Sew simple leggings

I love wearing my black boots, tights/leggings and skirts. But it's hard to find non-black leggings that are not hideously expensive, so I was interested to try this "Sew Simple" pattern for leggings. (Also because it was only $2.95 - bargain!)

I had some stretch pink/reddish knit fabric from an op shop that I was going to use for a long sleeve top, but decided to try the leggings pattern out on. So here they are (not with black boots, but with my next-favourite boots!)

True to its name the pattern was super simple. It only took about half an hour to make up. The waist is a little high and I'd lower it next time, plus I used too long a length of elastic, so I have to fold it over about 4 times to keep them up! But even so they are eminently wearable. Even though I have absolutely nothing in my wardrobe that goes with them, other than this dress (from Yass Vinnies, spotted by Kahli, thank you!). 

The same pattern website also has some good-looking free patterns. I downloaded the wrap dress. I think it could look very nice and it might be my next knit fabric project...

Two offcuts = a Renfrew top

Been a while between blog posts - kind of reflects the time between completed sewing projects. Have a few things in the pipeline, patterns cut out and the like, but haven't got to the point of actually finishing anything! Maybe it's a winter thing - I have been avoiding the cold of the sewing room lately in the evenings.

Here's one thing I did manage. I bought the Renfrew pattern from Sewaholic patterns a while ago - has been very popular on other sewing blogs for quite a while. If you google Renfrew top images you'll see about a million of them. 

I had found these two lengths of knit fabric in recent op-shop visits to the usual Yass and Goulburn haunts. The first is kind of beigey with blue graffiti-looking graphics on it. Almost 80s but not completely.

The second is just a plain blue knit with greyish overtones. Really nice and soft. Both pieces were about 1.5m long and I think only about $1 each.

The pattern comes in round neck, cowl neck and v neck options, and short, 3/4 or long sleeves. Pretty simple pattern and very easy to make up. Here's the front view: it's a bit overexposed so the colours are not quite right. It turned out mostly ok, though I think I could live without the hip/waist band. It looked good on the pattern envelope, of course, but I don't think it's terribly flattering on me!

I didn't test it as I was going along, and it was pretty obvious from the following pics that that I didn't check the sleeve length: it wrinkles up a lot when the cuff is at the right place.

Then when I pull it all the way down  it's about two inches at least too long. 

Overall I'm calling it a pyjama top - the colour combo makes it look like one. Here's the back view, in which you can see that either my posture sucks, or I am displaying a bit of inherited scoliosis....! 

I seriously thought I was standing dead straight. 

The hip band looks fine from the back but really not happy with it at the front. I would like to try the pattern again but I'll shorten the sleeves and maybe either leave the hip band off, or use the same colour as the body. I perhaps took the colour blocking theory a little far this time!