My First Project – A Bra and Leggings Set

I got this large floral fabric (called Dark Rose) on an athletic brushed poly (ABP) base from The Styled Magnolia (*Disclosure: I received the fabric for free after I paid shipping to sew it up for their current preorder).

I had 1.5 yards to work with so I wanted to make a matching bra/leggings set. I was hoping I would have enough left over for a pair of shortie work out shorts for this summer. Spoiler – with some careful cutting, I did!

For my leggings I used the Cavallo Leggings from Greenstyle. I like this one because it has no inseam (which means one less seam showing on my legs when I take my leggings off at night!). It also has the best pockets and great seam lines.

I went back and topstitched all my seams using my coverstitch. On most of them, I did the coverstitching on the right side of the fabric so that the fun seam would show on the front. On my crotch curve and hem, though, I let the needle side show on the right side of the fabric. I used a light pink thread to topstitch and like that contrast.

A coverstitch is not necessary to sew athletic. It is more of a fun decorative look to help make the seam a little stronger. You can also use a stretch stitch or twin needle on your sewing machine to topstitch.

I LOVE the colors in this fabric! Such a soft and subtle pink on a beautiful black background – beautiful because I can wear whatever panties I want underneath it.

For my bra, I used the Power Sports Bra pattern and used bra cups from Amazon. It works as a great supportive bra for working out or just daily life! I have a dozen of these (well, probably more because they don’t all fit in my sports bra drawer anymore). I accidentally removed too much length from straps 1 and 4 on this one so it pulls slightly in the back. It is not noticeable when worn, but I can see it in photos! I should have tried it on when making it like I have done on all my other bras instead of guessing!

Now let’s chat about these fun shorties! They are made with the Super G pattern. I have a video here showing how to cut the pattern pieces for short shorts. I added an inch from my recommendations in the video so these are a little longer than the ones I made there.

I love how the Super G pocket is constructed. It has a fold at the top instead of a seam line so it feels so nice and stretchy. It is my fave for tennis balls.

I did the highest waist/rise option on the pattern for the Super Gs. I like how well it holds everything in.

So far when I have worn this set, I have worn it with the Muscle Up tank top pattern. I caught a behind photo of it when I wore it to take photos. It is a unisex muscle tank that I have made for both my husband and myself. I am 8 inches shorter than its drafted height of 5’10” and only remove about 5 or so inches from the bottom, making the armholes nice and deep on me. My 5’11” husband does not have as deep of armholes on the ones I made him since he has more height and shoulders than me!

The deep armholes sure make this a great way to keep cool in the summer.

 A Faux Toddler Romper and Simpatico Leggings

I also fell in love with another print from the preorder and had to buy it to ship with my strike off – a green/white stripe with a large floral called Whispering Sage. OF COURSE, I got it on ABP. ABP is great at not wrinkling like crazy which keeps my youngest daughter from looking like a hot mess by the end of the day.

I did not do any fancy topstitching on this pair of leggings. I wanted a simple, quick leggings pattern so I had minimal stripes to match up. I used the Greenstyle Simpatico, and it is perfection. I love that this pattern includes a petite file. (It also includes standard and tall.)

I am 5’2″ with a 26 inch inseam for leggings and made no alterations to this for height.

For my daughter, I made the Greenstyle Upton Shorts and paired them with a Slope tank. The Slope tank is a FREE kids tank pattern. These are both very quick sews, and I hope I get the chance to make her several more of these shorts for the summer with various tank combinations.

Her favorite part is the pockets. She also seems to play and be comfortable in this outfit. She refuses dresses and loves play shorts and tanks and tees.

She was amazingly cooperative at showing me her outfit and smiling for photos on this particular day!

Where is My Sewing Mojo!?

I LOVE to sew. I have sewn or done something creative most days for about 8 years now. I have only really shared my sewing with the rest of the world for the last few years, though. I noticed this past month that I would go days at a time where I just didn’t want to sew and didn’t really want to look at sewing social media because that just made me feel overloaded with too much creativity without the desire to do anything about it.

It started at the end of the school year because I felt insanely overwhelmed with finishing the year out with my kids. We have homeschooled up until this point, and they are enrolled in public school for next year. I just felt burned out by having so much responsibility and know it is time.

I also have two boys in baseball, and we have had some not very good situations mainly with my older son’s coach. I think the emotional stress of it and trying to plan, navigate, and advocate has taken a forefront in my mental space, crowding out the creativity I normally crave. I have gone through difficult places in my life before and came out blogging and sharing, but normally, I never just walk by my sewing room. I have fervently sewed entire quilts trying to work through and pray about things! BUT this time, I have just walked past my sewing room many nights after the kids are finally in bed and jumped in bed myself! Maybe out of pure exhaustion. This mom gig is hard. It feels like an ocean that ebbs and flows with its seasons. Some are intense while others bring rest. I am praying this summer brings rest and the energy to be present with my kids, making last memories, and sew some pretty amazing stuff. I also hope I at least make a few pairs of shorts. I need some shorts ya’ll!

So, anyways, how have you emerged from times where you just didn’t want to create? I was really happy that this fabric came and brought me out of my funk for a few days. I made these about a week ago and haven’t gotten much in since! These were all pretty quick sews of things I had made before.

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.

Resources

• Super Gs for my shorties
• Power Sports Bra
• Simpatico Leggings 
• FREE Kids Slope Tank
• Kids Upton Shorts
• Whispering Sage (Green/White with Large Scale Floral) and Dark Rose – both are available on many different bases on preorder through the end of the month
• Floral

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.

I received Raspberry Creek’s Spring line in the mail last week, and I have been happily sewing it up, especially since the colors and prints are everything I want to be wearing this spring and summer! For today’s post, I will talk all about the patterns I used as well as the fabric!

Sinclair Patterns Dakota Dress

This was my first time to try a Sinclair pattern. I was immediately drawn to the button front bodice on this pattern, but when it came down to it, I ended up not using the part of the pattern that caught my eye! I thought the buttons may get a little lost in the strawberry field, so I made my life easier and used the solid front option on the pattern!

The Dakota pattern comes in petite, regular, and tall sizes, and I seriously began doubting myself as to which file I should use. I am definitely in the petite range at 5’2,” but I have sewn for myself long enough to know that I have a standard 8 inch side waist and do not fit petite clothing on top. All of my shortness is in my legs, so if I make height adjustments it is only on my bottom half. In my doubt, I consulted my Facebook sewing friend Beth, and she confirmed my gut reaction. So, I downloaded the regular file and made zero alterations to the bodice. My measurements fit squarely into a US size 2 (the XS). On the skirt, I also used the regular file but took one inch out in length. Maybe I could have saved myself time and just printed the petite skirt and used it on the standard bodice? Either way, I LOVE how my dress turned out! The fit is just perfect!

It has an interesting hemline that goes up a little on the sides. It also has POCKETS!

I love all the pinks and reds in this fabric and the pop of green. It reminds me of Strawberry Shortcake! I also love that this dress works for everyday wear or can be dressed up with a cute bag, earrings, and the right shoes. Speaking of shoes, my friend Beth said I needed some red ones to wear with this dress!

Ellie and Mac I Love the 90s Dress

I made my middle daughter a favorite Ellie and Mac pattern of mine – the I Love the 90s Dress. I have this one printed in so many sizes for my daughters. This dress is also very aptly named because I remember loving baby doll style dresses in the early 90s.

The dress has a lined bodice and is really quick to make. I used a solid white cotton lycra to line this one. I think the part that takes the longest is gathering the top of the skirt. My daughter said she felt so pretty in this dress and wanted to wear it to a picnic! Too bad it has been raining all week and is so cold and muddy outside. I told her we would dream of the summer heat and wear our dresses again when the weather cooperates.

She was so excited that she has strawberry earrings that match her dress!

Chalk and Notch Waterfall Raglan

I made my youngest daughter the Waterfall Raglan by Chalk and Notch. I have made this pattern for myself a few times and was excited to try it out on her. She turned 2 last month, and based on her measurements I made the 18 month width and size 2 for height. She is still pretty petite, and I am glad to tell you that this dress is going to probably fit her until she is at least 3! It will just slowly become a tunic and then a shirt!

I used Raspberry Creek’s white cotton lycra for her sleeves and neckband and also made her some pink leggings in cotton lycra to wear underneath it to keep her legs warm. I love the contrast and how the pops of green go with my dress! I also love how she smiles now for photos!

When I got my package of fabric in the mail last week, my youngest helped me to open what I got on Instagram, and she squealed with delight when she opened this fairy tale print.  I was so happy and relieved that she loved it just as much as I did.

She kept checking on the fabric in my sewing room for a few days after, and I had to watch her that she did not drag it off somewhere else. She was definitely more than happy to show off her finished dress for me!

Love Notions Vanguard Tee

The Vanguard tee is part of a pattern kit that also comes with a pants pattern. I made the tee for my boys because I love all the color blocking included in the pattern. It was perfect for the pirate swords print that they picked out for their shirts!

My oldest son wanted a V neck and short sleeve. I really like how easy the V is in this pattern because you overlap the pieces instead of having a line straight down the middle. It has a little more wiggle room for getting it on point that way!

My youngest son wanted long sleeves and was confused that I gave him the option for short sleeves. I tried to explain to him that I am trying to sew ahead and prepare for summer, but he was like “No, mom. You said I can’t wear short sleeves outside even just yesterday!”

The prints are just perfect for play!

Red rover, red rover, let Aaron come over!

I hope you enjoyed what I made! I am loving all the prints that Raspberry Creek has available in their spring line this year. They also had avocados, watermelon, and citrus! I just adore fruit prints!! I used cotton lycra for all of my projects, but they also have the same prints available on french terry.

Resources

• Patterns: Sinclair Dakota Dress, Ellie and Mac I love the 90s*, Chalk and Notch Waterfall Raglan, and Love Notions Vanguard
• Fabric: Strawberries, Fairy Tale main, Pirate Swords, solid pink, and solid white

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.

*Disclosures

This fabric was sent to me for free so that I could sew it up and show how the fabric looks when worn. I am so grateful for the opportunity to sew for them! Also, 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