Back to the Gym and Making My Own Gym Clothes

I am back at the gym!! Of course, this means I had to sew more fun athletic clothes. Do you sew your own activewear?

I find it one of the quickest and most satisfying things to sew. I also can get a great fit in fabrics I love and feel good wearing. When I wear my handmade gym clothes when working out, I do not have to worry about everything staying put or feeling too tight in the wrong places, and frankly, that is worth all the time and effort it takes to sew my own. I also am petite so struggle with finding fit in store made bottoms.

Did you know that Greenstyle Patterns has an annual Fit Capsule Challenge? I have taken part in it for the past several years and always find so much inspiration and motivation when I join in. It usually lasts a month and has prizes and discounts.

The gist of the challenge is to sew at least 3 items that coordinate well for whatever type of activity you do to stay in shape. I have blogged about it several times, including here and here. You can read the details specific to this year on the Greenstyle blog. ALSO, there is a sitewide pattern discount of 25% off!! Use code 2022PFC through March 13th.

I got a little head start on sewing for it this year and made 6 items for today’s post! I hope you love all the details of each item. Let’s start with the bra.

I made the Greenstyle Embrace bra. This is a pattern that I have grown to love. I previously made dozens of Power Sports Bras but have lately been reaching more for my Embrace bras because I love how easy the flat front is to wear under more garments. (The power sports bra has princess seams on the front) I made this Embrace bra using the techniques in the Power Sports Bra pattern, though, because I did not want to do binding on the neckline. I have a sew along for the Embrace pattern here.

This is the racerback view on the pattern. It also includes a U-back style and a layered U and racerback for even more support.

Next, I made these Inspire leggings and added the Brassie jogger pocket onto them. I chose this pattern because it has more ease which gives me more room to grow. I notice when I work out more, I usually gain the inches in my backside and legs.

I used gold topstitching thread and love how it sparkles. To get this type of seam, I first sewed my seam with a serger (right sides together like usual). Then, I topstitched that seam down using my coverstitch with 3 needles, sewing on the inside of the pants. The only place I sewed from the right side was on the rise and hems. I decided they did not need to be highlighted.

It is like a little touch of magic.

I used the free contour waistband pattern on these instead of the waistband included in the pattern. It has a little more shaping to it and stays up better when running.

Next, I made a pair of Super G shorts. These also have the gold sparkle topstitching.

The Super G pattern has a gusset and the best pockets. The pattern does not include a cut line for shorts, but I have a video on how I cut the pattern pieces here.

Next, I made three tank tops that mix and match well with this as well as lots of my athletic clothes – a grey bamboo/cotton longer tank, a black cotton cropped tank, and one out of this alcohol ink print.

For the grey tank top, I used the Greenstyle Lille pattern.

For my next two tank tops, I used the Greenstyle Elevate for everything above the armscye and Greenstyle Cami cropped hemline for everything below the armscye.

Which one would you wear the most with this set?

Fabric

The print fabric that I used for this post is called Mystic Cavern. It is part of the Alcohol Ink artwork in the current round at The Styled Magnolia. I got the Athletic Brushed Polyester base. It is a soft fabric that wicks sweat really well. It is not heavy but is thick enough for leggings and sports bras as well as tanks and dresses! They have lots of other bases if you prefer to sew bags, quilts, or other types of garments.

The grey fabric is the bamboo cotton jersey base from The Fabric Fairy. I like this base better than a traditional cotton lycra because it is softer. I also like it better than a traditional bamboo lycra because it is a little heavier so does not wrinkle so bad and show every lump and bump.

The black fabric is a cotton lycra scrap from Made Whimsy. This is part of their dream solids so it is a softer cotton lycra and great quality. It is not quite as soft as the bamboo, but I still like how well it works for a tank! It is still a great quality for the price.

I hope I have inspired you in today’s post!  I would love to stay connected with you. You can find me on Instagram. You can subscribe to my YouTube channel HERE. 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.

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 your support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.

My husband was my photographer for these pieces. He happened to be wearing all stuff made by me! The top is an Excel tee in double brushed poly and his shorts are the Iron joggers in French Terry.