A few months ago I started running. After I had the miscarriage a few years ago, I felt really lost and depressed… then I found Fitness Blender. It was so motivating and fun and I was particularly enjoying some of their strength training videos. When I was in my early twenties, I went to the gym pretty religiously, but as I got a bit older and busier, being active became less of a priority… Over the last few months, as I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, I’ve really been struggling with anxiety. My mental health approach over the last decade is to bottle up any difficult emotions, because whose got time to deal with that? Walk it off! You’ll be fine. And some days I am… other days, not so much. And now that life is a little quieter, I’ve had the time to deal with some difficult emotions and things from my past.
When I first decided that I needed to be proactive about what I was going through, I knew being active was going to be an important part of getting better. In the following months after the birth of Isabel, I actually found I had lots of time to be active! She slept in hour long bursts so I could sneak in a workout here and there. Now that she is on the move and constantly wanting my attention, I’m finding it much more difficult. So, my goal was to do an activity that we could both do together. I had a jogging stroller so it seemed like a no brainer.
Let me tell you, running while pushing a stroller is no joke. I think I lasted about a month before I decided that pushing an extra 50+ lbs was no fun. However, I was really enjoying the sense of satisfaction I was getting from my progress, so I’ve been running in the morning, or evening… or whenever I get a chance. There is something so visceral about running. All of the difficult things I have hidden away in the back of my mind, I can literally push past them. Running is hard. Running hurts. Running seems to express all of the things I am feeling but can’t quite express. It is freeing and liberating.
I have some friends/family members who are runners and who have run marathons. I was never interested in running. I thought they were kind of crazy and didn’t get the appeal, but I get it now, as I sit here nursing a cracked toe nail but still wanting to get in just one more kilometer.
Of course, now I am wanting to combine my new hobby with my old hobby. What can I sew for running?
As I’ve been running, I’ve really been enjoying listening to podcasts (I am an addict! Shout out to My Favourite Murder!), but was tired of tucking my phone in my bra and getting it all sweaty. So, I decided to make an armband to hold my phone, and any other items I might need along the way.
This is a super simple armband with no zippers or velcro. All you need is some stretch knit fabric, like cotton/lycra jersey, a couple spools of thread and a twin needle (though you could zig-zag stitch too), a small scrap of interfacing, scissors, and a measuring tape. This holder fits my arm and an iPhone 6s (not the jumbo one!). It would be really simple to alter this to fit any phone or arm size.
Cut out a piece of fabric 10.5″ x 13″.
Fold it in half lengthways and sew it together with 3/8″ seam allowance. Put it on your arm, it should feel like a fitted sleeve, but not too tight.
Finish either end with a serger. Fold under approximately 1/4″ and stitch using a twin needle.
Turn the sleeve inside out and fold up one end by 4″. Fold the top down by about 2″-2.5″, so that the hemmed edges overlap. Make a mark where the earphone jack is.
Fuse a piece of interfacing to the inside of the sleeve where you’ve made your mark for the earphone jack. Sew a button hole and slash open. This will allow the earphone plug to stick out. Adding the earphone jack hole isn’t necessary. The first one I made didn’t have one, so I just tucked the cord inside and it worked just fine!
Place your phone/iPod over the folded armband and mark 1/4″ away from either edge of the phone. Run straight rows of stitches down either side to create a snug pocket for the phone.
It’s seriously that easy! I think this one took me maybe 15 minutes and just a small scrap of fabric.
Next project is a running bra….
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