Making an Outfit in 9 Days: Comfy Leisure Clothing

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“Knitting not only relaxes me, it also brings a feeling of being at home.” —

Magdalena Neuner

In the summertime, I have a lot more downtime to commit to fun personal projects and endeavors.

I really wanted to get some more work done on my me-made wardrobe and bust through my piling stash of fabric and yarn. So, I decided to start with some comfy leisurewear!

It was a bit ambitious, but my goal was to knock out an entire outfit in less than two weeks: a tank top, a pair of leggings, and a knit cardigan. Let’s just torture ourselves for kicks and giggles!

Simplicity 8424 D

Pattern and Fabric Choice

I finally overcame the laziness of cutting out patterns! For me, that’s the worst part of the sewing process. I like to use pattern paper and trace the desired size from the original pattern so that I can make adjustments and sew different clothing sizes whenever I want. It’s worth the extra step and I don’t have to sacrifice the entire pattern.

For the tank, I used the Simplicity 8424 Pattern D. It comes with three top patterns and three legging patterns. I really love the look of D with its wrapped look and ruching.

Originally, I had some mushroom fabric planned for this, but to match the planned colors for the cardigan, I used the Dark Ditsy Floral Double Brush Jersey Knit Fabric from JoAnn Fabrics. It’s a 90% Polyester, 10% Spandex blend. It’s one of the more comfortable jersey knit options with a soft feel and moisture wicking capabilities.

Even though I try to refrain from using polyester for environmental and comfort reasons, I don’t beat myself up about it since we can’t currently shop our way to sustainability and I plan on wearing the heck out of this top.

Sewing the Pattern

This was a little awkward to sew mainly because it was tricky ruching stretchy fabric without warping it. I also initially cut the fabric for one of the panels incorrectly, so I had to piece it together haphazardly with the limited amount of fabric I had.

The pattern itself was simple to follow, but I did struggle with the fabric warping a little bit and my machine skipped a few stitches.

This definitely would have turned out nicer if I had an overlocker, but I don’t plan on investing in one any time soon (this economy is trash). So, I did my best with the zigzag stitch.

The inside of the top looks pretty atrocious. It’s definitely giving Boris Karloff behind the scenes. But, the best part of the top is the outside! The ruching and dark floral print mask my shaping mistakes. I’m not too disappointed since this was my first time working with this pattern.

My primary gripe has more to do with the length. I am not a crop top person, and this top is shorter than I would like. Luckily for me, the garment is flattering enough where I can ignore this feature. I’ll be extending the length next time I make this.

Simplicity 8424 B

This was my first time sewing leggings. Personally, leggings are among my favorite clothes to wear…. However, I have a strong aversion for the ones made today. Most leggings in this era are made out of nylon or polyester, resulting in sweaty, smelly, and uncomfortable pants that just stick to your skin.

Most of the leggings I own are from before 2010, if you can believe it. It’s 2024 as I write this. They are roughly 97% cotton and 3% spandex. The comfort levels in those totally trump my more recent leggings, which are made from 100% synthetic materials. They also lasted longer.

I was excited to use the Organic Cotton/Spandex French Terry by I See Fabric, which is 95% certified organic cotton and 5% spandex. The quality of I See Fabric’s fabrics is absolutely wonderful. Everything is super soft and breathable. If you’re a sucker for neutral and earth toned fabrics, this place is for you.

I had to play around with the measurements a bit, but after adjusting for the bagginess of my legging template, these turned out rather nice! I could have done a better job with the waistband (way too much gathering), but I can live with the results.

Bluebird Pine Shop Colorblock Cardi

Check out this Colorblock Cardi by the Bluebird Pine Shop! It’s an easy pattern for confident beginners, and a great mindless knit for those who know knitting like the back of their hand. I used the recommended yarn, Lion Brand Thick and Quick—which also happens to be one of my favorite yarns for its softness, durability, and color availability. The colors I chose were Kale, Oatmeal, and Fisherman.

Overall, the cardigan took me about nine days to complete over 30 to 36 hours. I was addicted to knitting this while consuming a ton of video essays, commentaries, and movies. 😅 If you’re interested in random social commentaries and escapes from cults, knit while watching Madisyn Brown and Cults to Consciousness. Also, Godzilla Minus One was actually pretty good!

I customized this cardigan a bit by making it with three colors instead of two, and adding buttons. The buttons are probably my favorite detail; they are the La Mode 1 1/2″ Ethnic Coconut 2 Hole Buttons. I had bought a pair of them several years ago, and hadn’t seen them at the store since. One day at an impulse store visit, I found another pair, and I just knew what to do with them.

Just four of these buttons tied the entire cardigan together. They really pop and add texture and interest to the final cardigan.

The Finished Outfit

As a whole, I rate my outfit a 9/10

What could have gone better…

There are some inconsistencies here and there that I know I can improve on as I make more pieces from the sewing patterns

I did not like the Frankenstein piecing I had to do for the top, the warping from inconsistent tension, and the bunching from installing the elastic waistband incorrectly on the leggings. Fortunately, these errors are not very noticeable when I wear the pieces.

I am also not a fan of crop tops, so this will be one of the few projects that includes one. When I attempt the top again, I’ll extend the length. Additionally, I realized that ruching looks a whole lot better on solid colored fabric. The beautiful folds I worked so hard to sew are mostly hidden by the floral pattern.

I will also adjust the size and fit for the leggings. Even though I typically wear a size large in leggings to accommodate my wide hips, the large for this pattern was huge on me! I had to bring in the seams by over 2 inches, and it’s still a little baggy. I will also bring in the waist a little more to reduce the bunching at the crotch.

What went well…

Despite minor technicalities, the outfit is extremely comfortable. I love to wear leggings and tanks with sweaters around my house, and this custom outfit checks all of my boxes for comfort and style.

The top is my least favorite because of the length and it occasionally rides up, but I think I can make it work in the future with high rise bottoms.

The leggings nearly tie with the cardigan for first place because they are probably the most comfortable leggings I’ve ever worn. I give a lot of credit to I See Fabric’s gorgeous cotton terry. A few years ago, I used the same fabric to make joggers (which I wear all the time at home), but they make BOMB leggings.

The cardigan wins as my favorite of the set. I am a way more experienced knitter than sewist, so I expected the cardigan to be the best constructed garment of the three. It took the most time and effort to construct, and I spent a lot more energy deciding on the color scheme. My only complaint about the cardigan is that I picked up an uneven number of stitches for the button band, resulting in slightly uneven color coordination, but I was able to hide it by positioning the buttons along the band in a way that the colors would stretch into place.

The cardigan is super comfortable and, unlike my Wool and the Gang pieces, it’s machine washable! 🤩

Did I mention how much I love the colors?

What do you think about my project? Have you made a “me-made” outfit before? Let me know in the comments below!