So here it is, the running dress I made for my half-marathon in May. I used the Anne-Marie dress/top pattern from Jalie but did quite a few desiign modifications.
Mesh back. I added a big mesh panel in the back for instance and covered all the opening with a mesh fold-over elastic.
Skirt panels. To make the dress more fun I added diagonal panels in the front. Now this fabric (a very thin Meryl) was a beast to work with and the finishing is not up to my usual standard. This dress should have benefitted from a thicker and more stable fabric, but I had this fabric in three colours in my stash and loved the hues so I decided to use it despite the fact that I knew it would be problematic.
Side view. The pattern also has an optional built-in bra. Since the back was sheer I decided to use the bra, built-in bras are great but they often cause drag lines because that second layer is tricky to align. You can see those lines on the sides and also a hint of it in the front neckline.
As for the pattern, it is fitted around the tummy area, like many Jalie activewear patterns are. In hindsight, I should have traced up to a bigger size underneath the bust area as it sits a bit too tight on my tummy. The original pattern comes with a pocket in the back which is a cool feature but it didn’t work with my mesh panel design.
Matching shorts. Since the dress is quite short I added matching shorts. These prevent chafing and also provide some storage options. I used my own legging pattern and to stabilise the tight bands I lined them with power net. Still, the fabric is way too thin to use for shorts, these feel more like a pair of undies, to be honest!
Pockets. I added side pockets for all the stuff one needs when running for almost 2.5 hours! Mostly just my cell phone so that I could listen to music.
They are super comfortable and did their job, albeit the wrong fabric choice. I wear them sometimes as is, because they are really cool and transport moisture well, so great when exercising in the heat.
The end result. The dress was lovely to run in and the race was not bad either! I took my time and did some walk/run stuff since that is the only way I’ve been able to train this last few years due to a calf injury. It was my second 21K race, and I can see myself doing more in the future, and just focusing on the fun aspect and forget about times and all that stressful stuff!
