Tag: sewing pattern

Honeycomb continued – My first sports bra

Something I have wanted to do for a long time was make my own bras. It has always seemed intimidating and I’ve never had the time to sit down and really put the research into it, I felt it needed.

I decided that this year would be the year to tackle this and with my gifted fabric and activity levels ( you can read all about that here), now seemed like the perfect time.

I naturally did lots of Facebook searching, asking other sewing friends their favorites, and finally decided on the Power Sports Bra from Greenstyle Creations, for my first.

The Power Sports Bra has several back options, a plain racerback, a keyhole racerback, or a pocket racerback. Plus a strappy cross back or a strappy U back. For my first I chose the strappy cross back, high neckline, and regular coverage cups.

Since I was making a matching set to go with my capri’s, I used the same fabrics. This Teal Honeycomb from Fabmere Fabrics, and some solid black athletic from my stash.

I have no idea why I waited so long. I think y’all have been holding out on me. 🤣 Not only was this a relatively quick sew, but it fit. I totally expected to have to make a few muslins first, nope. I followed the directions and it fit.

Now, I do want to mention. The measurements given for the elastic for my size, were too small, BUT I did as the pattern said, and checked it around me first, at which point I added 2″ to the suggested length.

I also freaked out that the straps were too short when I tried it on, like instructed. BUT after my freakout, I decided to just go with what I had and see. Not only did they fit just right, but once I added the bottom elastic, it held the back down properly. So if you try yours on, don’t freak like I did, it may just need the elastic band before it sits right.

I absolutely loved the strap assembly! Straps can be such a tedious part of sewing, when you have to turn them, but the way you do these with elastic, they were so fast! In fact, I loved it so much, I’m going to use it for other tank patterns I have. Maybe even for the cross cuffs on the strides next time.

I love this bra so much, I’m even going so far out of my comfort zone, I’m practically jumping off the cliff here, and sharing pictures of the completed set on.

I pulled out a pile of athletic fabrics I had been saving, and ordered some more elastic, and I can’t wait to make another set.

The Power Sports Bra is available in both women and girl sizing.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my sewing 💕

Tie Dye Twinning – 11th Hour Gear Joggers

With the sun here, everything gets hot to the touch, chairs, swings, slides, everything. My daughter was getting frustrated with the continual “back of the thigh burn” and she asked for some longer play shorts. Her requests were to have them just above her knees, relaxed fit, and with pockets. She also wanted to match with our puppy, so she picked a beautiful royal/aqua tie dye French Terry from So Sew English Fabrics.

I recently used the 11th hour gear jogger pattern for several pairs of joggers for her and my son. She really liked the fit so I just did a length modification to it, and added pockets.

To decide the length, she tried on her joggers, and I measured down from the crotch seam, to where she wanted them. This ended up being about 6″.

I measured down the 6″ from the crotch curve on the pattern piece, and added a new cut line. Since she gave me a 2″ area she wanted them to hit, I wasn’t worried about including seam allowance or hem.

Sewing tip: before cutting, I like to place my pattern pieces together, and ensure that the modification I did to the front and the back, will match on my side seams when sewn. Once I verified that mine matched, I sewed up the pattern per the jogger instructions.

Added a matching scARF for our “little” puppy, and done!

Enabler Alert – All Pattern Niche patterns are on 30% off sale until tomorrow (March 25th) with code SPRING30

The fabric is from So Sew English Fabrics, and they have $8.50 flat rate domestic shipping, for the month of March.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my sewing 💕

Simpatico – A New Release & Perfect Pair

It has been a while since I was super excited about a sew for myself. But let me tell you, when I pulled out the fabric (Double Brushed Poly from So Sew English Fabrics) for these new leggings, I could feel my excitement building. It only got higher when I decided to make a new top to go with it. This set has me feeling all the springy vibes and I couldn’t be more comfortable.

The leggings are a super quick and simple new pattern from Greenstyle Creations. I have a few go to legging patterns already, but this will be replacing my basic one. Why? There are a few reasons the Simpatico stands out for me.

The first thing I noticed was calf shaping. Unless leggings are super tight, I will usually get bunching above and below my calf. And if leggings are super tight, they can feel restricting and painfully tight at my calf. With these, I have no calf restriction and no bunching, they fit my legs perfectly.

Another thing I noticed and liked about the Simpatico, the three built in inseam length options. I’m 5′ 9′ with a 29″ inseam. With the three built in lengths, I fall in the standard length, and that meant I was able to skip adding for my height. The only grading I had to do, was going from my G everything to an E thigh. So it made this a really fast sew for me. Such a fast sew, that I had time to make a quick tie back tank to wear with it.

I just love how it looks tied up or left open, both work great with Simpatico!

For the Simpatico, I made a size G with an E thigh, standard length, with a high-rise waistband. The Simpatico is currently on new release sale! The Tie back tank is a straight Medium with 1″ added for my height, low neckline, racerback, in rayon spandex.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my sewing 💕

Bridging the clothing gap – Olympia

My daughter is all about the crop tops right now, and while her Dad doesn’t like her looking so grown up, he understands her desire and so we are working on outfit compromises. Who knew that sewing would provide a way to bridge the inevitable clothing gap.

Part of the crop top pull, is how much cooler she is. It is hard living in our heat, being active, and trying to stay cool, so we have been exploring new garments and fabric bases. This recent sew really hit the ball out of the park for her.

The Olympia from Pattern Niche (Formerly New Horizons Designs) has several options, but the most notable design feature, is the open/overlap sides. For her first, she picked a pretty floral double brushed poly fabric, from So Sew English, that I had saved for a while. For the Olympia options, she chose the shirt length, scoop neckline, with kangaroo pocket. The Olympia also has a tunic length option as well as a hood and a scoop hood neckline.

She is a straight size 12 for the first time ever and that made this a crazy fast sew for me. You can see my timelapse of it here.

The scoop necklines are done with a facing and pattern has you use optional interfacing.

Interfacing tip: I like to cut the interfacing 1/8-1/4″ smaller than the pattern piece it is being attached to. I have found that it cuts down on bulk in the seam allowance, and avoids the risk of getting the interfacing on my iron or ironing board.

I cut out the interfacing but ended up not using it, and for the next one, I plan to skip the facing completely, add a little to the neckline, and just turn and topstitch it.

She really loves how breathable this is, and her Dad really likes how non crop it is, and that makes it a sewing win in my book.

She is requesting more for the summer, in swim, in athletic mesh, and since it has a loose fit, I kind of want to try it in a woven.

The Olympia from Pattern Niche is not only available in girls sizing, but women as well.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you.

Layering for Winter in Arizona

Desert living really has it benefits in the winter. We do get our cold storms, but on a typical day I can start out wearing cool weather clothes, transition into tanks and even shorts, and end up back in the cool weather clothing by evening. Because of this and my circulation problems, I really love wearing pants, tanks, and cardigans. I have found myself grabbing that combo from my closet, more and more, so I decided to make myself a new set.

I recently discovered a fabric base called Oakley. I love it for cardigans! It is soft and squishy, and has a slight brushed feel. BUT, it doesn’t grow like some sweater knits, it’s easy to sew, and it is available in some really fun prints. This print in particular caught my eye and I just couldn’t pass it up.

Then came the coordinating tank fabric. I really wanted something I could wear into spring and summer, but wanted something a little “dressier” than a modal or rayon spandex. I particularly like ITY (interlock twist yarn) for dresses and tops, because it has great drape, and can keep me cool in the heat, so I started looking there. I came across this solid navy ITY and took a chance it would match the Oakley print, and ordered. The fabric matched !!

I knew before ordering, exactly which patterns I intended to use for this combo. For the tank I used the Catalina tank from So Sew English Fabrics. I liked the look when it released, but didn’t get a chance to try it out, and now was the perfect time. Since I prefer to wear my regular bra, I decided to omit the elastic for the included shelf bra, and treat it as a liner. Because of my height and my side waist length, I added an inch in the length of the bodice, and also added an inch to the “shelf bra” length.

A few things to note: I am 5’9″ with a side waist length of 9″. Most patterns are designed for a height of 5’5″, and an 8″ side waist length. I have found that adjusting my 1″ for side waist length difference, is usually enough for tops, based on where I carry my height. However, in this case, I would have needed to add 2″ to both the shelf bra and the bodice, versus the 1″ I did, if I had made the pattern as drafted and used the elastic, and hemmed the bodice (which I didn’t do, for the look I wanted). The Catalina is drafted for a height of 5’5″. If I had used a heavier fabric or one that grew, I could have left it with just adding 1″.

Since the “lining” was designed to be a shelf bra, it comes in to your body and has more negative ease. I found that this helped keep the “lining” in place and gave me a really clean silhouette, with no visible lines.

I particularly like the extra strappy look I got on the back, wearing it with my regular bra.

For the cardigan, I chose the Patterns for Pirates, Cocoon Cardi. I had a happy accident the last time I made the pattern and ended up with 10″ bands versus the 5″ or 13″ options in the pattern. I also sized it up one, from my measured size, and the combo was love. For this cardigan, I did the same.

These two have been on wear, wash, repeat since making, and I foresee the tank being worn with shorts, into summer.

ombre leopard print Oakley patterns for pirates cocoon cardigan and Navy ITY So sew English Fabrics cocoon cardigan

The links in this post are not affiliate links.

Spring Fling Blog Hop – Ogden Cami

Welcome to the Spring Fling Blog Hop! 

Spring Fling blog hop

First, here are all the blog hop details!! Each day there will be two bloggers, with new posts and giveaways! To enter for each giveaway, just visit each post (linked below) and add a comment to it. The blogs will be live each day by 6AM (Central Standard Time).  So be sure to come back daily and check out each one. If you are just joining the blog hop today, you can still go back to the previous days posts and comment there to enter for them as well. All entries need to be in by midnight, Friday, March 27. The drawings will take place on Saturday. Read all the way to the end for my giveaway details 💕

Monday – Sew Much Charm & Vlogger Sewing From Scratch

Tuesday –  TPtheModestDoll22 & That’s Sew Venice

Wednesday –  SewGr8ful ( That’s me! ) & Sequoia Lynn Sews

Thursday –  Let’s Go Hobby! & The Sarcastic Sewist

Friday –  The Bear & the Pea Atelier & Wildflowers & Whimsey

Now, all about one of my favorite patterns for Spring and Summer. I found the True Bias Ogden Cami several years ago and fell in love with its simplicity. It is a semi loose fit shirt, made from woven fabrics. If you have been following my blog for any time, you know I love to modify and hack patterns to get additional looks with them. So after I made my first few Ogden cami’s, including a matching Mini Ogden for my daughter, I decided to turn it into a flowy maxi dress a few summers ago.

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This is a simple mod to make. All I did was carry the outer seamline down to my desired length, tapering it out a bit as I went down. Slightly curved the sides up so it hung even when worn, oh, and added pockets into the side seams. I absolutely love how cool I stay when wearing this maxi, a huge bonus for me with our desert heat. I used a navy polka dot rayon challis from So Sew English for this one.

As our weather has already started to heat up here, I have been thinking of my spring/summer wardrobe and knew I wanted to add another Ogden Cami. The problem I had was deciding which one. Since I couldn’t pick, I made three. One, per the pattern, another with a grommet hack, and the third in a knit fabric.

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This one was made with a beautiful modal spandex from Surge Fabrics. The only change I made to the pattern when using this knit fabric, was adding an interfacing to my straps.

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I didn’t want my shirt to grow and migrate down when wearing, so adding that interfacing holds it in place. With the knit having more drape than a woven, and depending on the fabric you choose, I’d definitely recommend adding the interfacing to the straps and also basting your straps in to verify the shirt hits you where you are comfortable. I used Pellon EK130 for the straps.

I also want to note that I wear a bra with all my Ogdens. You can occasionally see my nude shoulder strap, but it isn’t something that bothers me, and if you wanted to widen the straps a little, you totally could.

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My second Ogden was done exactly per the pattern instructions. I used a rayon challis from Surge Fabrics. I love how smooth and cool rayon challis feels. It has such great drape that it works well for dresses and tops, especially those you want movement with.

This shirt looks great half tucked in or fully loose and I feel very springy.

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I fell in love with a shirt on Pinterest, that had a very similar look to the Ogden, just with tie straps being fed through grommets. I decided to use another rayon challis I had, this one from Sincerely Rylee fabrics. An added bonus to the tie straps, is making the shirt easy to adjust if you needed to, possibly even breastfeeding friendly.

I had to make a few more modifications to the pattern to make this look happen, but they are still relatively simple. Here are the steps I took to get this look.

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I used Dritz eyelets, size 7/16″. Since the top of the bodice, where the straps attach, isn’t wide enough to accommodate this size grommet, it needed to be widened. I centered my grommet on the back pattern piece and then added an additional 3/8″ to each side.

I carried that extra width down until just past the bottom of the grommet. Then I tapered that into the original neckline and armscye. I smoothed out the lines and made sure to repeat the same steps on the lining pieces as well as the front piece.

I skipped cutting out the straps until the end, at which point I determined I wanted them to be three times the length of the original strap. Mine ended up being 28.5″ long. To make the straps, I folded them wrong side together lengthwise, and sewed around the three open sides. I left a few inch gap in the middle of the longest side, for turning. Then I clipped the corners and turned right side out. Tucking in the edges and topstitching over the opening to close it.

To sew up the shirt, I did step one, and then added a 1.5″ square of interfacing to the wrong side of the front bodice pieces. I wanted to leave a little room in addition to the seam allowance, so I placed it 3/4″ down from the top edge. I used Pellon 911FF.

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You will then skip to step 4 and 5. When you get to step 6 & 7 you will sew the full neckline and armholes of the lining to the main fabric, right sides together. This will make your two pieces, one full piece. Snip your V in the front and back and clip all around following step 8.

You will then skip step 9 and 10, and do the edge stitching of step 11. Complete step 12, hem, and press. Then add the grommets. I set the grommet on the shirt, centered on that square interfacing we added earlier. Followed the grommet package instructions to attach, and it was done.

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I was surprised at how quick it was to sew this grommet version and I am so glad I attempted it.

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I hope you enjoyed all my recent Ogden Cami’s and modifications.

True Bias has graciously given a copy of the Ogden Cami as a prize, for one of my readers. To enter just drop me a comment below, letting me know which one was your favorite?

Thank you for joining us on this Spring Fling Blog Hop and don’t forget to visit the other blogs !!!

Happy Sewing 💕

Monday – Sew Much Charm & Vlogger Sewing From Scratch

Tuesday –  TPtheModestDoll22 & That’s Sew Venice

Wednesday –  SewGr8ful ( That’s me! ) & Sequoia Lynn Sews

Thursday –  Let’s Go Hobby! & The Sarcastic Sewist

Friday –  The Bear & the Pea Atelier & Wildflowers & Whimsey

He has a list for me

A few months ago we ( meaning I), decided it was time to go through the kids drawers and closets to see what they had grown out of or had worn out. They were requesting new clothes so I told them they could clean things out and we could make a list of what they needed. Both kids returned with long lists. My daughter had hers all written out and even had fabric requests. My son, had pictures drawn. I’m talking long lists people.

I was surprised. I mean, I knew they had been growing quite a bit, but these lists seemed pretty extensive. So I had them show me their drawers and low and behold, they were pretty empty. This mystery was solved a short time later when I found the piles of clothing they hid, in order to request new clothes. It’s okay, you can laugh, I did. I also take it as pretty special when they were asking me to sew things to replace store bought things, since they like my things better.

After paring down the list to actual needs, it was time to get started,  a few months later. 😂 The first up on my sons list was some shirts. He has a few favorite patterns from the past and asked if I could make new ones just like them, but bigger.

He went fabric shopping and picked out his fabrics. All these fabrics are double brushed poly and from So Sew English Fabrics.

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We used the Moto Maxx tee from Love Notions for this one. The pattern has several options and even includes a pants pattern. My son particularly loves the double sleeve look and that is what he picked for this one. He was really excited that the light blue SAM stripe matched the Navy/Aqua trucks print so well. I also did a short time lapse video sewing it up.

His next three picks are all from the same pattern. The Jalie 2918, mens and boys shirt. I love the fact that it has such a large size range. It has been made so many times for my son already, and I see many more as the years progress.

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For this long sleeve version, he picked some solid grey DBP from my stash and this deep navy MOTOMAX dbp. With the crazy growth he has been having, I decided to make his sleeves a little longer, in the hopes that it would last into winter.

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Since it is still pretty warm here, he requested one of his new shirts to be a short sleeve version. This makes it so he can wear it now and later with layers. This one is completely in the deep charcoal/neon green dinos DBP.

If you read my post about our trip to So Sew English fabrics back in April, you saw the airplane dbp and the red/navy vertical stripe dbp my son was given by Amanda. He asked for a shirt from the airplanes and wanted the stripes to be long sleeves with it. It was too hot already, so we did a short sleeve shirt from the airplanes and hung on to the stripes until now.  We had enough left to make his long sleeve shirt, and hopefully enough to make his requested boxers next. The stripes are a vertical stripe, but since the stretch is so great in both directions, we flipped it to make the stripes horizontal.

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I thought that would cover most of his list, until he put on his jeans for these pictures. Whoops, I guess his list isn’t as short as I hoped. Thank goodness our weather is still good for shorts, it gives me some time to work on my daughters list first.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Let’s be honest, we all know it goes right back to adding to my fabric stash. All opinions on this blog are my own.

 

I went Pinterest “shopping”, again

Pinterest scrolling led me to this fun outfit and I just knew I needed to recreate it.

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I already had a similar looking fabric in my stash for the top, but nothing for the leggings, so I went fabric shopping. My shopping led me to The Fabric Fairy and their supplex category. I know people commonly use supplex for workout clothing, but I have found it can also be great for other things. Some supplex I have used in the past, has a kind of slick feel to it, but this was a little different. It had a smooth side and a slightly brushed feeling on the other side. This one is called Beyond Cream Supplex Lycra Jersey, and the description on their website says it is high wicking with a microsuede back. It sounded intriguing so I decided to give it a try. The fabric shipped pretty quickly ( I even got a fun pen! ), it washed up well, and sewing began.

I used the Patterns for Pirates Peglegs for these leggings. I like how quick they are and they had the right look for this outfit. Bonus, they are free. I like using the low rise on the pants, with the contour high rise waistband, from their add-on pack (also free). They keep things secure, I get no rolling, and they aren’t so tight that I get uncomfortable when I have health flares. I made a time lapse video, sewing up this pair, that you can see on my youtube.

Something to note, the Pegleg pattern, has negative ease like most legging patterns. I wasn’t sure how see through these would be, with that negative ease, but I figured with the longer sweater, it would be okay. I will definitely not be wearing these with anything other than nude underwear, ha ha ha, but even with the stretch, things stay G rated.

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To make the top to wear with them, I used the Nora from the DIBY Club. I was fortunate to have tested this pattern when it first came out a while ago and I still wear the two versions I made then. I knew one of the options it had was the split hem I wanted for this look, and with a little tweak to make it more of a high low split hem, it was perfect. I measure in a few different sizes, but since this has a bit of ease and I was under the finished measurements for the SZ 8, I just made a straight 8 for this look. I picked the 8 based on my upperbust measurement. I did my usual 1″ addition, for my 9″ sidewaist, and then added an additional 4″ to the back hem.

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I used some Burgundy Honeycomb Sweater Knit from So Sew English Fabrics, that I got last year. It is super soft and has that almost heathered look to it, that was like my pinspiration picture.

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Another pinspiration, made mine, and now I need to find some calf high, grey boots, and maybe a few more colors of that supplex 😉.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Let’s be honest, we all know it goes right back to adding to my fabric stash. All opinions on this blog are my own.

 

 

Transitional Pieces – Magnolia and Callie

I love transitional wardrobe pieces. They usually are made with lighter weight fabrics and have options that allow you to layer. Since I live in the desert and it’s hot, transitional pieces allow me to pretend it is cooler than it really is 😂 I am especially liking the Callie Cardi and Magnolia Tee from Sonia Estep Designs, the options make them great for  our 100* temps but allow for me to prepare for cooler temps with the simple changes of sleeve options.

The Magnolia Tee is a slim fit shirt featuring a scoop neckline, three sleeve lengths (short, 3/4, long) and the option of a straight or curved hem.The Callie Cardi has a beautiful waterfall effect and has the options of 3/4 sleeve, long sleeve, or the no sleeve vest.

Enabler alert, both are on sale, no code needed, for 50% off until Sunday night, September 22. Want an extra bonus?? If you join the Sonia Estep Designs Facebook group, there is a member only coupon in the comments of the announcement post, to get your Magnolia free! 🤫

Very rarely can I just make one of a new pattern, and these two are no different.

This first combo I used this Terra Cotta Cupro from So Sew English Fabrics, for my Magnolia. It was my first use of this fabric and I really liked it. It sewed up nicely and I like how it has drape but doesn’t seem to cling to certain things I don’t want it clinging to. The only drawback was when I came to the neckband, it wanted to curl when stretched.  Comparison wise, it curled less than rayon spandex, and the finished product was beautiful. If you want to see a little time lapse video of sewing up this Magnolia, you can on my youtube, here.

For this one I picked the curved hem and long sleeves. I did a few mods for my personal body fit, and I love it.

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To go with it I made a long sleeve Callie in this gorgeous abstract Ana Hacci.

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I had been eyeing this fabric for a while, hoping it would stay around until our weather was going to start cooling and it did. I have no idea how, it must have been destiny. For this one I decided not to hem, the fabric is really smooth at the edges and I liked how it looked un hemmed.

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And because it’s still hotter than all get out here, I found this fun crochet sweater knit and made myself a vest version.

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I absolutely love it with my knit denim Iris shorts (you can read about all my Iris shorts here) and my red modal Ponte Nicolette (you can read about all the ways I wear this one here), tied up. I will definitely be able to wear this over other things as the seasons change, but I am totally loving this outfit right now.

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Because I love hacking patterns, I also hacked the Magnolia into a dress and hacked the Callie too, even used a woven for it. Be sure to check back in a few days when that post goes live.

No matter where on the globe you live, preparing for Spring or Fall, the Magnolia and Callie are perfect transitional pieces.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Let’s be honest, we all know it goes right back to adding to my fabric stash. All opinions on this blog are my own

New patterns and my fabric comparison on 10 pairs of Iris shorts

I hate when I make a new top or a new bottom, and then realize I need something to wear with it. With these two new patterns, that just released, that problem is solved.

Let me give you a quick run down of the Tennessee Tee before we jump into my Iris short obsession and my current 10 pairs.

The Tennessee tee is a loose fit top with three necklines, the scoop, an overlap V, and a subtle overlap V. It has slightly dropped shoulders, which add to the “slouchy” look without it looking sloppy, and a straight hem. You can choose from three sleeve options, an oversized long sleeve, a regular short sleeve, and a flutter sleeve.  There are also two optional chest pockets. I love the simple assembly of the overlap V neck and it was my favorite version of the Tennessee. Then I made the scoop version and I’m loving it just as much. I have made three so far and can’t wait for some cooler weather so I can give the oversized long sleeve a try too.

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Mustard – overlap v neck, regular sleeve / Coral – subtle overlap v neck, flutter sleeve / Red – scoop neck, regular sleeve

I live in the desert. It’s hot here most of the year so I seem to live in shorts majority of the time. I never found the right pattern to encompass  everything I wanted in my everyday shorts so I settled for some store bought pairs and the occasional specific short pattern. I don’t have to settle anymore, Iris is my everyday (and night) knit short pattern.

The Iris shorts have three inseam lengths, 3.5″, 5″, and 8″. There are two waistbands to give you a low or a higher rise, and optional front and back pockets. The best part about the Iris shorts, I can make a pair from less than a yard. I even fussy cut and got a pair of high waist with front and back pockets, from a 22″ x wof scrap I had. Shorts as a scrap buster?? Yes please!

Like any inquisitive sewist, I was curious how the Iris shorts would look and wear in different fabrics. So I decided to give it a try and I made 10 pairs. To avoid this being one super long blog post I split it up into two. My fabric and fit comparison follows below, but if you want to see all the fun details like pockets and how I’m wearing my new Iris shorts, you can see all 10 outfits here.

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I know I love ponte for leggings, so I figured I would love it for shorts as well, but we all know that not all ponte is created equal. I have my favorite blend and source that I go back to time and time again, but I had something specific in mind for two outfits so I branched out a little when I didn’t have the two colors I needed in my stash. Hence the reason there are three pairs of ponte (four if you count the refined ponte) included in this comparison.

I made one pair in Liverpool, but since I did the 5″ inseam on it instead of the 3.5″, I did for all the others, I didn’t include it in the side by side comparison. The fit is pretty similar and the shorts are ridiculously comfy so I am planning on making a few more in Liverpool.

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These are all the 3.5″ inseam option with the higher waistband. The fabric types I used for the comparison are :
Top row (left to right)
Cotton FT denim 50%x100% (same fabric I used for my leggings here)
French Terry 30%x75% with Double Brushed Poly waistband 50%x100%
Double Brushed Poly 50%x100%
Middle row (left to right)
Refined Ponte 50%x75%
Double Knit 50%x50%
Jacquard Double Knit 30%x75%
Bottom row (left to right)
Ponte 25%x50%
Ponte 50%x50%
Ponte 75%x75%

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As you can see, most of the fits look similar. Where I noticed a slight difference was on the side shots. My thighs are smaller than my hip size is and while on some fabrics it wasn’t noticeable, I definitely noticed it more on the Cotton denim FT and the Animal print Refined Ponte. When looking at pictures they all look pretty much the same, but fit wise, I could tell a slight difference in my thigh space.

236AAE18-C321-4800-9179-5CF7414D3CE6I originally thought the DBP and FT would be more of a lounge look and just for home or to sleep, but I was surprised when I paired them with my tops at how non lounge they actually looked. Because of the amount of stretch my DBP had, I might have been able to slim down my sides and waistband a little, but they were comfy and didn’t fall off, so that would be a personal fit preference for sure.

If I had to pick a least favorite, it would probably be the refined ponte, and just because it feels a bit more structured than I like to wear for everyday shorts. They will still be worn though because I absolutely love them all.

I love the wide variation of stretch percentages and fabric bases I can use for this pattern. Next I want to try a pair in some athletic stretch mesh, and another Liverpool pair, ohhh and maybe a few more pairs in DBP or even MVC for sleeping. What fabric do you plan to use?

To see all my outfits, the details I did on each, and all the fabric sources check out my other blog post. Fair warning, there are lots of pictures 😉

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Let’s be honest, we all know it goes right back to adding to my fabric stash. All opinions on this blog are my own.