Powernet

GreenStyle Open Back Pullover

Do you ever look at patterns and think, I really like that, except for…? That’s how I felt about the GreenStyle Open Back Pullover. I like the open back, I like that there’s a deeper scooped back, as well as a closed back option. I like that it can be sleeveless, or have long or short sleeves. I like that there is a crew neck, as well as a scoop neck, along with a hood option. Most people love “hoodies” and banded sweatshirts. I am not one of those people.

Banded bottom shirts are not a good look on me. I own one banded bottom shirt, and it hangs unworn in my closet. I’ve tried to wear it, it looked cute on the hanger when I bought it years ago, but on me, it looks like a maternity top. If I were an expectant Mama I would wear it and look adorable. But since I am a Grandma and long past the age of having babies, it’s just not the look I am going for!

Luckily, it is super easy to hack the Open Back Pullover to not need a band. You are going to want to pay attention to your hip measurement. Make sure you measure the widest/largest part of your hips and booty. If it falls within the measurements for the size you are making, you’re good to go. But if it’s at the upper end or bigger than the size for your bust and waist, you will want to grade your pattern out to a larger size, starting at the waist. Then use a ruler to add 4″ of length at the bottom of the front and back pattern pieces.

Follow the pattern tutorial, (it’s a pretty easy pattern) and instead of sewing on a band at the bottom, simply pin and press the hem up 3/4″ and zigzag or coverstitch to finish the hem.

I like that I can wear a regular bra with the high scoop back, and wear it like any other top. The low scoop back would really show off a cute Power Sports Bra and be fun for yoga class or working out. I thought about using powernet in the scoop opening, (there is a pattern piece for that), but the open back is just the right amount of sexy. It would also be fun to use powernet as the upper back pattern piece for an even airier feel.

I made my top out of Circular Knit, and would totally consider a long sleeved, closed back version in Rayon Spandex or Ribbing for cooler days. If you’re looking for a more traditional hoodie feel, Cozy French Terry would be so soft and plush! Supplex would give a more athletic feel, and would coordinate nicely with Super G’s or Stride Athletic Tights. I’m glad I gave the Open Back Pullover a shot. It’s a simple, slightly sexy 😉 , comfortable look.

My shorts are the Brassie Joggers, made out of Supplex. I purchased all my fabric from Phee Fabrics.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I may receive a small commission/credit if you purchase through my links. As always, I only give my honest opinion. After all, my blogpost represents me! 🙂 Thank you for reading and sharing my love of sewing, patterns, awesome fabric, and pattern hacking. ❤

October 3, 2019October 9, 2019 by sewbeachlife Categories: Activewear, Rayon Spandex, Supplex, Tanks, Techniques, Women's Tops, workout wearTags: Circular Knit, greenstyle, openback, pattern hacks, Powernet, Rayon Spandex, style, Supplex, Women's Tops, workout Leave a comment

GreenStyle Jillian Tank

I love sewing workout wear for several reasons. First of all, I need something to wear to yoga class. Secondly, I am far too frugal to spend $50 or more on a cute workout top. And last but not least, I can customize my makes to suit my style and color preferences.

I have had the vision of a white workout top with powernet inserts floating around in my head for a while. I just hadn’t gotten around to sewing one up. Enter the GreenStyle Jillian Tank (on sale for 15% off as a May 2019 “Pattern of the Month”). 🙂 The pattern is loaded with options: a bandeau top; an inner tank, with or without a built in sports bra; and an outer tank that can be made with knit or woven fabric (Hello Stretch Twill!) I made the inner tank with a built in sports bra, but now I need to order some Stretch Twill and sew up the outer tank!

I used white Supplex and white Powernet from Phee Fabrics to make my Jillian Tank. Let’s be honest, I pretty much use Supplex and Powernet for ALL of my workout wear. Oh, occasionally I’ll throw in some Tricot or Circular Knit, but Supplex and Powernet are definitely staples in my workout wear fabric stash.

I like the simple design of the Jillian inner tank, because it gives the powernet inserts the opportunity to stand out. Adding inserts is really easy, it’s basically a simple color blocking technique. I cut two right angle triangles out of my powernet, being sure to cut them straight on the grain, with the greatest stretch going side to side. The sides of the L part of the triangles were 7″ long. I laid the triangles on the bottom corner of the tank front, and trimmed off the excess powernet to match the shape of the corners.

Jillian triangle

I marked the tank front 6.25″ up and 6.25″ over from the bottom corner and using my quilting ruler and rotary cutter, cut off the (smaller sized) triangles from the bottom corners of my tank front. Then I laid the powernet triangles on the tank front right sides together and stitched them together. I pressed the seam allowances toward the Supplex and top-stitched them in place so that you wouldn’t see them through the powernet.

Jillian power

I like to walk the beach whenever I get the chance. Since I don’t want to have to carry my phone and keys, I need pockets. I put pockets in all my workout tights and shorts, but occasionally, I’ll find myself wearing something without pockets. So why not start adding pockets to my workout tops? A hidden seam pocket gives cleaner lines than a patch pocket, not to mention how much easier it is to keep straight while sewing!

I cut a 4.5″ wide by 8″ tall rectangle out of powernet. I made it that large to ensure that my phone would stay snugly in place, yet still be able to reach in and grab a key or lip balm from the bottom of the pocket. I folded the top of the pocket down and stitched it in place. Then I laid the pocket right sides together 3.75″ from the right edge of the tank back at the bottom corner. I stitched along the right hand side of the pocket.

Jillian pock 1

Then I flipped the pocket over and basted it along the side seam, and zig-zagged it in place along the bottom of the pocket. (Had I cut the pocket a bit longer, I would have lined it up with the bottom of the tank and just basted it in place.) When the tank is hemmed, the bottom of the pocket is securely sewn in place.

Jillian pock 2

After these simple modifications, I just followed the pattern tutorial to complete my tank. I made another small adjustment to the pattern out of necessity. The pattern calls for double straps threaded through the top of the front shoulder strap. Rather than cutting and sewing the straps, I used plush bra strap elastic to speed up my sewing time. Since my strapping was wider than the sewn straps would have been, I went with a single strap.

Jillian back

I love having a solid white workout top to mix and match with my Super G‘s. The powernet inserts and pocket give the simple lines a little extra pizazz.

Jillian G front Jillian G side

I can style it with a skirt or shorts for a completely different look.

Jillian hand

I could see myself using this simple color-blocking technique to add in coordinating fabrics if I were trying to match workout tights with color-blocked side panels. The hidden seam pocket can be customized to fit whatever you want to carry. It’s so much more useful than the tiny little key pockets you find on ready to wear!

Go ahead and sew all the workout wear! After all, it is #memademay.

*This post may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I may receive a small commission if you purchase through my links. As always, I only give my honest opinion because my posts represent me. Thank you for reading and sharing my love of sewing, pattern hacking, and Phee Fabrics!

May 2, 2019 by sewbeachlife Categories: Tanks, Techniques, Women's TopsTags: Hacking, hacks, pockets, Powernet, style, Supplex, Techniques, tips, workout Leave a comment

Crop Hoodie

Hello! I’m Caitlin and this is my first time writing for Phee. I am super excited to be here. 🙂 You can catch my ramblings, I mean blog, over at Luna & Laika. Today, I am going to tell you how I created this crop hoodie that I have had sitting in my sewing inspirations on my Pinterest page since… January!!!

You ready? I am! Here are the inspiration photos:

The first pin is here and website here. The second pin is here and website here.

When I saw this top, I immediately thought of the Studio to Street top that had just released at the time by Greenstyle Creations. Next, I was on the hunt for the perfect fabric. I knew I wanted the main fabric to be lightweight and the “mesh” part to provide some coverage but still have the see through look to it.

I ordered some Phee Powernet in white to test out and knew immediately upon opening the package that it was exactly what I was going for. I also received some of their amazing rayon spandex in the package… but unfortunately white was not in stock at the time… so the project was put on hold.

When Melissa announced the white rayon spandex was restocking and there was a preorder for it, I ordered right away, knowing that was what I needed for the rest of the crop hoodie… and waited for it to be stocked and on it’s way. Are you getting why this project has taken so long? 🙂 Alright, let’s jump ahead…

I knew I needed to make two modifications to the pattern: color blocking the front and back bodice piece, and adding cuffs to the sleeves. I also needed the hood add on . I went with the crop length (my first ever crop top since I danced in high school!) to mimic the inspiration.

When I color block something simple like a bodice, I simply fold where I want the color block to be. When I cut, I add the seam allowance on each side. This is easier for me instead of creating a new pattern piece, unless I know for sure I’ll be making multiple items like this.

I cut the top of the bodice pieces in the power net, and everything else in the rayon spandex. For the drawstring, I cut about 1-1.5″ off the edge of my fabric. I usually don’t measure the length, but for anything for me I try to run it the longest edge of the fabric, knowing I can always cut off excess after the hood is assembled. Below are all of the pieces.

Sewing these fabrics was a breeze. The Powernet is a tad slippery, but I made sure to keep it on top when using my serger so I could make sure that it wasn’t slipping. All of the seams where the Powernet was sewn to the Rayon Spandex I made sure to topstitch the seam toward the Rayon Spandex so it stayed hidden. This helped clean the edges and adds a great detail to the finished item.

I decided to actually sew and turn my drawstring for this top. Honestly, I’m usually lazy and just use the curled edge of the fabric, but I wanted to step things up with this top. 🙂

The pattern was a breeze to sew up. The fabrics were a breeze to sew up. I am SO happy with the finished product! I still cannot believe that my sewing inspiration came to life! I am so excited to rock this top this spring. Of course it looks great with my Strides and Power Sports Bra made with Phee’s Peacock Supplex.

Now you have all the steps to make your own crop hoodie! If I were to make any changes, the only change I would do would be to have the front color block section be more rounded like in the inspiration photos. I’m sure I will need one of these in black for the fall, so that will be my plan! As always, let me know if you have any questions or comments! Thanks for reading. 🙂

Cheers!
Caitlin

White Rayon Spandex found here.

White Powernet found here.

Studio to Street found here.

Hood add on found here.

*Some of the links above may be affiliate links. Thank you for your support!*

April 7, 2019April 7, 2019 by Luna & Laika Categories: Techniques, Women's TopsTags: greenstyle, Hack, Powernet, Rayon Spandex, Women's Tops 1 Comment