Home made running gear

I made myself some running sleeves the other day. Basically, I cut the sleeves off of an old shirt and tightened them up. They are not technical fabric, but I'm going to get some (my favorite way of getting fabric is at used clothing stores. I buy things that are made of fabric that I like, and then cut it apart) and then use these sleeves as a pattern to make more.

I didn't add thumb holes for 3 reasons. One, because I don't really like them, and 2, because these weren't long enough. Also, because I was using sleeves from an existing shirt, the wrists were already hemmed, and I was going for "quick and easy".

So first, I turned my shirt inside out and I cut the sleeves off as close to the shoulder seam as I could get.

Then I slipped the sleeve over my arm and used pins to mark how tight I wanted the sleeve and how long.

I sewed that side hem and tried the sleeve on again a few times to get it "perfect". Once I had it as tight as I wanted it, I wrapped some non-slip elastic around my arm, cut it to length, and zig-zagged it on.  And then I was done. Ta-da!

I also made a running skirt. Again, I used a shirt I found at Frenchy's, and cut it up. I used the original hem, and the neckline happened to be the perfect size to fit my hips. I cut the shirt straight across under the arms, and tried it on at hip level. I pinned the sides to fit, and sewed. Then I cut the neck band off of the shirt, and pinned it to the top of my new skirt. I almost messed this step up... make sure you're pinning things the right way! Anyway, I caught my mistake, and it fit perfectly when I tried it on! It's a little longer than i wanted, so I'm going to add some "ruching" on the sides to shorten it up and add a little "prettiness". Yeah.. Erin and pretty clothes? That's something new! I couldn't wait until the warmer weather to try it out, so I wore it over my pants. LOL the skirt might be pretty, but that doesn't mean I'm fashionable!

Also, the yellow headband? I made that too. :) I used a shirt that I was going to throw away... I cut the bottom off and looped it around once to fit around my head. The first time I used it, it wouldn't stay flat to cover my ears (it's so windy here... even when it's warm, the wind hurts my ears... my mother would say I'm soooo delicate). After that, I twisted it twice to make the front a little different, with the seams lined up in the back. I stitched down the seams and then stitched a line down both sides, just in front of where my ear would be. That made it lay flat over my ears. 

Can you see that little line of stitching??

I've also been thinking about making some shorts... I downloaded the instructions for a pattern and using the little diagram and through trial and error I think I "made" a useful pattern. It'll be the first thing I've ever made using a "real" pattern. Usually I just wing it.

Other than the shorts, next on my running-gear-sewing list is "sweaty bands", which are velvet lined head bands. The velvet is non-slip. For these, I'm using fabric from my high-school prom dress... (hi mom!), and leftover fabric from whatever I'm making to wear so I can be matchy-matchy. Also, a few more skirt/shirt "makeovers" and a hydration belt.