Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: Athleisure Set for the Win!

Image
By

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

Comments

  1. AnonymousDecember 19, 2025 at 2:04 PM

    Awesome make!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousDecember 19, 2025 at 2:38 PM

    How do you clean the fuzz out of your machine? I get frustrated with it clogging my machine all the time and then I don't want to sew knits.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousDecember 20, 2025 at 7:03 AM

    I could live in this! Your outfit will be great for travel, so comfy and warm. Great job of gathering the sleeves into the cuff! Enjoy and looking forward to your future makes.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ms.NDecember 20, 2025 at 7:08 AM

    I am not a sweatsuit kind of girl. I have found very few that I actually feel fabulous in. In addition, I HATE that string!! I find it incredibly annoying. ☺️ However, I LOVE the cut of those pants and that sewn in crease --chef's kiss! Great work.

    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.

Recent Posts You Might Like

Help Our Buyers Shop!

By
  Comment on this post with what you are looking for right now and our buyers will seek it out!  I am craving wool gabardines and ponte knits in fun autumn colors. What about you?
129 comments
Continue Reading »

Sewing Vintage for Summer

By
Hello sewing friends!  I was highly motivated to try another one of the vintage Polynesian Pattern dresses I’ve collected during our hot weather. The patterns are all dramatic and fashionable and really apropos for summer styling. This one is number 204, the Pilialoha Dress.  The gown includes a wide boatneck that many of them feature, plus a very beautiful back gathering and wraparound closure. I always find that the special details on the back are such a chic surprise compared to the simple front.  I chose a lemon covered cotton lawn . I am really delighted with the quality of this cotton, it’s luxuriously soft and smooth. The scale of the lemons and blossoms are just right and not overwhelming, and the soft yellow background is beautiful. This could not be more charming and summery!  I also chose some excellent lightweight interfacing for my facings, and the real highlight is these Dritz Floral Sew-On Snaps that I’ve had my eye on for months! Finally, the perfect ...
4 comments
Continue Reading »

Athletic Wear Refresh: A Bold New Gym Set

By
There’s something especially motivating about refreshing your workout wardrobe with pieces that feel like you. As part of my ongoing athletic wear refresh, I’m adding another handmade set to my gym wardrobe—and this one might be the boldest yet. Lately, I’ve been taking a closer look at my handmade wardrobe and thinking more intentionally about what I actually wear in this season of my life. Athletic wear has become a big part of that. Instead of treating workout clothes as an afterthought, I want my gym wardrobe to have the same personality, color, and style as everything else I make. And this fabric made that very easy.  The Fabric That Started It All   The moment I saw this vibrant multicolored paisley, I was immediately drawn to it. The mix of warm reds, oranges, greens, turquoise, and golden yellow against the light background feels bold, energetic, and a little unexpected for athletic wear . There’s something about the print that reminds me of Etro and other higher-end f...
7 comments
Continue Reading »

Falling for Chiffon Again

By
Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Tira from Tira Cooks, and I finally made the perfect sundress too bad summer is almost over! This is my last sewing project of the summer season, and I chose a beautiful red-and-white print. The result is a lightweight, flowy dress that can easily transition from summer into fall and even winter with the right layers. This fabric was actually my second choice. I originally told myself, “You need a break from chiffon!” But here I am, sewing chiffon again. The crisp hems and sewing overall were surprisingly easy. The only reminder that I was working with chiffon fabric was all the fraying! Even better, this fabric is practically wrinkle resistant. I twisted, tied, and scrunched it, and it still came out looking beautiful with zero wrinkles. Because this was a border print, planning my layout before cutting was extremely important. I mapped out the pattern pieces first to make sure the print continued beautifully throughout the dress without breaking up the de...
6 comments
Continue Reading »