Sewing Greenstyle Fabric and Life During Shelter in Place

Today’s post is a quick fabric review for a new-to-me athletic fabric (Arete) as well as one I have tried many times and always love to wear (ABP). I used some tried and true patterns that I seem to never tire of sewing and also made a matching set for my youngest. I also just wanted to give a quick update from my life during the shelter in orders currently in place.

I received neon pink ABP and atlantic blue arete (pronounced ar-tay) fabric from Greenstyle Creations, and it is perfect for making a workout set for spring. I also made good use of my scraps, and made a workout set for my daughter.

The pink is a very bright neon, and I swear it glows in my photos! It is very happy color and perfect for brightening up my workout clothes. The fabric base is an athletic brushed polyester that is 190 gsm, which means it is perfect for tank tops. It is thick enough to not be see through and light enough to not be hot. It is one of my favorite bases of fabric to make tanks and tees out of. Since it is brushed it is soft to the touch and does not feel slippery or cold. It is a great fabric for adults and kids, and I was happy to have enough of a scrap to get her a summer tank out of it too!

For my top pattern, I chose the Lille by Greenstyle. I love the racerback and the fit of this tank! You really can’t have enough Lille’s in your closet! The arms and neck can be finished with binding or with bands. You can watch videos of how to perfect your single fold binding, double fold binding, and bands from the tank sew along we did together last summer.

For my daughter’s tank top, I used the Stitched Upon a Time Artemis. I love the gathers at the back!

For our pants, I tried out the new Arete fabric that Greenstyle just added to their fabric shop. It is a fabric that works great for athletic tights and pullovers. It has nice compression and firm stretch. It is not brushed but has a more smooth feel to it. It is not slippery or cold like swim fabric and easy to sew with. I like to wear mainly supplex and athletic brushed polyester in the winter months, while in the summer months I prefer lighter fabrics like this one. The stretch is firm enough that I probably should have added more to my waistband seams because the waistband feels tighter as the day goes on (Or maybe, the quarantine lifestyle has caught up with my waistline!) It doesn’t give at all, which on the bright side means that I don’t pull my pants up throughout the day.

Arete weighs in at 270 gsm. It is a lighter weight fabric for leggings so it will keep you cooler. Since it is lighter weight, it will definitely show regular underwear lines so you will need to have the no show brief or the no show thong pattern for undergarments with this one. I think it is a great athletic fabric for the warmer months. I am wearing a no show brief in this photo, and it is pretty well hidden!

I used the Inspire tights for my pants, and I used the girls stride tights for my daughters. She has been wearing the 2t size since she was 9 months and her legs still don’t really fill them out. She only seems to grow up and not out!! The only difference between this pair and the pairs I made her when she was a little baby is that I added 2 inches to this one!

How is your life changed during the COVID-19 epidimic? I am already a stay at home mom to 5 and am homeschooling 4 of them and keeping up with a toddler so life is really not much different. If anything, it has really helped me in ways I had no idea that I needed!

The first way that it has helped is that I finally took the plunge to learn about grocery pickup (from Walmart) and grocery delivery (from Whole Foods via Amazon). Both are absolutely amazing. I wished I would have done this a long time ago, and I am so grateful for the push to start. I would not recommend Kroger or Target, though. Kroger took a week and got so many things wrong. They also were 24 hours late with their time frame. Target only allows in-store pickup of perishables, and their website is just downright frustrating if you are trying to get both non-perishables and perishables. If you have any other great experiences with pickup or delivery, I would love to hear them!

At first my kids were disappointed to have all their activities and coops cancelled because they really look forward to seeing friends and having social time. Thankfully, after a few weeks, they made lots of neighborhood friends that we had not noticed before (I guess due to differing schedules). It is really nice to have close friends without the stress of driving and arranging play times. So, what initially was a disappointment has turned into an amazing blessing.

My husband thankfully has an office job that allowed him to start working from home during the day about a month ago, and I have absolutely LOVED having him home everyday. I have been sleeping in and catching up on sleep I have missed for the last 10 years. He also is quick to jump in and help with homeschooling or discipline or fun in his breaks through the day. It also has just really been nice on our relationship to spend sometime catching up on shows together and spending time drinking wine without a care or rush in the world. I never realized how crammed our life was and then all at once everything felt freed up – and in such a good way.

Since my husband is at home, though, he has taken over my office where all of my sewing is and so I no longer am able to sew during the day. I really have not gotten much done, and I am OK with that. I have felt a little disconnected and am trying to re-imagine how to still have my hobby within a more limited time frame.

Speaking of disconnected, I have stepped back from social media a lot. I previously posted around 3-4 times a week (and sometimes everyday!) on Instagram or in sewing groups on Facebook, and strangely, I have just stepped back. I think the overwhelm stemming from the virus as well as opinions, mask sewing, and constant barrage of fear were too much for me. I also became irritated with the constant politicizing of the event as well as some really bad choices made by my local county officials (like the golf courses and driving ranges are open and crowded to the max but not the dentist or parks???) I hope that I can find excitement and joy in the social aspect of my hobby again. I wonder if I am not the only one feeling a disconnect?

Thanks for reading today. I would love to hear how you are doing. Leave me a comment or shoot me a message 🙂

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