Sew Your Own Activewear - Book Review

Lookie, lookie what I got in the mail yesterday!! I’ve helped Melissa over the years and she sent me a copy of her new book. Thank goodness I was home because I had to sign for it. I thought it was either this book or some crazy-scary court paperwork. I bit the bullet and signed for it. I thought I would do a little review for you guys so you can see what it’s all about.

It includes four block patterns; two tops and two bottoms. From these four blocks, Melissa takes you step-by-step through making your own pattern. It’s pretty cool. For me, I already have a block that I would use for the close-fitting top: Jalie 2805. For the close-fitting bottoms, I would use the Ottobre 05/2016 leggings. These are the most comfortable and basic leggings and the fit is great. I may pull out Melissa’s patterns because I’m always curious how things compare. She goes through a lot of common alterations like FBA, SBA, square/sloping shoulders, thick/thin thighs, broad/narrow back, long/shirt torso, swayback, etc. Once you have a block that fits you, then you modify it to make other versions of the same top or bottom.

Here are a couple of the pages that show the modifications of the block pattern. She starts off by showing you the finished pattern and then literally goes step by step through the modifications. It’s pretty cool. She also talks a lot about sewing knit fabrics, hem finishings, fabrics, useful knit sewing tools, etc.

For the blocks, there are two large, double-sided pages of overlapping designs (like Burda or Ottobre - but easier to trace!) but they are very easy to see because there are very few designs on the pages. She also puts lots of “landmarks” on the pattern like bust, waist, hips, etc.

So far, I’m enjoying going through it!!