Tested: Nustle Joggers (and bonus Green Tee)

Hello everyone! Today I’m back with another test, this time for the new Nustle Joggers from Itch to Stitch.

Until now, my favorite jogger pattern has been the Carita’s from Pattern Niche (formerly New Horizons, most recent pair HERE), and I’ve made them in both kid and adult sizes quite a few times. In general, I like the loose but not too slouchy fit, the fold-over waistband and the pocket size (generous enough to hold my phone).

I’ve also tried the Greenstyle Brassie Joggers (though not the most updated version, see all my Brassie SewAlong posts HERE), the Jalie Henri pants, the iconic Hudson pants from True Bias, and the woven Jalie Vanessa pattern. Each of these have their unique features, but I was curious- could I find a jogger pattern that topped them all?

My curiosity was piqued by a little cold spell we had in Florida, and some beautiful heavy weight brushed poly from the Fabric Fairy that had just come in. I was already trying to decide which pattern to use when the call for the Nustle Joggers came, making the decision seem obvious. Of course I had room in my stash for another jogger pattern, especially one from a company known for its attention to detail and good fit.

Fit & Style

The Nustle Joggers come with two leg style options- flared and cuffed.

I was really going for a classic street-to-gym look, so I chose the cuffed view.

Pattern Adjustments:

I took out 1.5″ from the lengthen shorten line before beginning, to account for my height (62″).

Most of my “shortness” is in my lower legs, so I found after a quick try on that I also needed to take an additional 1″ from the bottom before adding the cuff. I still think they’re a little slouchy, but I don’t mind it, and might even continue to make them on purpose that way next time. (see note below about additional lengthen and shorten lines that would address this)

If you’re making this pattern and unsure of how much length to remove, though, I’d err on the side of taking a little less, since the shape doesn’t change much if you remove length at the end.

In regards to fit, these are a little unusual- pretty fitted through the upper hip, a little long through the crotch, and tighter in the calves, with a medium-low rise. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this when I first tried them on, but after giving them a couple days wear, I find them to be very comfortable and stylish.

Compared to the Carita’s, they are tighter at the bottom and looser at the top, and have a lower rise. The pattern includes finished hip, knee and thigh measurements, so you can adjust the sizing based on your body, and your preferred fit and fabric. After the test, Kennis also added an additional set of lengthen and shorten lines below the knee, which would be helpful for people with bodies like mine that are not evenly distributed from ankle to hip.

The pockets are finished with an interfaced facing, which makes sense in a sturdy fabric, but feels like too much for a lightweight athletic knit, so I probably would omit the interfacing next time and/or just make a band to finish the pocket opening.

Another small gripe is that I felt like the waistband elastic method was a little fiddly- I prefer not to hand-sew, so I would also change that in the future, leaving an opening in the bottom when attaching the band instead of pre inserting the elastic. There’s nothing wrong with the method in the pattern, but I just find my usual method faster and simpler.

I added grommets using my grommet press, and used my coverstitch machine to sew rows of stitching into the waistband and elastic together so the elastic wouldn’t twist inside.

Bamboo Tee #100,000,001

I decided to complete my look with a new bamboo tee, using the free Greenstyle Green Tee pattern (sized up). The bamboo is from Fabric Fairy as well. These tees make up 90% of my closet and are always a go-to, no matter the weather. I know making a white tee is a gamble with kids, but I really love it, so I’m hoping it makes it a while before it has a run in with a muddy dog or a spagetti dinner.

V Neckband are always a little bit of a struggle, but they’re always worth the effort!

Travel Update

We have been bopping around Florida since November, and we are still loving it here. There is so much to do and explore, and I can’t complain about spending winter in a tee shirt and light pants or shorts!

One thing I’m particularly proud of doing this winter is riding 100 miles from Key Largo to Key West. I was talked into this by a travel friend, and I hadn’t ever ridden more than 25 miles in a single stretch before. We started out as early as family life would let us, and ended the night just at dusk at the Southernmost Point. The ride was beautiful, as you might expect, and I fell in love with road biking. Who says you can’t pick up a new hobby in your 40s? Not this girl!

 

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Other Sewing News

My daughter turned 7 last month, and I made her a matching dress and doll dress as part of her gifts.

Despite sewing for her whole life, I hadn’t ever made a doll outfit, so I was pretty proud of myself! She was absolutely in love with it, and I’ve since made a few more pieces.

She even cut her own little hairbow for the doll from some scraps. Isn’t that the sweetest?

Both she and the doll are wearing the Peekaboo Melanie Maxi pattern.

Her doll is a special edition 20″ Cabbage Patch (checkout this sweet adoption story!), and I used a 3 month size dress pattern to fit.

 

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I think its a tiny bit loose, but its easy to put on and uses up tiny scraps perfectly! The fabric is jeweled rainbows from Styled Magnolia in bamboo- you can see we can’t get enough of that base over here!

I can’t believe my baby is 7!!! We had a unicorn rainbow cake that I made (gluten free), which took about 10x more time than sewing these outfits, and required far more effort than Martha Stewart made it out to be. She was delighted though,  so it was all worth it! Moms of allergy kids- you’ll understand why I had to do it.

Thanks for reading my blog- I really love hearing from you, so feel free to drop me a comment! There are affiliate links in this post, if you want one of the patterns I’ve linked, all proceeds to go coffee, a carton of eggs for my hungry hippos, or both!

You can find the Nustle Pattern here

Green Tee is here

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1 Comment

  1. Kristy Sodano on February 5, 2023 at 7:02 am

    OMG – Did you really ride 100 miles, not on a road bike?! Anything is possible when you have an exercise buddy. I love the fit look of the Nustle joggers, hanging out in that almost a legging, but fit like a jogger. The skinny calf would fit nicely in a tall boot.

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