George + Ginger Monna Hoodie

George + Ginger just released the Monna Hoodie.   As you may know, I really don't care for hoodies. But when I saw Kristi post her tester call with a photo, I fell in love with the top. I begged Kristi to let me test it, but use a cowl instead of a hood. She was kind enough to oblige me request.

I took the cowl from the Clover Dress and it is a perfect fit onto the Monna Hoodie. I did feel a need to add a little pizazz to the cowl, So I added a bit of trim to it and just had more of an overlap.

There are so many things that I love about the Monna Hoodie. I love the front and back yokes. The extra detail of the piping is so nice. The piping is quite small and I suggest sewing these parts with a sewing machine.

Precision here is key. If you are off just a tiny bit it can be quite obvious and you will get piping that appears very uneven. I seam ripped a few times to get mine as perfect as possible.

I love tops that have yokes, banded bottoms, and banded sleeves. Thes patterns allow me to mix two prints together in a way that looks amazing and intentional. I used two different prints on french terry.

The camera print is from Wanderlust. The Black Tie Burlap is from Sew Big Fabrics.

I really love how well these two prints go together. I love the subtle print of the black tie burlap. The front bodice has gathers. I found that after I gathered the fabric, it was best to iron the gathers until they were extremely flat before adding the piping and the yoke. Doing otherwise will cause rippling and only make getting that piping perfect to be extremely difficult. Take the time to press, press, and press.

 Do you see that? The Monna Hoodie has welt pockets. Everything is better with pockets, but welt pockets look so fancy.

Welt pockets take some practice. Definitely practice on scraps before trying one on a garment the first time.

 I'll be wearing this Monna Hoodie every chance I get over the next few weeks. I'm in North Texas and I don't think I'll have many days cold enough to wear this before Spring gets here.

I plan to hack the Monna Hoodie soon to be short sleeved, have a banded neck, and maybe eliminate the bottom band for a Spring & Summer version. The Monna Hoodie is on sale through Friday, March 1.

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide me with a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link. There is not cost to you when you do this. My thoughts and opinions given in this blog post are mine.

Greenstyle Creations Lille Racerback Tank or Dress

I've had fun joining in the Greenstyle Fit Capsule Challenge. I've made 3 items. I was really hoping to make a few more, but time got away from me. Tomorrow (02/25) is the last day to get 25% off all the activewear patterns from Greenstyle! My latest addition to my Fit Capsule is the Lille Racerback Tank.

I made these Strides earlier in the month and wanted to make a Lille to go with them. I have a few other pairs of leggings that needed a coordinating top as well, and this Lille will go with all of them.  See my blog post about the Strides HERE.

I used a swim knit from Zenith & Quasar for my Lille. This print is near & dear to me as I spent hours meticulously coloring these diatoms which are a vintage scientific illustration by Ernst Haeckel. I also have this print in my Spoonflower shop HERE.

The racerback is really nice for allowing completely free movement of the shoulders. The binding came out perfect and looks so good.

I graded out the hips more than I needed based on my measurements so that I could bet a looser more flowy fit and love how it came out. The Lille does come with an option to do a banded hem on the tank as well. The Lille also has 4 dress options.

The Lille also has the option for a built in shelf bra, Which I included and added bra cups to. I want to be able to wear it without a bra. The Lille has 2 neckline options: higher and scoop. I did the scoop neckline.

I'll definitely wear this Lille for more than working out. I can see myself wearing this with capris on a cruise or at the beach. I might even wear it to work with a cardigan or jacket.

I can't wait to make another Lille. I already have fabric for one that I bought this weekend.  Be sure to grab the Lille while it, and all the other activewear patterns, are on sale for 25% off. The Lille was also recently updated to include layers for printing and the armhole has been made slightly lower. I used the original pattern file. I'm 5' tall and the original armscye is perfect on me.

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide me with a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link. There is not cost to you when you do this. My thoughts and opinions given in this blog post are mine.

5 out of 4 Jessie Top & Dress

Ever since I made the Rosanna (Tank, Tankini, Dress, and Swim Dress) from 5 out of 4, I've been wanting to make the Jessie (Top, Tunic & Dress). The Rosanna has a low back with the option to add fun straps, but it's a tank only with a peplum. The Jessie also has a low back with the option for fun straps, but it has sleeve options.

Here's a look at my strappy back.

I'm lucky that my friend Sharon (Sweet Mama Life) tested the Jessie and was able to tell me how much I needed to move the back scoop up to hide my bra. She told me she moved hers up 1.5" and since I'm shorter than her at 5', that I should move mine up 2".  She was right - it came out perfect.

I made a size large bust graded to size large hips. I also wanted a looser fit and cut at the dress width cut line to give a little extra ease. I love how my Jessie turned out.

I used cotton lycra from Made Whimsy for my Jessie. This Steampunk Floral needed to be made into an edgy top. The Jessie was perfect for it.

Here's a closer look at the Steampunk Floral print.

I'm not usually into real girly florals and loved the colors of this print and the fun steampunk elements in it.

I paired the Steampunk Floral with the Dark Turquoise Dream Solid Cotton Lycra. I love the dream solids. They are so soft and smooth, and the weight is 220 - 230 gsm like the custom prints.

Made Whimsy has many fun & beautiful designs currently at preorder through March 5th. Check it out HERE.

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide me with a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link. There is not cost to you when you do this. My thoughts and opinions given in this blog post are mine.

Itch to Stitch Orono Top

I've had an obsession lately with crossover front tops.  So when Kennis at Itch to Stitch had a tester call for one, I immediately signed up. This is the Orono Top.

The Orono Top is perfect for all those knits with little stretch in your stash. I bought 6 yards of this gorgeous turquoise french terry from Golden D'or for 99 cents a yard during one of their Inventory Sales. Unfortunately it's been sitting in my stash a few years because it has only 10% stretch.

The Orono Top has pockets and the construction is very unique. I've never done a pocket this way, but I love it! I'll definitely try this technique on other tops.

The Orono Top is a raglan sleeve top, but the sleeves have a shoulder part that gives the sleeves perfect shaping for a more sophisticated fit.

The Orono Top features a tulip front and the back is slightly longer to create a high-low hemline.

I am 5' tall and did not remove any length from my Orono Top. I do love it this length on me, but think I will try it again with a few inches removed.

And like most patterns from Itch to Stitch, I couldn't stop at just one. I just had to make another.

For this one I used this dotted french terry from my stash. I bought is as a remnant from the fabric district about 8 years ago. It has only 10% stretch, so I've had a hard time finding a pattern to use it with. The Orono Top was perfect.

I used an organic cotton waffle knit for the sleeves. This thermal knit has about 25% stretch.

The french terry I used was thinner and had more drape than the turquoise french terry I used for my first Orono Top.

 And of course I had to include the pockets. The neckband includes a lengthen/shorten line to make it whatever height you want it.

Now that testing is over, I am going to modify the pattern a little bit to make a few for spring. The Orono Top is on sale for 20% off - making it $8 though Sunday, February 24th!

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide me with a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link. There is not cost to you when you do this. My thoughts and opinions given in this blog post are mine.

Greenstyle Creations Stride Tights

I bought the Greenstyle Creations Stride Athletic Tights pattern many years ago. I finally made a pair! It took my friend Sharon (Sweet Mama Life) to convince me to try them with the update to make the side pocket wider to accommodate the larger phones of today and to do the Fit Capsule Challenge in the Greenstyle Facebook Group.

Why in the world did it take me soooooo long to try this pattern? The Strides are amazing and the fit is just perfect. I'm wearing my Itch to Stitch Arenal top with my Strides because it matches. I'll be making a matching tank in the next week.

It probably helped that Lilly at Zenith & Quasar sent me a sample of "Drive" Textured Athletic Knit.

The Drive knit is currently at preorder and I need every color. This is the grey and it's also available in white and black.

The Drive knit has excellent 4-way stretch with 50% stretch in each direction.

I paired it with the Carina Nebula Athletic brushed poly from Zenith & Quasar.

The Drive knit texture is subtle, yet gives my Strides a high end look and feel.

The Drive knit feels amazing and the Strides make my butt look pretty good.

So after that pair of Strides, I had to make another. I decided to try the side pocket on this pair and screwed up. So don't judge the Strides pocket based on this pair.

For this pair I used more amazing fabrics from Zenith & Quasar. The blue is Cobalt Budget "Supplex".  Supplex is a brand of nylon and these are not name brand supplex. Think of it as a generic brand. The price of the Budget "Supplex" is $16 a yard and I can't tell a difference from the more expensive name brand Supplex.

The Budget "Supplex" is currently at preorder with several colors available. The Cobalt happens to pair perfectly with the Textured Blue Grid Knit. The Blue Grids are currently in stock.

The Textured Grid Knits have between 30 - 40% horizontal stretch, but have 50% vertical stretch. The Strides call for at least 50% stretch. I cut my pieces cross grain on the fabric to get the most stretch across my legs.

These feel so amazing! I have the textured grid knit in a few colors and will definitely be making more Strides.

Sorry for the overload of butt photos, but look at how great this fabric looks!

I wore my Romy Tank from George + Ginger with my Strides. I made it specifically to go into my Fit Capsule and love it with these Strides.

This Hubble collage print is also at preorder at Zenith & Quasar and is available on athletic brushed poly (shown here) and Yoga Swim Spandex (YSS).

Greenstyle Creations has all athletic patterns on sale for 25% off through February 25th. Shop all the patterns HERE!

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide me with a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link. There is not cost to you when you do this. My thoughts and opinions given in this blog post are mine.