That Girl’s Got Moxi!

According to the Urban Dictionary, “moxie” means “sass, spunk, attitude” and can also be used to refer to  someone as a “hot chick”. I’m not sure about the latter (I’m in my 30s now, I think only my husband still says this about me), but the former certainly describes how I feel in these shorts- full of spunk and ready to tackle a good workout or the crazy that is everyday life with three kids!

A little background: sometimes a pattern test goes quickly and smoothly and sometimes….it doesn’t. There were more versions of these shorts than I can count, but Angelyn (the genius behind Greenstyle) really persevered and took the time to get it right. She even added some cool options along the way that were requested by testers, including a thong, compression shorts, and a back zipper pocket (briefs are also included). I love when designers do that- really listen to the feedback from testers and make the changes necessary to get a good fitting outcome with clear instructions and a clean finish.

I made 6 moxies during testing- the first two were early prototypes that I constructed incorrectly due to #mombrain (this was SO embarrassing), the third ended up as an awesome pair of sleep shorts that I’m wearing right now due to coverstitch issues, and the fourth and fifth pairs made it into final photos that I’ll share with you today.

At the last minute (because by now I can make them in my sleep…no, for real, I dream about them), I sewed a sixth pair, that will debut as part of the Suit Up for Summer Blog Tour this week (spoiler alert: its a swim version!).

Now that I’ve got my fit perfected, there will be many more versions to come (as evidenced by the “extra” fabric that threw itself into my cart in JoAnns the other day).

The moxies are similar to the Lululemon Speed shorts, but cost far less than the $58+ price tag, with more options and a wider range of sizes. I could sew at least 5 pairs of moxies for what 1 pair of speed shorts costs, and get a better fit too! They can be sewn in stretch woven, supplex, swim, or any other athletic knit/stretch woven. Testers successfully used stretch chiffon and scuba as well. For the binding/hem, I’ve used both FOE (fold over elastic) and traditional bias binding. The bias binding takes longer, but is easier to apply- FOE can be tricky for beginners. If you decide to use FOE, I highly recommend the 1″ FOE from Diaper Sewing Supply here.

The awesome thing about these shorts is that the “hemming” is done early in the construction via the bias binding, so once you’re at the end, you’re really done (raise your hand if you’ve ever completed a project, but let it sit for a week for want of hemming?). The instructions are great, and very straightforward- I timed myself and my last pair took less than 2 hours (with several fro-yo breaks). Similar to the Strides (made here) and Inspire Tights, the moxis also have elastic in the waistband to prevent slipping during wear, and a contoured waistband for a perfect fit.

This pair was sewn in Nike stretch woven from the Fabric Fairy. After placing several orders, I found that the Nike stretch woven and the neon yellow and cataloupe colors are much stiffer than the other colorwways. They all work, but since fabric greatly affects how this pattern fits and what size you should choose, it bears mentioning.

After I sewed this pair, the back arch was brought up higher, and the fit was slimmed down a bit. The waistband fabric was a lululemon overstock from Peak Fabrics (love them!).

I also made the tee in these photos…but I can’t tell you too much about it yet, only that its awesome and coming soon from Greenstyle!

   

The other pair I’ll show you today was sewn from heavy compression kint from Made Whimsy, with an athletic brushed poly from Zenith and Quasar for the waistband the binding. These feel like high end athletic shorts, though I expect they will last longer!

The athletic brushed poly is very soft and perfect for the waistband (or even for the main fabric) but it was very thick and I wouldn’t recommend it for the bias binding. A thin supplex, FOE or stretch woven would be much better and easier to fold.

You can see how the back is tacked down at the binding (you also have the option to sew it all the way across). This gives these shorts their signature look, and adds a little airflow too!

The Lille tank (made as a dress before here) is the perfect match for these shorts, and I couldn’t resist sewing up a matching version in athletic/swim fabric from Vinegar and Honey.

I fell hard for this fabric when it was on preorder, but its been sitting on my shelf, too precious to be used. Of course, that’s no way to treat fabric, so I used a small bit of it for this tank, and I’m so happy I did!

I now have a custom fitted running outfit for about $100 less than you might pay in the mall- eat your heart out Lululemon!

Stay tuned for my swim version of the Moxis on the Suit Up for Summer Pattern Tour on Wednesday!

The Moxi Shorts are on sale for only $8.50 HERE and compression add on for $1.50 HERE

While you’re at it, grab the Lille Tank HERE, and the Endurance Bra HERE and get started on your own better-than-lululemon outfit today!

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8 Comments

  1. Lindsay on May 22, 2017 at 8:44 pm

    You are so cute!!! Love your blog, helped me decide I must have this pattern! I was clueless about the fabric options and this made it a lot easier.

    • Sarah on May 22, 2017 at 9:10 pm

      Thank you! I’m glad my post helped you decide- there are so many fabric choices out there!!

  2. Emily on May 22, 2017 at 11:23 pm

    I am curious, what fabrics did you find at JoAnn’s that would work well for this pattern?

  3. Elizabeth on May 23, 2017 at 3:46 pm

    Was it difficult to get a good fit? I always seem to have problems fitting shorts/pants. I’m a runner and I’d love to have these work for me! Your shorts look great!!

    • Sarah on May 24, 2017 at 1:26 am

      In the final version the fit is very good, but there are easy instructions for making various adjustments. I like to shave my back piece down a bit to make the legs smaller.

  4. […] The Moxi Shorts from Greenstyle Creations (blog post here) […]

  5. […] spandex from Pretty Posh Prints. You may have seen a sneak peek when I sewed up my Moxi shorts here– it was so hard to keep it a […]

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