Sewing Scientist

Greenstyle Simpatico Leggings

Greenstyle has release a simple, beginner friendly legging pattern that might be worth paying for. Many companies have free leggings patterns that are simple and they may not have many options and be, well simple. The Simpatico leggings don't have many options - there are two rises and two lengths. What makes them worth buying is that they come in petite, regular, and tall sizes, and they have shaped legs. Not straight from the hip legs here, these are curvy like legs with a bit of slimness in the knee and fullness in the calves.

Sorry to begin with my butt, but that's what loaded first and I'm going with it.

The Simpaticos are not a compressive legging. These are more like a lounge around the house and just relax kind of legging. For that reason, I signed up to test because I really needed some new pajamas. Yes - I wear leggings to sleep in year round. I cannot stand my legs to be bare when I sleep.

I made this pair in cotton lycra and love the fit! I made the petite size H (but I'm between a G & H), but graded to an I for my massive calves. Before signing up to test I decided to take some new measurements. Since last year I have lost a little over 2" from my thigh measurement! My weight has plateaued over the past 6 months, but I knew from the fit of last years leggings that I had lost some mass.

I also made a kind of coordinating Waimea top to go with them. I'll have a separate post about it soon. I had a remnant of the purple striated supplex and I used it for the waistband of my Simpaticos and decided to use some for the Waimea.

I did the Midrise waistband on my Simpaticos.

Here is the first pair - my fit test version that I made. This version was made prior to the petite file being developed and I had to do my own shortening. I did not shorten enough!

This pair was also made from cotton lycra.

The Simpatico's are on sale for a limited time for $8.50. They fit great and are perfect for a classic casual legging.

Sarah Jean Makes Lands End Quilt

Things I never thought I would do - test quilt pattern. I actually didn't think I'd sew another quilt (or not many) when I moved in 2019. I actually have away close to 3,000 yards of cotton woven from my stash. I spent many years making quilts that I rarely kept. I made quilts for just about everyone I knew having a baby and donated regularly to Project Linus. I kept 2 quilts that I can think of, and I honestly think I gave them to Goodwill when we moved. They were very worn and I was no longer attached to them. When we moved, I kept a small stash of cotton wovens. The photo below is my fabirc pull for the Lands End Quilt by Sarah Jean Makes.

The prints I chose are Art Gallery fabrics. I love the feel of fabric from Art Galley. It's so smooth and feels so good as I run my hand over it. I probably bought these fabric and kept them solely because they were Art Gallery. I had very few solids. I rarely buy solids as I am a pattern addict. I had to send Mike with a scrap of fabric to get me solids at Walmart. The white was some Kona solids I had, and Mike got me the yellow and pale green from Walmart. They are the Waverly brand.

I took my time working on the Lands End Quilt and took some photos of my progress as I went. The photo above is all my fabric pieces. The photo below is me preparing to make the half square triangle blocks.

I have this handy "Quilt in a Day" Triangle Square Up ruler. I love this for half square triangles. I can square up the block on the fold easily.

The Lands End Quilt is very beginner friendly. It is basically 9 blocks which are very easy to assemble. The center block is just a large square and is perfect for using a panel.

I laid my completed top on the bed to look at it and Nia couldn't resist getting under it.

Felix helped me get photos of the completed quilt top.

Felix was shocked when I told him to drape the quilt top over these limbs. He was worried about it getting dirty. I reminded him it was just fabric and could be washed.

I ordered a 40 yard roll of batting online. When it was delivered, the delivery person just propped it up against the sidelight and didn't ring the bell. Mike walked to the entryway to get some candy from the cabinet there and saw this tall thing blocking the view and went to investigate. He had no idea what it was. It was well packaged in lots of thick plastic and was all good. I had to get him to help me unwrap it and get it in my sewing closet. After it arrived it took me a bit to decide on a backing. I order some and didn't like any with it. I decided to use a muslin backing I had in my stash and I think it was the perfect choice. I watched the Marvelous Auntie M's YouTube video on pool noodle basting and it made this a breeze! Her video is in two parts. Part 1 and Part 2.

I then went to do the quilting. I had this crazy idea in my mind to do just a bunch of random lines and zigzags and then fill in spots in a maze like pattern. I don't know what the heck I was thinking. It took me forever! But I really love how it turned out. But I don't think I'll ever do something this crazy again.

Sarah Jean Makes does this thing on Instagram called Quilt Swirl Wednesday. So of course I had to do my first quilt swirl using my quilt in her pattern.

Next up was the binding. I had purchased 3 yards (maybe a little more) of each of the art gallery prints I used for my Lands End Quilt. I had about 1/4 yard left of the background print and a yard of the print I used in the center. I used the leftover print to make my binding.

Here's a close-up look at my binding. I sewed it to the back, then sewed it down in the front using a decorative stitch.

Nia seems to think that this quilt belongs to her.

I had Felix help me again get some photos of the quilt fully completed. It was very warm today, near 80, and very windy. But we had a beautiful blue sky and I laid down on the ground and took photos while the wind blew the quilt through the air.

Felix is holding the quilt up in this photo. I told him to squat down a bit so his feet and legs didn't show.

Then I had him lay it across these limbs again.

Testing a quilt pattern was much different than testing a pattern for apparel. It was a lot of fun and it really motivated me to get it done. I only had to complete the quilt top, but wanted to get it completely finished.

The Lands End Quilt pattern is on sale through Friday. This is the first pattern released by Sarah Jean Makes and I can't wait to see what she has planned next.

Greenstyle Bianca Pullover

Since its still winter and I'm still cold, I made two more wintery tops. When I saw the tester call for the Greenstyle Bianca, I was a bit undecided since it was called a cropped top. I'm too old and chubby for crop tops. But it had a funnel neck - which I love for winter and there was a high hip version in addition to the shorter cropped version. I sent Sharon Aguilar a message to ask her how long the top was on her. She's an admin for Greenstyle and pretests everything. She's just a smidge taller than me, so I knew I could get an idea of length from seeing it on her. I loved the length on her and threw caution to the wind and signed up.

This turquoise french terry was something I picked up in the Dallas fabric district years ago. I love this shade of green and I probably bought 8 yards. I have several items made with this french terry - including a pair of Brassie Joggers. I used it for my fit test and figured if it was a complete disaster, I could make another one with the same fabric, but my fit test version was perfect!

I had not worn these Greenstyle Tempo Tights since probably September or October. They are too big for me! I have lost weight since I have been working at home and walking almost daily, but I hadn't noticed much change in my body until I put on these Tempos. I didn't know if I should cry for joy or sadness. This is my favorite pair and I made my fit version of the Bianca and my Final Bianca thinking they would look great with these Tempos. If you were to zoom in, you would see that there were loose wrinkles all along the back of my legs and at my crotch. The print helps to hide them. The print is called Stormy Streaks from Zenith & Quasar and I have made a few things with it - including the Greeenstyle Midway Bomber.

But this top is perfect to wear with my leggings as it warms up a bit more. I'm a wuss and don't like walking when the temps are below 50. Thankfully, where I live that is not too frequent.

I made the high hip with a regular band (there is an option for a narrower band with a drawstring) and love that when I wear my high rise tights, I am fully covered even when I raise my arms!

I have been saving this fabric for something special for a long time now. It is heavy athletic brushed poly from Zenith & Quasar fabric. I knew whatever I made had to be something casual that I wouldn't ever accidentally wear to work. There are topless mermaids on it and well, that might get me into trouble at work.

I loved the nautical theme and that it had jellyfish and octopus - two creatures of the sea that I adore. I have a capsule wardrobe that I use for my cruises and thought this print would fit right in. Hopefully one day I'll be able to hop on a ship and go somewhere.

This Bianca is definitely going to get a lot of wear as we go into March. It starts to warm up in March, but can still be a bit chilly at times. The heavy ABP, is not as warm and thick as a french terry so I will be able to wear it for more of the year.

Now to decide if I make new tights or take these apart and make them smaller. I think I'll wait a few weeks to decide. I'm still enjoying wearing my joggers.

I only made two Biancas in testing. I do see more Biancas making there way into my closet, just not right now. Winter is almost over and if I keep up my daily walks, maybe I'll need to make a smaller size when fall comes around. A girl can dream. Right?

The Bianca Pullover is on sale through February 14th!

Itch to Stitch Lamma Hoodie & Sweatshirt

It's no secret that I love Kennis Wong's sewing patterns from Itch to Stitch. Her patterns always fit so well and always go together perfectly. Itch to Stitch is one of the few companies I still do pattern testing for. The main reason is that the patterns are almost always perfect when they are released for testing. I rarely have to worry about wasting fabric on versions that will be trashed (or turned into rags). I don't plan on doing a lot of garment sewing this year. I just can't justify putting many more pieces into my closet. It's important for me to make sure anything I make this year is truly something that my wardrobe needs and that I stick to what I'll call a curated closet. This year I'm sticking mainly to shades of blue and green, with pops of purples and yellows, and neutrals (brown/black/grey/white).

When I saw the Lamma Hoodie & Sweatshirt, I just couldn't resist it. It definitely was needed in my closet. It's getting cold and I don't have enough sweatshirts with a cowl. Y'all already know I don't do hoodies. This cowl has a drawstring - which is more decorative than functional - in my opinion. I'll probably leave it off any future Lamma Sweatshirts that I make. This was my first time to use metal aglets on cord and I love how they look.

What really sold me on the Lamma Sweatshirt was the sleeves. It does have raglan sleeves - which I love for color blocking opportunities. But - these are special as they have a dart on the shoulder which makes them fit so good. Kennis has another pattern with sleeves like this, the Orono Top.

I have two Orono Tops in my closet and I wear them frequently - they have a stand up collar (just as good as a cowl), are made with heavier weight fabrics (nice and cozy), they have pockets, and have an overlapping tulip style front. So it's like Kennis took the things I love about the Orono and made them into a sweatshirt. The Orono is great for working from home, but it isn't so great when I go for walks on windy days with the tulip front. See my blog post on the Orono HERE.

I made this Lamma Sweatshirt with a quilted knit. The fabric has no vertical stretch and only about 20-25% stretch horizontally. It's nice and thick and definitely a great sweatshirt to keep me warm. When I grabbed this fabric from my shelf I thought I'd need to mix it with another fabric. I was quite surprised to see I had enough for the entire top.

I remarked in the tester group that this is probably the most boring fabric choice I have ever had. Grey is a great staple though and I could use more neutrals in my closet. I wore it with jeans for my photos, but I think I will find myself wearing it with joggers and leggings as it will be perfect for my daily walks while I'm working from home. At least for the next 6-8 weeks while it is still chilly here in Texas.

When testing we always have to make on to check fit first. I always dig into my remnant bins to find fabric for my fit tester versions. With Kennis my fit versions typically are wearable as the pattern doesn't change after the fit test. My fit version used a light green bamboo french terry and a printed cotton lycra.

This version isn't quite as warm as the quilted knit, but I'll be able to enjoy it and wear it for a bit longer. As you can see the cowl droops a bit more in a more drapey knit. Since I'm short I did adjust the pattern. I removed 1.25" from the body and 2" from the sleeves. Looking at the photos, I think I could have taken 2" out of the body - maybe even a little more. I'm always conflicted on where I want my tops to stop. I like them to hit above the widest part of my hips or below that spot. And I ended up with them stopping pretty close to my widest spot.

The Lamma Hoodie & Sweatshirt is on sale for 20% off through Monday, January 25th! Be sure to check out Kennis's blog post with the tester roundup. It's fun to see all the variety of fabrics and patterns that other testers used. Maybe they will inspire you to make one.

If you are wondering about the name Lamma - Kennis is from Hong Kong and Lamma Island is a part of Hong Kong. It's an island that people go to on outings or for school trips. Kennis often names her patterns after locations around the world.

5 out of 4 Annabeth Sweatshirt

The coldest months in Texas are January and February. With the start of the New Year comes the colder weather. I've found myself reaching for my 5 out of 4 Annabeth Sweatshirts I made back in 2019 when I tested the pattern. Now that I'm working from home daily, I decided it was time to make a few new ones.

This one is my favorite! I received this fun retro rainbow plaid from Northern Whimsy on Spoonflower. This plaid is printed on the bias and is also available printed on the grain. I received the Modern Jersey which is my favorite for knit tops. This isn't Northern Whimsy's only plaid either - they have a huge assortment of plaids and each is unique and beautiful.

I love the relaxed fit of the Annabeth. It has the fit and comfort of a classic sweatshirt. I used a cotton lycra from Made Whimsy for the body in chocolate brown. I love the contract it gives to the retro rainbow plaid.

On colder days I might through a scarf on to keep my neck warm. I may even order this retro rainbow plaid to make one. I could see wearing it a lot.

I also made another Annabeth with some french terry from my stash. I got this from a friends destash and not certain of the origin. It was a faux knit pattern to it which I thought was fun.

I used a ribbed knit for my bands on this Annabeth. This french terry is fairly think and had more drape than the cotton lycra I used in the one above. Therefore, this Annabeth tends to hang a little longer on me.

Here's a closer look at the fabric. I love the mix of bright colors.

I'm actually considering taking a bit of length off the bottom of this Annabeth as it feels a tad too long on me. But, let's be honest - I probably won't get around to doing it.

If you are looking for a fast and easy pattern without any hemming - the Annabeth is perfect. I make the simplest version with a plain front and back with a neckband. The pattern also has the option for color blocking, pockets, and a hood. The pattern is well drafted and I love how comfortable it is.