Anyone else have multiple categories of leggings? I’ve got every day leggings, sleeping leggings, running leggings, winter leggings, but until recently, I didn’t really have dedicated yoga leggings. You all know how much I love a capsule wardrobe, so I started looking at what I had in my wardrobe as a starting off point and then began planning.

I already had two tanks and two sets of leggings that I was already using for yoga but didn’t really have any sports bras I liked. I wanted three complete outfits as I do yoga almost every day and figured I could wear each outfit twice for yoga between washes. When I create a capsule wardrobe, I always plan for a week’s worth of clothes.

I used three basic patterns as my block and played around a bit to get slightly different looks. My activewear uniform formula is an Adventure Tank by Fancy Tiger Crafts, a Jalie 3247 bra/crop and some Avery leggings.

I’ve hacked the Adventure Tank so many times and have three different versions in this capsule. If you are interested in these hacks, check out this old post with FIVE different hacks.

The Jalie sports bra/crop was its whole own thing, so I’m going to write an entire post dedicated to it next week. I made a muslin AND two other versions, experimenting with lining, fold over elastic and push up cups. Stay tuned if that interests you!

Lastly, I’ve got three very different pairs of Avery leggings. I do a good amount of yoga and squats are by far my favourite exercise move ever, so waistbands that fold, roll or slide are one of my biggest pet peeves. I tried several different things and re-did waistbands several times, but am still not 100 per cent happy with all of mine. I learned that the high waist option is definitely the best for staying up, but fit is the biggest factor into whether or not these leggings are going to slip. My hips are usually a size bigger than my waist, so I find I do actually need to grade my waistband. Because the Avery waistband is four pieces, it’s a lot easier to do than other patterns where the waistband is folded over instead of sewn.

My first pair has no elastic in the waist, but the fabric must have some compression in it because they feel nice and tight, but as a result, want to slide down my hips. This waistband had to be hacked after completion, so they sit right around my belly button. Had the rise been higher, they might have stayed up. This fabric is from Blackbird a couple of years ago.

My second pair was with a fun heathered powder blue athletic knit I got on sale last year. I originally made this pair while pregnant, so I cut a straight size to accommodate my belly. I re-made the waistband this spring, grading and adding the elastic. This pair is my favourite for workouts as they stay up, but I only wear them with baggy shirts. I don’t like how they pinch at the waist and they don’t look awesome with more fitted tanks. The fabric is also not awesome as it’s kind of hot.

The last pair is the lilac pair made with supplex from Stone Mountain and Daughter . This fabric is the closest I have gotten to the stuff Lulu Lemon uses for their Align leggings, which are my favourite. This fabric is a bit thicker and I find it a bit warm. It’s fuzzy on the inside, which is lovely, but maybe not for summer. I also find this pair to feel a bit loose. I’m seriously considering taking them apart and taking them in a size. They’re super comfy, but slide when I walk or move which isn’t great.

To be very honest, I’m not totally sure I am going to continue making my own activewear. I like all of these patterns for loungewear, but I find sourcing fabric really difficult and the differences in knits make it really hard to nail fit and function every time.