Jalie Clara Leggings & Adele Flutter Sleeve Tunic

Happy Father’s Day! I suppose it would be most appropriate to show the AMAZING things I made for my husband for Father’s Day, right? Well, wife of the year here folks. With the onset of stomach bugs this week, the plan to make *something* for my husband just didn’t materialize. My kids did, however, all make cards for him last night — right before bedtime! *phew*. (Growing up with my dad owning a hardware store, the whole concept of giving Father’s Day gifts just never really jived in our family, so I guess that’s carried over a little!).

So, instead of the Gerald or the Frederic (both of which would be fabulous for the boys or men in your life!), I’m bringing you the Clara and Adele!

Jalie Clara High Waisted Leggings

Jalie Clara 3887

Clara has to be the most ingenious leggings pattern I’ve ever seen! This pattern comes with a gusset (say no to camel toe!), no side seams, no center front seam, and just a back seam and inseam! It uses just two pattern pieces – one for the entire leggings, and another for the gusset.

Construction wise, the gusset makes it a little trickier to sew up than a regular pair of leggings. I think it would be easiest to install the gusset with a sewing machine rather than a serger… but of course, I’m *THAT* person and used my serger anyway. (It’s definitely trickiest with the smallest sizes so ideally take the time to use your sewing machine for those ones!). The gusset and center back seams are finished with a coverstitch (you can use a twin needle or zig zag).

Clara requires fabric with 60% 4-way stretch. This can be tricky to find if you’re looking beyond Cotton Lycra. Your best bet is performance fabric, but even there you need to test the stretch first. I ended up using Simply By Ti’s new Dritex. This product seems a lot like swim fabric but thicker, has UV protection, and is moisture wicking. That being said, the day I took these photos, it was humid outside and I was eager to get these off again! The Dritex is listed as 50% vertical stretch and 75% horizontal. When I tested it, I felt it was pretty close to 60% vertical, so I think it works well for the Clara’s.

Jalie Adele Flutter Sleeve Top & Tunic

Jalie Adele Top & Tunic

Next up we have the Jalie Adele Flutter Sleeve Tunic. I was immediately drawn to this one – I thought it would be perfect for adults and little girls (I have made one for my daughter – just need to get her to model it for me!).

Compared to the Jalie things I’ve made so far, this one took a little more time to make than I’m used to – though much of this could have been avoided by picking a more plain fabric, haha. I spent a lot of time working out exactly where to place each pattern piece for the right effect!

During construction, be sure to pay attention to when to baste and when to sew. Once I started work on my second one, I immediately forgot about that end ended up sewing where I should have basted… so taking out those stitches took way longer than it should have.

Also, make sure to clearly notch! The notches are very important for aligning the armholes, flutters, and waist tie. It would be best not to look too closely at mine ;-).

Two things I didn’t like about this pattern though, were the pockets and length. I picked the correct length for my torso, but to me it seems too short for a tunic length. I’d prefer something that goes below my butt (so, it’s doubtful I’ll wear this combo in public until I’ve got a matching mini Lisette for it!). As to the pockets, I find they billow out too much and end up emphasizing the hips, so I’ll be skipping those on future versions (unfortunately, because pocket all the things, right?). Now, this could also be a consequence of using a slippery fabric – perhaps in a cotton woven, this wouldn’t happen? It’s worth trying before vetoing completely anyhow!

And the fabric? This one is one to hoard at JoAnn! I think it has great possibilities, especially as a dress! (I did catch my finger nail on it a bunch of times, which caused the threads to pull, so do be careful as you work with this one!).

Have a happy sewing week!

 

 

 

 

 

I’m a Simply By Ti Ambassador and received the Dritex complimentary in exchange for review and promotion.

I’m a Jalie Patterns Creative Ambassador and received these Jalie patterns complimentary for purposes of review and promotion.