In Negative: Two pairs of Tiger stripe cycling shorts

 

I have made two pairs of these velvet cycling shorts and have worn one pair all day. They are warm enough for autumn and so comfortable. 

The black on the inside pair are slightly longer. This is delibereate because I like the idea of two different lengths.

These are also a real bonus make!

I say bonus make because  when I nearly destroyed my Tiger stripe Lekala pants I was trying to cut them into leggings. It did not work and I ended up with horrible twisted off grain legs.

The pair with orange on the inside were so bad I just hacked them into shorts in desperation and never took a photo. The legs twisted right round at the bottom of the leg. The second pair shown above were better and were wearable but just not enough at a standard I now expect from myself. I tried to resew to stop the twisting and just ended up with serious wrinkling. 

I think had I made them 5 years ago I may well have stuck with them and actually worn them and been happy to just have made them, but I have come to expect myself to make things that can vie with RTW clothing. These were just second rate and looked home made and also very badly made.

 

I think the wrinkling is partly its down to using the heavy mesh for the waist yoke. As in they just fall down. I also thik I maybe did not sew in the full seam allowance meaning they ended up slightly bigger than they should be. When cycling this seems to matter less and the cycling shirts do not fall down wheras theleggings fell down all day to the extent I ended up changing half way through the day. - How good to be able to work from home! I would nver wear these to the office but I might have worn something that was uncomfortable and with working from home I can just change them for something else when they irritate me.

I saw something like this mesh waist yoke on a RTW pair of sports leggings and liked it so copied it. 

Well on this occasion my experiment failed!

I love the idea of velvet sportswear but I really do not know if its the mix of the two different velvet lycra fabrics which I cut opposite directions so the black has nap one way and the orange the other ( makes the orange darker and the black more shiny) or if I just did not line up the grain properly. I did use a ruler but the fact the next top which I am making from the same fabric seems to be fine ( I have yet to quite finish the hems and pull cords but more later ) suggests its something I have done and not the fabric's fault. Both fabrics are from Minerva. The pattern is McCalls 7446. 

I have used velvet for leggings before made with this pattern but I used scuba on the sides. I have worn those leggings so much they are now old and pilly so maybe I should just do the same again and use scuba panels for these and try again?

Anyway here are my cycling shorts

 Oh the summer top is Rebecca Page's basic cami pattern. I made it a while ago and its a really nice pattern.

The black top is made from scuba and is new. I just made it a couple of weeks ago.

Well they are still abit wrinkly on the arse but I think better to wear tham than chuck them. Its been a learnig curve so to say though still not exactly sure what I have learned but that these did not work. Or not very well.

My experiments with stretch lycra velvet will be continuing because I bought loads of different colours of it in the summer online sales so we will see if its just this pattern is suspect or is it just me?

Have a great weekend and see you next week

 Bracken