The good kind of Clique (and a M4M Mama Ella and Greenstyle Brassie Joggers)

I have to be honest, I wasn’t one of the popular girls in high school. Not even close. In fact, I think they kinda hated me. But whatever! Now I’m part of new COOL clique, one that involves one of my favorite things: FABRIC!

A couple weeks ago, Dhee, of the Fab Clique, reached out to me on Facebook looking for sewists with blogs. I responded, thinking she was just trying to update her blogroll with more reading material. Turns out, she had started up a brand new fabric shop/Facebook group- The Fab Clique, and she offered me some of her luscious double brushed poly if I would sew it up and blog about it.

Guys. This is like offering a chocoholic all the contents Ghirardelli Square with no calories. I was so stoked!

A few days later the softest, most amazing fabrics were waiting in my mailbox!  I couldn’t wait to tear open the package and see what she had sent me (it was a surprise!).

First up was a double brushed camo print. At first, when I saw it, I thought I would make something for one of my boys, as I’m usually pretty girly and gravitate more toward flowers, unicorns and the like. But, then the selfish part of my brain took over, and I remembered seeing an awesome pair of camo Greenstyle Brassie Joggers in the Facebook group.  I loved the cool vibe of the joggers and had been waiting for the chance to sew up some Brassies, so off I went.

And holey moley, they are perfection. The Brassies pattern is everything it’s hyped up to be, with those clever pockets that don’t add any bulk, and a just right fit right out of the envelope. I made an xxs at the waist grading out to an xs at the hips (hello 3 babies!) but I don’t really think the grading was necessary- a straight xxs would have been just fine. I also took 3.5 inches out in two places, since I’m only 5′ 2″ tall, and this left just the right amount of slouch.

I used my KAM snap press to install grommets (it was a splurge but it really comes in handy for a variety of projects and looks really professional)- and black twill tape for the drawstring.

Since I was using every last scrap of my 1 yard to make the legs, ankle cuffs and pockets, I used some Olive green DBP from So Sew English Fabrics for the waist band. Less than two hours later- Boom! The comfiest pants ever were born. It almost feels like a crime to go outside in public in them, like someone’s going to call me out on wearing my PJs in public. Not that that will stop me! Now I want all things camo!

Also in my package was another yard of double brushed poly, this time in a beautiful dark floral. This was much more in line with my usual style, and I had a tough time deciding what to do with this beauty. Finally, inspired, by a pattern test I have in the works for Princess, I chose the Made for Mermaids Mama Ella top with the high back, ruffle and back strap.

    

 

Dhee must cut generous yards, because I was able to get the entire top for me and a tunic for Princess out of the one cut of fabric! (Tunic for the Princess is a new pattern that will be coming soon!) I used black double brushed poly scraps for the neckbinding and ruffle. Unfortunately, my coverstitch threw a tantrum and decided NOT to sew the binding, so I put it in time out and did the whole thing on my sewing machine and serger. Someday, I’ll get a babylock that is less temperamental, but until then I’m glad I have the option of using my regular machine.

I love the look of the top- it’s feminine and summery but still wearable with a regular bra, and the neckline is low enough to be nursing friendly (yay!). With options for a cross back, no ruffle, and a tie front I can see myself making up a few more of these for summer! It did turn out to be a bit looser in the hips than I had expected based on the tester versions, but I actually like the “Swing” and airflow for the hot weather to come. We took these photos on vacation in Santa Cruz- I love the beach and this was the perfect shirt to finally get some sun after a LONG winter.

                                                                                                                                                                               

What do you think? Are you getting in the mood for spring and summer sewing? Head on over to the Fab Clique and check out their fabrics- in addition to some gorgeous brushed poly prints, they also have some beautiful appliqués that I’ve been drooling over. See you there!

Note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you decide to purchase a pattern from these links, a small portion of your purchase (at no extra cost to you!) goes back to feeding my pattern/fabric shopping habit. I promise to continue to try to inspire you!

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5 Comments

  1. Cathy Grande on March 13, 2017 at 3:12 am

    I absolutely LOVE those Brassie’s and I have a pair cut out to sew this week in camo too!

    And I love that Mama Ella! Very beautiful!

    What kind of coverstitch do you have? Is it pretty easy to use? I’m doing research to buy one next month and would love to know your opinion.

    • Sarah on March 13, 2017 at 4:41 pm

      Thank you! I have a Janome 1000cpx, which does ok but seems to be very picky about tension, thickness etc. I’m planning to upgrade to a Baby lock Cover Stitch BLCS-2 at some point- which seems to have unanimous positive reviews- not cheap though. Can’t wait to see your Brassies too- we can start a camo Brassie Revolution!

  2. […] out, I didn’t notice there was a shorts cut line on the Brassie Joggers (made as pants before here)- but now that I know, there will be many more pairs! I used the yoga waistband hack from the blog […]

  3. […] for the top), that I decided needed to be another pair of Brassie shorts (made before here, and here as […]

  4. […] I’ve made them as pants, in double brushed poly, here: […]

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