Marbled Matching Set: Jalie Clara Legging Pattern Review

Hello everyone! In this week's post I finally take the plunge into sewing activewear! I created a matching set using Jalie's Clara legging pattern and tracing an Old Navy Sports bra. In this post, I'll break down the sewing and construction process, and I'll review the pattern to test how it holds up during exercise. 

LEGGINGS PATTERN AND PROCESS

I had heard about Jalie patterns for years, and I had always kept their leggings patterns in mind. When I saw Jalie released a leggings pattern with no front seam last year, I knew I wanted to make it at some point! I hate uncomfortable front seams in leggings.

Available here.

I was extremely impressed with this pattern, right from the beginning! I've used PDF patterns in the past, but this one felt a cut above the rest. By opening the pdf with Adobe Reader, the pattern allows for different size and label layers to be visible at different times. This is great because you can print only the size you need and avoid the confusion that may result from tracing multiple lines. In addition, the pattern comes in 27 different sizes, so by purchasing one copy of the pattern, you can reuse it for years to come! 

As I mentioned above, there is no front seam on these leggings. However, there are also no side seams on the outside seam of these leggings, so they're very comfortable. There is only one seam down the inner thighs and legs. There is a also a gusset in the front for added motion and comfort. This gusset is probably the trickiest part of the construction process, but the instructions make it much easier.



One detail that I really loved was the waistband elastic detail. The pattern calls for 3/8" elastic to be hidden in the top of the waistband seam. I found that this detail helps the leggings stay up effectively when worn. This elastic isn't noticeable or visible at all from the front, but it's carefully zig-zagged to the waistband seam.



Overall, this pattern has a professional construction process that emulates nice RTW leggings I've worn before. I hope to make these leggings again when I find another fabric that I like.

SPORTS BRA PATTERN AND PROCESS

I didn't use an established or available pattern for this bra top. I had initially set out to use Simplicity 8560, but I wasn't loving how it was turning out, so I decided to put it on hold for the time being. Instead, I decided to replicate an existing bra that fits me well.

This bra is available here.

The sports bra I selected is from Old Navy. I have two of these bras, and I find that they fit me really well. Old Navy has been killing the activewear game lately! They have a lot of cute matching bra and legging sets along with daily sales. I highly recommend their fitness gear. Anyways, the bra is marketed as a medium support bra and I think it does a good job. However, I'm a member of the IBTC (itty bitty titty committee), so I can't really comment on how it would work for someone with a larger bust.

To recreate this bra, I traced the bra I had. I started by pinning pieces of the bra flat to a piece of cardboard with tracing paper taped to it. I then traced the holes, added seam allowances, and fixed the pattern pieces to make sure they were symmetrical and matched up.



One thing I was excited to try when making this bra was creating the pocket to slip bra pads into. This is accomplished by sewing a mesh piece in between the front piece of the bra and the lining. A couple lines of stitches attach the mesh to the lining and, when the bra comes together with the foldover elastic, the mesh is fabric sits against the front piece. Finally, a piece is cut out of the lining so the pocket is functional! (Hopefully that makes sense- I think it's a lot easier to understand when you see it.)

I got the bra pads on Amazon here; The left bra pad is the top view and the right bra pad is the back view. Sorry the photo is blurry! 

When sewing the bra, I used a combination of my serger, cover stitch, and regular sewing machine. I basted almost everything with my regular sewing machine before permanently sewing things down. I used a chain stitch for topstitching, so the stitching would be stretchy. Finally, I used a two thread cover stitch to attach the elastic to the casing (only visible on the inside) and for attaching the fold over elastic. It was a little tricky to make sure that everything was caught around the shoulder seams.


Here's what the final bra looks like!



Generally, the bra fits well and I don't event think about the fit while I'm wearing it. However, the one thing I would change is to use a slightly shorter piece of elastic around the bottom (and subsequently move the straps slightly closer together in the back). Some of the details are not perfect on this bra, but I'm happy with it for a first try!





FABRIC

For this project, I finally got the chance to use some of the activewear fabrics I had been eyeing at Joann Fabrics. I was drawn to the oil slick pattern of this fabric.

Available here.

I believe the fabric is a polyester-spandex blend, but I can't recall exactly. The website doesn't include the fiber content, and I didn't take a picture of the end of the bolt. However, the fabric feels like what you'd expect from an activewear or swim fabric. When stretched fully, the fabric print does dull out just a little bit; however, the fabric did pass the squat test (more on that below!)

For the mesh pieces, I used a generic stretch mesh from JoAnn's. I doubled all of the layers where it appears. I only needed a quarter of a yard for the entire bra (including a piece I cut out when I was originally working on the Simplicity bra pattern.)


REVIEW AFTER ACTUAL EXERCISE



In order for this review to be more complete, I made sure to wear these leggings to a fitness class. The day before publishing this post I wore these leggings to one bootcamp class that involved squats, lunges, jump rope, and burpees, and jogging. The workout was fairly comprehensive, and I found the leggings to hold up well. They stayed up well with the sole exception of jumping rope. I found myself needing to stop and pull them up every few minutes when jumping was involved. Perhaps in the future I'll trace the pattern to a smaller size around the waist or choose a different fabric.

Of course, one fitness class may not be enough to truly test the effectiveness of the leggings. I plan to wear them to more workout sessions in the future, and I'll update this post if I find that they become worn out quickly.


CONCLUSION



Overall, I'm happy with how this matching set turned out. I plan to wear it again, and I think this outfit will be something I get good use out of. If you have any questions, let me know down below!

Thank you so much for reading! To see my other knit fabric projects, click here.