Bow Button Fabrics Brushed Dritex My Fit Leggings

I can always use more pants for work that are as comfortable as pajamas. I got some Navy brushed Dritex Athletic fabric from Bow Button Fabrics and knew it would fit the bill. I got 1.5 yards - I'm short at 5' and this is typically enough for a pair of pants for me. However, the first pattern I picked (If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen my post) was for pants with a wider leg and they would not fit no matter how hard I tried on only 1.5 yards. I am still working on using patterns that have been sitting in my stash. A few months back I bought the My Fit Leggings from Apostrophe Patterns and had been intimidated to use it. The pattern is made per your measurements and the options you choose. I decided a straight leg pair would be perfect for work pants.

I took my own measurements and probably got a few wrong by a small bit. These fit pretty good, but they are not a perfect fit. I think I have a little too much fabric at the top of my thighs right below the crotch. I'll probably try to trim a bit off in that area and sew them back together. I definitely need a sewing buddy to help me with measurements before I attempt the pattern again. The pattern requires so many measurements and some were hard to get on my own.

The Navy brushed dritex is amazing! It was nearly impossible to tell the right side from wrong at a glance. I assumed it was brushed on the wrong side - but I might be wrong. Either way - I but the brushed side to the inside as that is what I thought would feel best against my skin.

The Navy brushed dritex has a slight sheen on the smooth side. I thought it gave my pants a dressy appropriate for office look. This fabric is 300 gsm making it perfect for pants & leggings. However, I did feel like it emphasized the cellulite on my upper thighs and I put on some knee length shapewear on under these to help smooth things out.

The brushed dritex is an athletic fabric. I find myself making more and more of my wardrobe with athletic knits. I love that athletic knits tend to be wrinkle free. When I travel, I tend to pack only items made with athletic knits so that I don't have to worry about looking like a slob in wrinkled clothes.

Athletic knits are also moisture wicking. This is great when you live (or travel) to places that are hot or rainy. Sweat just disappears and if you find you self in a rain shower, you won't be soaking wet for long. Athletic fabrics also seem to hold up better to thigh rub and don't get all pilly from the friction.

I'll definitely wear this outfit to work. My top is the Sinclair Patterns Sienna Top. I love this top and wear it often. I really need to make another one.

Bow Button Fabrics carries this dritex fabric in a variety of colors. I might need another pair of work  pants in the graphite and black colors are these are seriously so comfortable! See all the colors available 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.

Zenith & Quasar Fabric Technology Round

I always look forward to the technology round every year at Zenith & Quasar. It's usually my opportunity to grab some computer science themed prints to make my son fun pajamas or underwear. I still need to ask him which print is his favorite. My favorite is the Glitch Screen.

I love the mix of colors and patterns. I takes me back to the old days of playing pong on an Atari and having to wiggle all the connections to get the game to show back up on the TV screen. Oh the good old days of signal loss. My tank is the free tank from Life Sew Savory. I did modify this one a tad to make it more relaxed. I'm wearing a pair of Greensyle Chelsea Pants in these first few photos.

As I looked over my stash of Zenith & Quasar fabrics, the yellow mesh grabbed my attention. I loved how it pulled out the yellow and green tones from the print. This mesh is cool to the touch and not super see through. It has holes, but the holes are not really holes, the fabric is just really thin inside the holes. I'm wearing a navy blue bra with the tank I made (as evidenced by my strap showing) and you cannot see the thick back band easily through my tank.

I didn't have a whole lot of this Glitch Screen print to play with. I had about 24" by wof (58"). It's a good thing I am short because I was able to get some stride inserts out of it and added the cross cuff to give them a little more length.

This was my first time making the cross cuff. I had to modify the piece slightly since I did not cut the legs at the cut line for the cross cuffs, I cut mine longer and the opening was narrower. I cut the cross cuff to match the width of the neon red supplex. I then eyeballed the length of the criss cross straps. I only did two sets of two instead of the three sets of two in the pattern.

I really love how the strides make my butt look. I really love how opaque the budget supplex is. I'm wearing underwear with black stripes and you can't see them. You can make out the outline, but I don't care.

The strides have become my favorite athletic tights. They are so comfortable and go together fairly quickly. Maybe not as quick as plain leggings, but the extra effort give such a cool pair of leggings that fit amazing.

I'm undecided if I actually like my tank with my strides. I was really wishing I had bought some of the neon green hybrid athletic knit. It would have looked awesome as strides.

Here's a look at the other prints in the Technology Round.

The Preorder closes on Saturday at midnight! Order 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.

Greenstyle Creations Staple Tank

Greenstyle Creations always has the trendiest patterns when it comes to activewear, but sometimes you really need a basic everyday pattern. That is why they just released the Staple Tank. It's a simple tank top that has two finishing options - banded or binding. It's perfect to wear on its own or as a layering piece.

I made this one in an athletic knit I found in my stash. It's a beautiful heathered teal color that will coordinate with many of my athletic leggings. Here I'm wearing my leggings I made with Vibrant Vapors from Zenith & Quasar. This print is currently at preorder.

I do have a swayback and did not make any adjustments for it during testing and ended up with a bit of pooling at the small of my back. I hope to correct this when I make my next Staple Tank.

I also want to note that the front and back have nearly the same amount of scoop - there may be a 1/4" difference. So it is very easy to get the front and back mixed up after you sew them together. Be sure to mark the back piece so you can easily identify it.

 

After I made my Staple Tank, I noticed it went perfectly with my Midway Bomber Jacket I recently made. You can find my blog post about it HERE.

The Staple Tank also looks amazing with the Chelsea Pants.

Grab the Staple Tank for $8.50 through Wednesday, March 27th.

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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 Midway Bomber Jacket

I really have been needing a good jacket for spring. Something that can keep me warm and somewhat dry as I run into work in the Spring. I also did not want a hood. Enter the Greenstyle Creations Midway Bomber Jacket.

It took me excruciatingly long to pick fabric, ribbing, and a zipper. I have such a huge stash and everything I looked at I would have loved to use. So I might just have to make another.

 For this Midway Bomber Jacket, I used Stormy Streaks Yoga Swim Spandex (YSS) from Zenith & Quasar fabric. This fabric is currently at preorder.

 This print is so beautiful. It's shades of navy blue and mint.

I love that the sleeves on the Midway Bomber Jacket are shaped. The have a seam down the outside edge. The pattern includes an option to have a stripe along that seam.

Since everything was completely enclosed when sewing in the lining, I decided to go ahead and sew the cuffs so that they had enclosed seams too. My Midway Bomber Jacket is completely reversible, but it does not have a reversible zipper. But I rarely zip up my jacket.

I had so many fabrics that coordinated that I had a hard time picking a lining and ribbing. I had a few friends over to sew and they all said I needed to use the Blue Tint Tactel. I used a white ribbing, which is not what I had planned. I was leaning toward using Navy, but was convinced that I needed white for more of a Spring look.

The Midway Bomber Jacket looks amazing with my Chelsea Pants and Tank (coming soon).

I realized as I wrote this blog post that I forgot to get a photo of my Midway Bomber Jacket zipped up with my white tank above. So here is one with my "new" Tank.

The one thing I will probably regret, is that I did not add the pockets to my Midway Bomber Jacket. They have welt pockets, but they are done in a manner that I am not familiar with. I'll be sure to try them on my next one.

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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.

Ellie & Mac Breezy Women's Dress

I love Wacky Wednesday at Ellie & Mac. This week I'm showing off the Breezy Women's Dress pattern. This was my first time sewing this pattern and I see more in my future.

 The Breezy Woman's Dress Pattern includes peplum, mini, mid thigh, and dress length (petite, regular, and tall cut lines).

I really love the fitted bodice and the shape of the skirt on the Breezy Dress. The Breezy Dress can be made sleeveless, or with short, 3/4, or long sleeves. I opted for long sleeves and might cut them to short sleeves when spring comes around.

I made the peplum version of the Breezy Dress and can't wait to try the mini and mid thigh lengths.

I used a double brushed poly that I bought from Wherehouse Fabrics.

 I'm normally not a fan of florals, but this large scale floral got my attention. What's funny is I unintentionally almost pattern matched the flower at the bottom of the bodice with the bottom of a flower on the top of the skirt.

I also love that the peplum length covers my behind well.

The Breezy Women's Dress is on sale through January 2nd for only $1! There are 5 other patterns that are also on sale. See all the Wacky Wednesday sale patterns HERE!

Another pattern included in the Wacky Wednesday sale that I love is the Women's Be Confident Tunic & Dress. Below are two that I made.

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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.

Ellie & Mac Women's Zip It Jacket

It's Wacky Wednesday at Ellie & Mac! This week I'm showing off the Women's Zip it Jacket pattern. I'm not a fan of hoodies, but I made a hooded zip up style jacket 3 years ago and wore it non-stop when it was cool out. After 3 years, it's still great - but I've gotten kind of tired of it. I'm so excited about my Zip It Jacket! Not only is it my favorite color, it's reversible!

I used a green hybrid athletic fabric from Zenith & Quasar. It's a great weight and is a gorgeous green color.

I got my reversible zipper from Jo-ann's. They only had black with gold metal teeth. I really would have loved to have more options, but I didn't feel like ordering online and waiting for another one,

The Zip It Jacket has pockets and I put pockets on the reverse side too.

The inside is a plush brushed poly from Zenith & Quasar. The print is called Secret Garden and is so beautiful!

This is one of my favorite prints and it is regularly offered on different base fabrics every year.

The Zip It Jacket instructions are so easy to follow to make the jacket reversible. It also include directions on making one that is not reversible too. I did order a navy blue separating zipper to make another one, but it will not be reversible.

I hope all my friends and family love my new Zip It Jacket as much as I do. I'll probably be wearing this one for the next 3 years.

One thing to note is that I am 5' tall and did not remove any length from the pattern for my height. I like my jackets this length. I purchased a 24" zipper and took about 1" of teeth out of it for this jacket.

The Women's Zip It Jacket pattern was easy to follow and it fits great. The pattern is on sale through midnight on Wednesday, December 26th for only one dollar!

There are 5 other patterns that are also on sale. See all the Wacky Wednesday sale patterns HERE!
Another one that I love is the I love the 90's dress. Here's one I made.

In addition, all patterns are on sale for $3 through December 31st!

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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.