy.

Hooded jacket:

For this garment, I was looking for a hooded jacket that has kangaroo pockets, can be zipped up at the front and is loose fitting.  I liked the Augusta Hoodie from Named and I’ve seen a number which use sweatshirting in different colours. However, I decided that a zip closure would be better. The Brooklyn Hoodie from SBCC patterns looks like a good basic design, but didn’t scream “make me”.

Finally, I decided that I’d rather make my hooded jacket from one of the patterns I already have. I think this one in the January issue of Burda has all those elements that I wanted in the design, plus the design has more “interest” with a curved hem and interesting sided seams that wrap to the front of the hoodie. Sadly, I couldn’t find any examples on the web that anyone had sewn, which is a shame.

 

Yoga socks:

As mentioned earlier, my first make is going to be the yoga socks. I found a free pattern by Patons on Ravelry that suited my requirements. There is  a textured pattern on the body of the socks and some ribbing too. It even looks like I might be able to manage following this pattern. I’ve just cast on my first sock, let’s see how things go…..