Made by a Fabricista: Workout Yoga Pants

I think I have turned into an activewear fabric junkie. I can't get enough of them! Well, I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I joined a gym again and have been doing a lot of physical activity this summer. The last time I bought activewear clothes was like five years ago when I joined a gym. I went for about a year and lost interest. I would still wear the yoga pants and gym clothes, but honestly, I was really tired of my look.

So I looked for some good activewear patterns and came across a few from Kwik Sew. I wanted to start with a pants pattern and Kwik Sew #3988 looked perfect! The pattern comes with a two inseam lengths. Since it is summer, I wanted to make the shorter length. Sue made the long pants HERE. And her success with the pattern made it better for me to decide on this pattern too.

I had an activewear knit fabric in my stash from a previous Fabric Mart buyout a few years ago. So I dug it out from the bottom of the pile and got started. (You can find our selection of activewear fabrics HERE.) I read some reviews that you should almost go down a size with this pattern so you get the best fit. So I tissue fit the pants on my body and one size smaller seemed to do the trick. Remember -- activewear clothes usually fit closer to your body than regular clothes.

I did not do any alterations to the pattern. I wanted to see how it went right out of the envelope. And it was great! The hardest part was probably the gusset and the inset piece on the side of the pants. But the directions are clear, I just needed to focus a little bit more. Oh, and all the double top-stitching! I was having a hard time getting the double needle to work properly on my machine (I was getting tunneling.) And everything I did to change that didn't work. So rather than messing up the pants, I decided to stitch using a single needle, just doing it twice. I'm pretty good at keeping my stitching straight, so I wasn't concerned. I used the knit stitch on my sewing machine (I have a Bernina). I also serged all the seams.

My only complaint would be that when the pants aren't on me, it has some rippling at the waist. The only thing I can think of is that maybe I was pulling on the fabric when sewing, but I didn't think I was. The waist has elastic stitched in which also helps keep the stretchy fabric on your body. I also may make the legs a wee bit thinner next time because it gets a little loose at the bottom.

I'm really happy with my workout pants and can't wait to make more! It's time to replace the old ones in my closet. Now on to some tops!

Have you ever made your own workout clothes? Do you have pattern recommendations?

Happy Sewing!

~ Julie

Made by a Fabricista: A Wardrobe Staple for Spring - A Denim Coat

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon with Sharon Sews with my latest Fabricista make – a denim coat for spring. Denim is a wardrobe staple for many of us, and even more so this year with denim on denim looks coming back in style. The denim I used is a medium weight cotton/lycra blend with about a 20% stretch selvage to selvage. Fabric Mart always does an amazing job photographing and describing their fabrics, yet I still gasped in delight when I opened the package containing my denim. It was even better than I had anticipated. This fabric would have worked well for a traditional denim jacket – one with button front closure, chest pockets with flaps, and a collar. However, I have wanted to sew this open front coat with kimono inspired sleeves and big patch pockets since February 2021. I saw it in that month’s BurdaStyle Magazine, bookmarked the page, and promptly forgot about the coat. It’s coat #105 if you’re interested in sewing one for yourself. Fortunately, I went on an organ

Made by a Fabricista: Revving up your style in the Dana Marie Moto Jacket

Hey friends - I am so excited to have been invited to participate as a Fabric Mart Fabricista this month! This year is the year I challenge my sewing skills. I have wanted a moto jacket for some time. Not just any moto jacket but one that has a classic and timeless style. I saw the Dana Marie Moto Jacket pattern on the Fabric Mart website and knew that was the one. The fabric I used was a beautiful porcelain white/black/silver 100% polyester plaid weave boucle suiting. Remember when I said I wanted to challenge my sewing skills? 😉 This fabric was beautiful but fragile to work with. It was a great mental challenge that had me problem solving before sewing to avoid any potential problems. I first traced out the pattern onto tissue paper to determine the fit. I used scrap cotton fabric to sew up a “practice run” of the jacket. I was pleasantly surprised at how easily the jacket comes together. I sewed up the muslin in one evening. It was time to cut into the beautifu

Made By A Fabricista: My Version of the Infamous DVF Wrap Dress

Just in case you are not aware, the iconic Diane Fustenberg wrap dress has turned 50 this year. In celebration, Vogue has re-released the DVF Wrap Dress pattern, which now comes in extended sizes. This dress is so classic and fits many different body types. I got a hold of this pattern and decided this would be my birthday dress this year. This pattern is categorized as a Very Easy Vogue pattern, and I would have to agree with that. Wrap dresses are usually relatively simple to put together since there aren’t that many pattern pieces to sew together. I made View A in a size 22 and the only modification I made was to shorten the hem by 6 inches. I will say that since I used a Ponte Knit , I could have gone down to a size 20. I didn’t read the fabric suggestions before picking my fabric. I’ve always remembered seeing the DVF Wrap dress in knits. After reviewing the fabric suggestions, they do say that you can use soft fabrics, like a Challis or a Chambray. As I mentioned, I’ve alwa

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