If you've been following my
MMM'13 challenge documentation at all, you've probably seen an excessive amount of these treggings already. Since completing them last week I've been wearing them more or less continually. Well, every other day at least.
In case there's anyone who's reading this wondering what they hell 'treggings' are, let me explain. In the same way that 'jeggings' are a hybrid of leggings and jeans, 'treggings' are the spawn of leggings and trousers. I feel these are treggings as opposed to straight-up leggings because I made them using a thick double-knit fabric which I feel separates them from their jersey-based cousins, the leggings. I also think these are more flattering than leggings. And I made them so I can call them whatever I like!
(The original hand-me-down jeggings: love at first wear)
But how did they come to pass? Well, at some point last year my best mate Vic donated me a bag of clothes she no longer used and/or were too big for her. A pair of black jeggings (those were definitely jeggings, way more jeans-esque IMO) were in that bag and from the second I tried them on, it was love. Unlike my
self-stitched attempt from a few years back, Vic's hand-me-downs (pictured above) had an elasticated waist rather than a zip fastening. The fit round the waist was tight enough however, that there was no ugly gathering occurring with that elastication, just pure comfort! I didn't know it was possible to be that comfortable in what could legitimately be worn outside, in public.
So those hand-me-down jeggings got worn, worn, then worn some more. Until I became preggers and even then they continued to be worn until finally my growing belly forced them into the 'Drawer of stuff I don't fit anymore but hope to again, one day'. That was when I knew it was time to flex my mad-skillz and attempt a more maternity-friendly version. So I took the originals and traced around then, making a 3-piece pattern (front, back and waistband) to start fiddling with.
To make them more bump-accommodating, I dropped the waistline by about 3cms all the way around, then made them up in some nasty-arsed super-synthetic navy double knit. The silhouette was actually bang-on first time, but I found as I kept wearing them that I had to keep yanking them up at the back waist. I'm still not sure if that was the result of A) the waistline being too low, B) the elastic not being tight enough, C) the fabric being so unpleasant and unforgiving, or most likely D) a combo of all three factors.
(gratuitous bump shot, look away those of a delicate disposition!)
I tried tightening up the elastic, but downwards-bound they continued to be. I decided to set them aside and dwell on the whole project for a while before taking my next step. However, I then signed up to a pregnancy yoga class and realised I didn't have anything appropriate to wear to it. So perfecting the leggings/jeggings/treggings pattern was forced back on the agenda. I went back to the pattern and raised the waistline a couple of cms at the Centre Back, blending out towards the side seams. I then made them again in some much nicer black double knit with tighter elastic round the waist and the whole outcome was way more successful. So much so I can't stop wearing them! (Yes, I am wearing them as I type this.)
Earlier this evening I cut out another pair in some blue ribbed jersey/double knit that was hanging out in my stash so I have something else to wear whilst these black ones get washed. The blue ribbed jersey is care of
Claire of 'Sew, incidentally' who is an incredibly generous lady. I've still got a fair bit of it left, enough for a couple of baby/toddler projects me thinks. For my blue pair, I have actually lowered the Centre Front a couple of cms in the hope that they will be even more accommodating in the longer term than the black pair by sitting more comfortably underneath my bump. I guess the frequency of their wear during the remainder of MMM'13 will show if that pans out or not.
