Cute new climbing look!

Sun’s out, Guns Out

Okay, I always wear tank tops to climb, so it’s more like, sun’s out, legs out? It’s blessedly warm enough that I want to climb in shorts, so I’ve been sewing shorts of course! I really love how this outfit turned out, so when I got home from the gym the other day, I snapped some pictures to share. And since I’d just gotten done with a climb, yes, that is chalk all over my clothes. I make no apologies and assert that it just makes me look cooler!

And since I don’t talk about my climbing that much, I’ll just catch you up by saying that I love climbing at a gym (both bouldering and top-rope for those in the know) and that I’ve never been climbing outside. I also really enjoy strength training and weight lifting, though only the kind you can do with dumbbells and body weight.

Andrea is wearing orange bike shorts and an off-white tank top. She’s standing in front of her bike and smiling.

Back view of Andrea’s butt in her orange bike shorts, off-white tank, and racerback sports bra straps.

Partial profile of Andrea wearing an off-white tank with interesting princess-ish style lines over matching orange bike shorts and sports bra

Back view of Andrea’s off-white spaghetti strap tank top and orange racerback sports bra.

me-Made Outfit Details

My measurements are

Bust: 31”
Waist: 26”
Hips: 37.5”

This is an all-Jalie look. That wasn’t on purpose, but it turns out I not only own a bunch of Jalie patterns, but I really make and wear them!

Tank Top

Pattern: I hacked the Jalie Bonnie jumpsuit by taking off the shorts, extending the top, and making the neckline square rather than V.
Size: P with extended length
Fabric: bamboo jersey that I maybe bought from the Makehouse? I don’t remember.
Project Thoughts:
- Extending the length gives it a kind of balloon-y shape, which is different from my other tank tops and I kind of like it.
- I like the interesting style lines and the back neckline. I really wanted a square neck tank top, but now that I have it, I kind of want the V neck back. It’s still cute though, and I do like a higher neckline than lots of tops have.
- The fabric is super soft and I love the colour, but I’m kind of leaning away from bamboo for garments right now because I feel like all my bamboo tops sag out of shape after a while. This one still looks good, but it was almost tight around my bust when I first made it last summer and you can see that it gaps away from my underarms now.

Shorts

Pattern: Jalie Clara Leggings, View B

Size: Q-T. My hip/waist ratio always crosses a lot of sizes, so I have to grade between. I think it worked out mostly well.
Fabric: Peachy Recycled Poly Athletic knit in blood orange from the recent Blackbird sale
Project Thoughts:
- The pattern doesn’t have a front or side seams, just a gusset and back seam and I think it looks really professional! Plus, it makes them a pretty quick sewing project.
- I figured out how to line these with bamboo jersey and I felt so smart!
- I plan to make these again and I think if the fabric is a little less firm, the pattern will be great as is. But if I go with the same fabric or another relatively thick one, I think I might want to size up. They mostly fit well, but I think I could use a little extra room around the thighs and depending on how I stand, I do get some horizontal drag lines across the front of the hips, so I think a little more fabric could be helpful for that.

Sports Bra

Pattern: Jalie Julia, View B
Size: P, but I took out the darts because they just puffed up under my boobs without helping anything. I also extended the length by an inch.
Fabric: same as shorts, plus a stretch cotton jersey for the lining
Project Thoughts
- Okay, I’m not quite at a place where I’m gonna show the internet my sports bra, but I do want to talk about the project anyway!
- I wanted to fully line the bra and use fabric straps instead of fold-over-elastic. I really like the result and don’t even mind that the lining shows a bit. It’s pink and cute!
- The lining fabric felt stretchy when I was cutting it, but I think I needed something a little stretchier, as it turned out pretty tight. However, it’s still really comfortable and I think I’ll wear it a lot.
- I really like coordinating sets! It’s one of those joys of sewing your own clothes, in my opinion.

Andrea making a classic bicep muscles pose in her cute new climbing outfit.

Here’s a cheeky muscle pose shot because I’m proud of how strong I’ve gotten over the past year! I’ve never had muscles that could do so much before and I love it! Climbing is a big motivator — it’s the kind of joyful, physical play that I liked as a kid and haven’t found nearly as much as a grownup.