Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Polartec Palooza

Howdy, you lovely Fabric Mart folks!


First things first:  Happy happy birthday to my hubby, who is having a significant birthday today.  :D  He's not the subject of this post, but you will see his lower legs and feet later.  ;)

Now, let me tell you a story a little story about this Polartec Power Dry.  I'd seen so many wonderful technical fabrics around throughout the internet and was so curious:  power dry, power stretch, power wool, there were so many!  When I happened upon this lovely Ocean Teal Polartec Power Dry I knew it was time for me to finally try one of these magical fabrics.  Unfortunately this is sold out now, but the closest you can find would be these Polartec activewear fabrics.

Shopping online can be a little difficult, because you never know exactly what you'll get, but I was very pleased to receive this beefy yet drapey and sleek, super stretchy and totally opaque fabric.  This was a fabric driven project, where I just knew wanted to use this particular textile, but:  for what?

What ended up being a two (plus a bonus, making it three) patterns from my favorite indie pattern company:  Jalie.  Here's what I came up with using Jalie 2448, Jalie 2920 and Jalie Yoko (3896).

The first I started on was the Stretch Socks:  Jalie 2448.


The pattern comes with a huge number of sizes, so I whipped some up for everyone in the family:  for the almost 2 year old Peaches, 4 1/2 year old Cheeks and my husband.  They're technically labeled "ladies stretch socks" so have limitations to the biggest of ladies shoe sizes, but I made my husband a U.S. size 11 (which is roughly equivalent to a men's size 9 1/2).  They worked great for him, and he reports he'd love some more in a more neutral color (black).


The pattern directions are quite simple, you cannot use a serger because you have to very accurately sew up to the point on the side of the heel, but I feel like this pattern falls under the "easy to learn, difficult to master" category.  Even with my IDT (built in walking foot) my sewing machine stretched the fabric out immensely.
 

The pattern references a seam allowance, but really the sock edges are abutted to one another.  If you look closely at the diagrams you'll see a wide zig zag that zigs on the fabric and zags off of it is in order.  I would 100% recommend watching their instructional video (also, their videos are so great in general; I've made a few of their garments following the video alone) for this pattern to get detailed information on the appropriate width and length zig zag.

I'd also recommend for sure taking any stitching breaks with your needle down in the zig, or you may end up with some pretty funky looking seams, once you tug them open.  In this photo you see the craziness of not stopping at the zig on the left, the "nice" seam I got is in the middle, and the right shows it on my hubby's leg.


I will admit, I sewed THREE pairs of these before I figured this all out (AKA watched the video); the first were sewn with a zig zag completely on the fabric.  They are passable, but definitely not as comfortable as they could be.  I will probably remake the pair for myself, but the kids will grow out of theirs in about 2 seconds so I won't bother remaking theirs (except maybe in bigger sizes with the appropriate methods as they grow).


The second pattern is Jalie 2920:  a legging pattern that includes a skirt and stirrup options.


This pattern is pretty much perfection.  It goes together so easily and fits like a dream.  I see so, so many more of these in my future.  I ended up adding 2" to the length of these and think they're perfect for cooler temps on my 30" inseam; as designed they're more of an ankle length.


I had a little trouble with the fabric stretching out (again) when finishing the stirrup on Peaches' pair, but that seems to be the nature of this very stretchy Power Dry.  She's a bit smaller than the smallest size (F) still by an inch or two around.  I figured there was enough negative ease in these for them to work in general, but I shortened them by 1", which was still not quite enough.  That's OK, they'll fit in a few months!



Once I got done with all of that I thought...but what could we wear with these?  JALIE YOKO!  Make it sew!


Did I mention that Yoko is freeeeeeee?  F R E E is always a fantastic word in my book.


I've been meaning to sew up this pattern since it came out, and wasn't willing to use a fabric I loved because I wasn't sure how the silhouette would look on me.  I chose a sweater knit from my stash; I used the back side because the brushed front had some unfortunate pilling in the wash.  Sometimes it pays to get creative!  You can find similar kinds of sweater knits here (The haccis and this one would be the best bets).



Verdict?  Love.  And I don't even like wearing turtlenecks; I haven't owned one in over a decade.  But this top, sewn up in a soft sweater knit?  Yes!


Yoko is the dead simple solution to introducing beginners to sewing with knits.  Literally some rectangles with a couple of trapezoids.  It's both on trend and easy as pie (getting hungry from these food idioms).  And free.  Score!


Also, it looks pretty dang good with these leggings.


Until next time, all!

Jess

Comments

  1. Her tiny feet in those stirrups! <3

    I love the matching socks! And I must check out the legging pattern.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have been sewing socks for ages with the Pepper Tree sock pattern. I use small zigzag stitches and trim the seam extra off after stitching. No buying winter socks for me now. Polar fleece type fabric makes them warm and cozy. Thank-you for the fun post.
    Gail

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: A Denim Set for Spring

Happy Friday All! I am ecstatic to share my latest make that I had on my to make list for a while.  My goal for the month of February was to sew a mini vacation capsule for a trip, but unfortunately I did not get a chance to. I was able to make 3 of the 6 pieces including this denim set. When this beautiful denim fabric arrived, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I have been wanting to recreate a linen look I made a few years ago using the Montoya coat pattern with a few adjustments.  I created VIEW A without the peplum and lengthened it by 6 inches. Instead of sewing the tie inside the seam of the top like I did here, I wanted to make it separate so that it looks like a jumpsuit. (Read the blogpost here ). Moreover, my body has changed and I needed to cut a size larger so that I can rock it as an open vest or a top tucked in. I love the way it turned out but wish I had extended it by 8 inches instead of 6. For the pants, I went to my tried and true simplicity 8605 pants pattern and

Made By A Fabricista: Three Spring Basics – With a Twist

Hello Sewing Friends! By the time spring rolls around I am ready to pack away my winter wardrobe and wear my warm weather clothes. Since I don’t go into an office setting – and I like to be comfortable - basic essentials in my wardrobe include t-shirts, cardigans and knit dresses. The Cardigan The idea of sewing elevated basics came about when I spotted this fabulous FTY knit with a sequin floral and scrolls pattern.  With sequins for daytime being a spring 2023 trend, I decided to use the fabric to sew a cardigan. This is not your typical cardigan. Not only did I choose a sequin knit, but I chose what I consider to be a unique pattern, the Cascade Dress from The Sewing Workshop (now out of print). I have sewn it a few times but never with sequin fabric. My cardigan is actually a top that is designed to button down the front but I made a few small changes to the pattern. I lengthened the front by four inches, removed the front plackets, and added a button and fabric loop at the front n

Made By A Fabricista: Start Summer Sewing Now!

Hello fellow Fabric Mart lovers! It’s March and spring and summer will be here before you know it!  We need to get prepared for warmer weather. Fabric Mart is the place to get started with your warmer weather must haves, whether it's patterns or fabric. As you know they got it all.   I got my hands on an amazing oatmeal colored linen and it was the most perfect fabric for a vacation I took in February.  For a while we (myself and my family) had been planning a trip to Maui!  We finally got to see this beautiful place.  It was mid 70s everyday with just the right amount of humidity.  The sun shined most days and we got sprinkled on by the Hawaiian showers that pop up.  We saw rainbows, whales, turtles and all the lush beauty Maui had to offer us.  It was an amazing trip and this amazing trip needed the right wardrobe.  I took so many of my Fabric Mart Fabric makes with me!! But before I went you know I had to get some more sewing in. Easy and fast was the plan. Also I really wanted