I got a new toy in my sewing room and finished 4 more items of my Fit Capsule! That statement alone makes me feel very accomplished! If you need an attitude adjustment or a quick little boost, just write down a few things that DID go right this week and that you are thankful for. Homeschooling + 5 kids is definitely not what I would call smooth sailing, but keeping myself encouraged is like medicine for the soul. Nothing that is ever worth it is “easy.”
Anyways, without further ado, let’s jump in to today’s post.. 🙂
Reverse Coverstitched Super Gs
I have been sewing activewear for quite some time now, and I have happily been doing so without a coverstitch. I see the question asked by sewists all the time, “Can I make my own leggings (or swimsuits or bras) without a coverstitch?” The answer is emphatically “YES!”
I have been saving up to get one for at least a year! Some pretty fabric or something I needed to get my kids seemed to always jump right in line ahead of it, and anyways, I was getting along so well without one by just using a twin needle on my regular sewing machine when I needed to hem or topstitch something. I also had remembered the tears when I was learning to thread the first serger that I bought (an Elna) so I was nervous to learn a new machine! (Thankfully, my second serger, a Juki, has jet air threading, so the tears ceased once I bought such a friendly machine.)
I bought the Babylock Coverstitch! It is one of the more expensive machines on the market, but I have always seen such good reviews that I knew it would be a trusty machine. To help lower the price, I traded in that old fiesty Elna serger.
I brought it home, and straight out of the box, hemmed some pants, and then, of course, I had to try it with reverse coverstitch so I made some Super Gs! This is the pattern that made me want a coverstitch in the first place. Have you seen the reverse coverstitched yellow pair that Angelyn made in testing?! They are so pretty!
I am so happy with the machine I bought. So far, it just purrs and does not fuss at all. It went over the bulkier seam junctions without even noticing them. I also feel like the machine has really great control. It is sensitive to my touch or lack thereof and does not zoom out from under my feet. I am still not confident to get that very last inseam seam, but maybe one day I can bunch a pair of leggings up enough to do it!
Getting a stand alone coverstitch machine has definitely taken my athletic sewing up just one notch, but I will continue to tell sewists to not be intimidated or feel that sewing activewear has to be super expensive! Getting a coverstitch is nice, but it is definitely EXTRA!
The Fabric
I used Athletic Brushed Polyester (ABP) from The Styled Magnolia for this pair. This particular print is in the pick-a-print section of their website and is called shades of black camo. If you submit an order from this section, it is submitted to the printer at the end of the month. I absolutely LOVE this fabric and had saved it for when I owned a coverstitch to give it the details I wanted!! I only had a yard to work with so I cut the gusset cross-grain since the gusset is longer than a yard. This works fine since the fabric has plenty of stretch both ways!
Two New Tops
The next thing I wanted to make for my capsule was a tank top and long sleeved-top. For my tank top, I used the Lille pattern, and my friend Aimee put the HTV on it! You can find the cut file here. I got the fabric for my tank from Aimee as well! When she moved this past year, she sent me a lot of her scraps! It is a great shade of yellow. I always worry whether I can even pull off yellow, but I know I will wear this top to work out in a lot!
For the next top, I used the free Green tee pattern with some grey jersey I found in my stash. I have been Outlander obsessed for some time now and told my friend Aimee I needed a shirt, so I made the shirt, and she made this HTV for me!!! I need to figure out what I can make her in return because that is seriously the sweetest thing ever. I have watched all of this show and listened to all of the audio books. I have yet to find a book series I like this much. Sometimes, after trying to get into a book that I just can’t, I will go back and listen to or read some Outlander to renew my excitement for reading. Haha! Dana Gabaldon definitely has a gift. Could book 9 be out tomorrow, please?
“Je Suis Prest” is French for “I am ready!” I think it is just perfect 🙂
Yoga Pants
I also made some Everyday Yoga Pants! These are just the coziest pants and work for light workouts or for everyday lounging.
I used the high rise waistband from the Stride tights on them, and it is super nice! The main fabric is a french terry, and the fabric for the waistband is cotton lycra. The french terry is not super stretchy and doesn’t have great recovery so I knew the cotton lycra would be better suited for a waistband.
This pattern is super flattering and bootylicious for lounge pants!
I made my measured size (XXS) for the Yoga pants and removed 3 inches in length total. I have a 27 inch inseam, and the pattern is drafted with a 30 inch inseam.
I am also {trying} to let my natural waves have their way. It is taking some patience, but I feel like my hair is looking healthier. I am doing the “low poo” curly girl method and have found a few products I like. I still haven’t figured out how to make it have larger clumps, and it seriously takes forever to dry it. One step at a time, though… I just wanted to share my journey and hopefully I will have more progress in a few months with figuring out my hair!
I took photos in a big field today, and let my kids run around and get some energy out. My daughter was letting me know that it was time to leave…
Come join me in the Fit Capsule challenge if you haven’t already begun! You can find all the details of the challenge here.
Thanks for stopping by today! I would love to stay connected with you. You can find me on Instagram. If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest. You may also follow my blog with Bloglovin.
Resources
- Patterns: Super G Tights, Everyday Yoga Pants, Lille Tank, and Green Tee. Greenstyle patterns are also on sale through midnight on 2/29, use code 30KFitCapsule for 25% off!
- Fabric: The Styled Magnolia shades of black camo on ABP, yellow cotton lycra, grey jersey, and grey french terry.
*Disclosures
This post 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 genuinely appreciate the support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.
XO
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