Shiny Fabric Weaknesses….and a Full Front Power Bra Hack!

Sometimes, I try to resist buying more fabric. I really do. A couple weeks ago, when I found a fantastic athletic foil print fabric at JoAnns, I resisted it and kept myself on track, buying only the thread I had come there for (and a snack to keep the toddler-zilla happy- #momlife).

Of course, I thought about that darn fabric every. single. day. Creepy stalker technology that it is, Facebook somehow knew, and showed me ads of what I wanted to create (ever heard of Carbon38? Don’t check it out! I warn you!). Repeatedly. I could feel my resolve start to crumble.

When a friend finally messaged me last week and showed me the fantastic new fabric she found at JoAnns (the very same I had been coveting), my willpower came crashing down, and within a couple hours, the fabric (and a few others I just couldn’t resist…) were safely ensconced in my washing machine, awaiting their fate.

I have to say, its pretty damn fantastic. JoAnns, if your fabric buying minions are reading this, you’ve been knocking it out of the park lately- I think we can safely say you’re no longer the “old lady craft store” when with fabrics like this on your shelves. *virtual high five to the massive fabric conglomerate*

Anyway, sometimes willpower and restraint are over-rated, don’t you think?!

And, on the positive side, I saved over $150 by NOT buying this set online, so I’m considering myself fully justified.

I used the Greenstyle Inspire leggings pattern, the Greenstyle Power Bra, and some serious ab-skillz to bring you these photos.

Photoshoot + Workout = Multitasking at its finest folks.

Sure, my yoga poses could use some work. But now I WANT to work on them, wearing this outfit!

Can you tell what’s different about the Power Bra in these photos?

If you read the blog post title (you DO read those right? Cause I spend hours and hours trying to come up with catchy names for my posts *sarcasm*) you’ll probably be thinking…this is where the hack comes in!

I lead a Sew-Along for this pattern a couple months ago (check out all the videos HERE), but I didn’t have time for hacks during the event, given all the options present in the pattern. However, I’ve seen a few of these solid front Power Bras pop up, and I decided to give it a go myself, whilst writing a tutorial, so you all could join me in further celebrating the awesome-ness that is the PowerBra.

Before we dive in, a small disclaimer: The princess seams in the Power Bra are not there solely for looks- they actually provide extra room in the bust and help create definition. By eliminating them, you may find that the bra fits more compressively, or that you feel slightly less supported. Please take this into account when choosing your size, fabric and activity level.

On the other hand, what you loose in definition, you make up for in freedom: the freedom to use a pattern without breaking it up (anyone else like to avoid stripe matching when they can?), freedom from any irritation those extra seams might incur during a long workout, and the freedom to create a power bra even faster than before. You can use the solid front piece you’ll create below for either the main fabric, the lining or both. In the photos above, I used the solid front piece for both the main and lining, but in this set, I just used it for the lining, so I wouldn’t have extra seams showing through the thinner athletic fabric I was using. However you want to use the solid front hack, have fun, and share your creations with me on Facebook!

Solid Front Power Bra Tutorial

Creating a solid front isn’t hard- in fact, this is basically just reverse color-blocking. Start with your center front and side front Power Bra pieces. I like to trace mine out on medical exam paper.

Step 1: Draw in the seam allowances on the edges where you would normally sew the two pieces together. There is a 3/8″ seam allowance included in the pattern, so that is the distance away from the edge that you should draw your lines. I like to use a measuring gauge or seam allowance ruler here.

Step 2: Overlap the pieces so that the sesam allowance lines you just drew meet. You may have to “squish” your paper a bit as you ease them together. When sewing the princess seams, you would have done this by stretching the pieces to match up, which is what created the extra room in the bust. Here, you’re reversing that process.

Step 3: Trace off your new solid front piece, to be cut on the fold. Make sure to mark your fold edge, as it won’t look terribly distinct front eh side edge. Proceed to cut out your bra as nromal and enjoy your new solid front (or solid lining) powerbra!

That’s it! Pretty simple, ‘eh? Don’t forget to join in the FitCapsule Challenge, and drop me a comment below if you plan to try out this hack (or are mad at me for enabling you to buy this fabric!)

Still need the Power Bra pattern or the Inspires? The sale on all Greenstyle athletic patterns ends today- so start shopping!

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support!

Get notified of new posts via email


13 Comments

  1. Kirsten Larsen on February 24, 2019 at 4:48 pm

    Hmmm…I wonder if the solid front hack just for the lining would give me that little extra bit of compression.

    I wish my local JoAnns would take a clue from yours though….I’m definitely not thrilled with either quality or variety at either of my local stores. I worked for JoAnns through college and early married life, and still have a few pieces of fabric purchased from there in my stash, but it’s mostly gone now.

    • Sarah on March 24, 2019 at 6:04 pm

      Yes, I do find the solid front a bit more compressive. Hope you’re able to find it somewhere- the Joanns do seem to be a bit hit or miss.

  2. sj on February 25, 2019 at 4:45 am

    Do you have a link to the fabric you used?

    • Sarah on March 24, 2019 at 6:04 pm

      I don’t- its not available online.

  3. Ang Bennett on February 25, 2019 at 8:11 am

    Awesome Sarah! Thanks for sharing this great hack and your pretty fabric.

  4. Rachel Schaekel on February 25, 2019 at 9:26 am

    I love this look! The hack is great too. I prefer a solid front, so I’d love to give this a try. Is the fabric on the JoAnn’s website?

    • Sarah on March 24, 2019 at 6:04 pm

      Sadly, it’s not. But they will order it for you I think.

  5. Michelle on September 3, 2019 at 3:25 pm

    I’m finding this hard to do. I’m a E/34 and i’m finding i can’t make the 3/8 line match up. Any tips?

    • Sarah on September 13, 2019 at 9:17 am

      Michelle- it gets progressively more challenging with larger cup sizes. If you can’t make it work, you might want to check out the Mighty Sports bra by Evie la luve.

  6. Kristine on December 31, 2019 at 1:44 pm

    These look great! Thanks for all your fantastic info you provide on your blog! Quick question – which waistband did you use for these inspires? Was it the one that comes with the pattern or did you use the contour option Greenstyle provides? Thanks!

    • Sarah on January 2, 2020 at 11:16 pm

      Thank you Kristine! I used the stride standard high rise waistband, not the contour one. I actually like that one better 🙂

  7. Annie on January 21, 2020 at 3:20 pm

    Would you say that this hack is a great idea for someone with whom Mother Nature as not been very generous in terms of breast? Sport bras in store are always too roomy for me

    • Sarah on February 23, 2020 at 9:28 pm

      Yes, I would totally say that!

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply