As I talked about before I’m forever working on perfecting a leggings sloper that I can use for all my activewear bottoms. My latest attempt is making a pair of running shorts that are short enough for summer but long enough to not ride up when running and getting sweaty.
RTW shorts never works for me as the thighband is either so tight that it cuts into my legs or the shorts just rides up. Plus the waistband never seems to sit well on me either. I like wide bands that are fitted but not tight. That’s why I’m obsessed with creating a master pattern myself. This my fourth attempt (spread out over several years) and apart from a little crotch issue, these are by far the best of the bunch.
Maybe it sounds a little cray cray that I’ve spent several years (on and off) just perfecting a pair of running shorts. But that’s one of the things I love about sewing and why this hobby fits my personality so well. It’s like our little experiment lab, where we can test new ideas and methods, discard the ones that doesn’t work, move on to new things and always improving.
As I’ve added a gusset to the mix I’ve run into some crotch issues. I’ve never done a gusset for trousers before and I tried to apply the same principles as I would do for sleeves, but there are some differences for sure. In these shorts the crotch ended up too tight with some wrinkles at the same time but not so that it bothers me while working out. Also after I did these shorts I had a gusset revelation (yes that’s a thing!) and made another pair applying those changes and now I’m happy to report that I have indeed a leggings pattern that fits me perfectly!
The shorts have lots of pockets of course! I also added a little pouch pocket inside that I can use for keys and cards. These shorts are a development of the flower print yoga hot pants I did a few weeks ago.
