Florals and Stripes Oh My – The Secret to Sewing Activewear that You Love

It is no secret that I love sewing my own athletic clothes. I think the hardest part of sewing your own athletic clothes, though, is finding the right fabrics. Even though I mostly make my own now, I still love to go to Lululemon and Athleta just to touch the fabric, drool over the prints, and get a sense of what the higher quality stuff feels like. I am very blessed to live close to a fabric district, and I feel like a kid in a candy store when they get shipments of quality athletic overstock. However, as a blogger, this does not really help my readers when I tell them I found an amazing fabric at an amazing deal in a warehouse in Dallas.

I still try to order online and get a sense of which shops carry what types of fabric. It is really frustrating when I pay a lot of money to a store that I see seamstresses raving about, and then, when I receive it, the quality is inconsistent, and it’s often not advertised as what I would ever use it for. I have several shelves of fabric like this, that I need to figure out something better to do with. I do have a few stores that I currently trust and try to blog about as much as I can. One of my long time favorites is Zenith and Quasar (which I most recently blogged about here), and today, I am so excited to add The Styled Magnolia to my list of favorite athletic fabric online retailers.

I Tried the ABP First

When I first saw The Styled Magnolia fabric show up in Facebook sewing groups, they definitely caught my eye. Their artwork and prints were just outstanding, and I could not pass it up. I ordered my first print on their athletic brushed polyester (ABP) base about 2 months ago, and I was actually a bit underwhelmed when I first received it. I loved the print, but the brushed wrong side was furrier than I expected. I don’t have the gentlest wash routine so I was actually concerned that the fabric wouldn’t hold up to me if it already looked a little pilled on the wrong side after the first wash. The right side still looked fantastic, though, so I quickly sewed the print up because I couldn’t wait to put it to the test.

I wore the tights initially in this blogpost on the Studio to Street Top. When worn, they felt like the coziest second pair of skin. The fabric had great compression and was just downright comfortable. I am so glad to report to you that I have since worn them every single time they are washed and can’t get enough of them. The right side has stayed remarkably beautiful and washed so well. The wrong side has also stayed the same. I now think that the first wash fluffed up the brushed fibers a little on the wrong side because it has not changed at all since then. I have also worked out in them several times and was so excited that they held up great for my workouts. It’s crazy how much a first impression can change when you give a fabric a chance.

I Tried the Supplex Next

Next, I started stalking The Styled Magnolia Facebook group. I wanted to see what prints and fabric bases that she would have next and see if she was getting more of this ABP. To my absolute excitement, I saw a call out for seamstresses to sew up athletic fabric. I am sure you know how this is going to go. I put both hands up and said “Pick Me!”

The first fabric that she sent me to try was her Supplex base. Last month, I blogged HERE about her solid Supplex that she keeps in stock. Today, I get to show you the prints that she is offering on Supplex by preorder – Mystic Rose.

My Supplex Opinion

I absolutely LOVE The Styled Magnolia Supplex. It feels soft and stable like cotton but does not crease or retain moisture. It is also a great weight, which has a completely different meaning depending on who you ask. Some people love thick and heavy Supplex, but personally, I prefer a more midweight if I plan to work out in it. I also live in Texas where the heat can feel unbearable in the summer. This Supplex comes in at 300 gsm which is the perfect balance of not too thin and not too thick. The fiber content is 87% Nylon/13% Spandex.

I used the Greenstyle Inspire Tights and Power Sports Bra for the Mystic Rose Floral Supplex Strikes. I love how firm the stretch is on these pants. They seriously will hold you in, but are still very comfortable. My personal preference is to use the Strides or Inspire tights for this Supplex. I would probably size up if using this Supplex on the Super G pattern. Keep in mind that my measurements fall in the top of my size in the Super Gs, and the Super Gs are drafted for fabric with 75% stretch. You can definitely stretch this fabric to 75%, but I find the stretch very firm when stretched that far. The Greenstyle Strides or Inspires only need 50% stretch, and I fall at the bottom of the measurement range for my size on those patterns so I tend to gravitate towards Strides or Inspires for this fabric.

My bra also has the perfect amount of support in this fabric. I am not wearing any cups and only lined the bra in a thinner athletic knit. To give you some background: I have nursed 5 babies and am no longer 20 so I need all the help I can get.

I used the nursing modification included in the Power Sports Bra Pattern and also made the strappy back version. I used 1.5 inch soft plush elastic for the underbust band. I have never seen a sports bra I loved this much in the stores and that had NURSING access!

I am planning for my 1 year old to be our last baby, and all I can think about is “Where was this bra when I had my first baby!!!” I really don’t know what I am going to do with it when our nursing journey ends.

What do you think of this print?!

Bring on the Stripes!

I am glad you made it this far because the next bra and leggings combination that I want to show you is SO EXCITING! I titled this post “The Secret to Sewing Activewear that You Love” because the secret is you need awesome prints and fabric that you don’t want to take off. The correct kind of athletic fabric needs to: (a) hold up to a sweaty work out by giving you the right kind of compression, wicking sweat away, and breathing, (b) make you want to go workout, and (c) make you feel like a million bucks while working out (or just going out if you tend to wear your athletic clothes like real clothes like I do!)

Aren’t these stripes AMAZING?! The stripes are a panel that is 39 inches. The stripes are directional, so you put the smaller stripes at your ankles and have wider stripes towards your butt.

I also used the Inspire Tights and Power Sports Bra patterns for this set. They are just so quick and fun to make, and I notice I wear them the most. I used the no side seam hack for the Inspires because I did not want to match all the stripes on my side seam.

Since the stripes are printed (and not yarn-dyed), you definitely don’t want a pattern that stretches them to their max or you will see the white base show through. Also, look at that tummy control that this fabric offers!!

For this Power Sports Bra, I made another nursing version and used the U-back included in the pattern. I did not cross my straps and just made them like regular bra straps. I also used regular bra strapping so that they are adjustable.

This particular colorway of stripes will be on preorder closer to the end of the year. There are 4 other fantastic colorways being ran on Supplex currently that you can preorder now.

Resources

• The Styled Magnolia Supplex Preorder can be found HERE. The Preorder will be open through April 12th. After this date, you can always find a great selection in their Pick A Print section, which works like a continual preorder. The preorder is submitted on the first of every month.
• The Greenstyle Power Sports Bra Pattern can be found HERE.
• The Greenstyle Inspire Tights Pattern can be found HERE.

Thanks for reading today! I hope I have inspired you to sew your own activewear that you love. I love mine so much I seem to wear it more than to the gym lately. Would you wear these stripes out to more than the gym? I hope so because I have been!

Disclosures

I received this fabric for free after paying for shipping to give the fabric shop feedback about the quality and details of the fabric. This post also may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. This does not cost you anything, and I appreciate the support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.