Camo jogging trousers

 I loved my previous version of these trousers so much I had to make an almost identical copy.

Previous camo jogging pants 2017

The original version are all pilly and worn out now so its time before I completely use up this fabric to make some more. They are worn here with my Bixa top and my ancient (1984) proper biker jacket. This jacket is real leather and very heavy and I have lots of scuffs on it where I really did fall off a motorcycle when it was new. I decided recently that rather than wear faux leather which has recently decided to fall appart I should retrieve this from the attic where it has lived for many many years while I deal with my guilt over wearing an animal. I bought this new though and I cannot see how selling it changes that. I kept it of course to wear on my next bike but so far have not had a bike for years. Time to dig it out and wear it again. Amazingly it still fits me, though I admit to it being a bit tighter than I remember. What strikes me most is the 5 really BIG pockets -four at the front and one on the sleeve. No problem taking my phone around and no need for a handbag at all.

So the trousers:
They are Lekala sports trousers and were at the time I got the pattern included in the free patterns.

They are meant to have the bottom part doubled over like 90s style sportswear with side splits at the ankles. I did make one pair in red sweatshirt fabric like that but the picture is really not very good. It was the first overlocked stretch garment I ever made in fact and was really badly made.

They still lasted quite a while and eventually went to the charity shop when I had a clear out. I then moved into the camo version.

The current new version - so version 3 - are almost identical to version 2 except my overlocker decided to eat the wastband meaning the new pair or not as high waisted as the other two pairs were.

Thats a good thing. I knew they were high for me anyway. They still sit comfortably on my waist but the new pair do not actually fit under my armpits like the others (nearly) did. Its an accident though.





I believe what is wrong is my cutter on my overlocker is blunt so I have bought two new pairs of cutters for my 2 overlockers since I suspect the other one is going to soon be as blunt. They are from a Chinese seller on Ebay so hopefully they will arrive soon and be OK. They were less than half the price of one cutter from the UK for two sets pof both cutters from China.

This overlocker problem means I can only sew with one colour at a time right now. Normally, one is set up in white the other in black. Yes, luxury I suppose, but you have to understand the white has a tension problem since I got it all tangled up one day and bent the bits. My partner fixed it but it has never quite been the same since and is not worth fixing. It turned out cheaper to just buy a new one which is the one usually running on black thread. The white though does make a passable finish and I can for example use it for finishing woven edges rather than for stretch knits. Its not very good for anything stretch nowadays. Ok though to finish these off.

So now I have to sew in white for a few weeks I expect. Yes I can change colour, but I decided before I do that I will make as much of my current sewing pile as I can with the colour in it right now. Thats white background woven summer dresses and similar. Then once I get my replacement cutters I have to hope that is actually what is wrong with my machine and that its not yet another knackered overlocker. It will not though sew anything even wovens without blocking up at present.

Most of these trousers were therefore sewn with the black except for where I had to redo the waistband. The machine got it all chewed up and stuck inside it. The waistband was pretty knackerd. I cut it out of the machine because it was the only way to do it. It was all stuck in the teeth and through the foot. In the end I attempted to use the remaining part of the waistband but it came out really thin and hardly held the elastic let aone encasing it, so I added on to the top of the damaged waistband so doubling it by seaming along the top edge and folding in to make it the same width it was before the overlocker cut loads off when I untangled it from the machine. This has produced a kind of teabag effect.



I do not mind really despite my dislike of teabags because the trousers themselves are flares so not tapered at the ankles like teabags generally are, and the teabag effect at waist will be hidden by my tops most of the time.

I do not favour cropped tops due to my age. They just do not look right at 55 years old. Its got nothing to do with body shape either. It is age related. Anyone similar in age will probably understand. Though having said this I am wearing these with my recent Bixa top to show the waistband off for the photos and I don't think it actually looks too bad. Mind you I wore a vest under this to hide any flesh that might get exposed. The Bixa turned out very short for me.At least I have now identified something I can wear with that top.





I also added the extra strip of fabric to the hem of these the same as my version 2 pair since I have loved this and its so simple to do.

Anyway despite the very near ruining of these trousers they were rescued. I did think that was going to be that, and with no spare fabric it would have been scrappage if I could not find a way to fix these. That was upsetting because these are probably my favourite clothing item I ever made.

I need these trousers!

Its also made me very aware of a new problem. I have been tryng to reduce my fabric stash by as much as reasonably possible. Its my New Years resolution - along with using as many stashed patterns as possible. But there is a serious downside in that if you trash something and have no spare fabric you cannot just cut a new bit out and carry one.

Its going to take me some time to get my head round having to be careful. I do not very often trash anything and most sewing runs amazingly smoothly. But then I usually have the advantage that I have enough fabric to repeat any mistake buy just cuttinga  new waistband or trouser leg or whatever. This certainly helped at the start of my sewing adventure whe things did go wrong.

For example still in my stash is a version of this dress where I cut the fabric with the stretch downwards not accross it and it was unwearable.

I suppose once you take away my safety of having usually got loads more fabric of any given type then that makes the stress levels far higher and that also means I am more likely to make mistakes.

Well hopefully, with the experience I have now, I will also be better at fixing them.

Thanks for reading and hope alls well

Bracken