Made By A Fabricista: Athleisure Set for the Win!

It’s officially holiday travel season and a good travel outfit is a must! I usually wear the same green sweatsuit that I purchased a few years ago. The last time I travelled, I knew that it was time for a new travel outfit. Meet the Cropped Sweater and Pintuck Sweatpants from Sew It Academy.

I’ve had this outfit on my list of things to make for a few years now. The Cropped Sweater and Pintuck Sweatpants are a class in the Sew It Academy. Sew It Academy is Mimi G’s online sewing school and each month there is a new pattern and sew along to go with it. Mimi is now offering Sew It Academy patterns for purchase without being a Sew It Academy student and this is one of them.

For the Cropped Sweater, I added 3 inches to the hem because I didn’t really want it to be cropped. I made a size 20 and graded out to a size 24 at the waist. I really enjoyed sewing this sweater up. I decided to use the instructions included with the pattern instead of watching the sew along and they were very clear and precise. My favorite part was how the instructions begin with sewing up the neckband, waistband and cuffs all at the same time. Sewing pattern pieces together that are sewn up the same way is such a time saver. The rest of the sweater sewed up very quickly.

The sweater requires top stitching around the neck and the waistband. I couldn’t find my twin needle, so I used the next best thing I could find – my edge stich foot. Have you ever used one? You will get perfect topstitching every single time. I also used it for the pintuck in the pants.

For the sweatpants, I sewed up a size 22. The modifications made were, I lowered the crotch rise by 1 inch, removed 6 inches from the hem and I did not hem the bottom of the pants since they wouldn’t fray. I am obsessed with my pants. I will definitely be making more of these so I can have a few travel outfits.

Since I already knew what pattern I was going to make, I set out to look for a sweatshirt fabric and found this Cloud Gray Heathered Sweatshirt Fleece. This fabric is the perfect sweatshirt fabric and I’m hoping I can find more. It washed very well and has a great weight to it. I also like the fact that it’s not super stretchy. If you get the opportunity to get your hands on any of this fabric, get it.

I hope you love my Cropped Sweater and Pintuck Sweatpants as much as I do. I’m going to be styling at the airport. I hope you all have a happy holiday season, and I’ll be back in 2026.

Until next time,

JOHANNA | @soveryjo

Made By A Fabricista: Sheer Elegance and Everyday Comfort with my Two New Tops

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon from Sharon Sews with my last Fabricista make for 2025. While many sew a special holiday outfit at year’s end, I went in another direction sewing two tops that couldn’t be more different. One is sheer and elegant while the other is easy comfort for everyday wear. These tops reflect how I dress at this stage of life. As an over-50 sewist, these two tops reflect how I dress at this point in my life. Sometimes I want something a bit special, other times more basic. Either way, sewing them in beautiful fabrics, custom fit to my body, makes all the difference in how I feel when I wear them. Even though I’m quite pleased with my two tops, my original plan was to sew a jacket with the tropical print stretch twill and pair it with a top sewn from the soutache mesh knit . Sadly, I wasn’t quick enough to get enough of the stretch twill to make a jacket, so a top it was! You do know you have to act fast when you see something you love on Fabric ...

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing for a Florida Cold Snap with Fabric Mart Fabrics

Even here in Florida, we get the occasional cold weather surprise, and when temperatures dipped recently, I was very glad to have the perfect handmade outfit ready to go. For this month’s Fabricista make, I sewed up New Look pattern 6771, using two beautiful fabrics sent to me by Fabric Mart Fabrics. The Fabric & Pattern Choice New Look 6771 is a cozy two-piece set featuring a relaxed-fit top and pull-on pants—exactly the kind of pattern that works well for transitional weather. I chose to start with the top, using a brown animal print French terry from Fabric Mart, and it turned out to be an absolute dream to work with. The French terry was soft, substantial without being heavy, and handled beautifully at the machine . It had just the right amount of structure to highlight the pattern’s design details while still feeling comfortable and wearable. From cutting to pressing, this fabric behaved perfectly and elevated the final garment. The Top: A Total Win The top from New Look 677...

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing the Coziest Pajama Set

For most of my life, I happily wore mismatched pajamas. Not caring what my pajamas looked like, just delighting in anything clean and comfortable. My sister also had the same mentality about pajamas until one day it all changed. She came over for a fun sister hangout weekend and pulled out a set of matching pajamas! I nearly dropped over with shock! Growing up, she was the queen of mismatched pajamas. She was notorious for wearing faded t-shirts and pajama shorts long after their life expectancy. But there she was in a set of sophisticated matching pajamas with white piping, raving about how wonderful they were. If the queen of mismatched pajamas could appreciate a fine pair of matching pajamas, everyone could. Shortly after that, I decided to give matching pajamas a try, and I became hooked as well. There is a peace and order that comes with having a matching pajama set. You always know which pajama top goes with which bottoms. You can reach for them quickly in the closet a...

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