Pattern Review: Brassie Joggers

If you know me then you know I'm a fake pants enthusiast. You know, yoga pants, leggings, lounge pants; pretty much anything but jeans.  Like a lot of other work/stay-at-home-mommies I live in lounge pants. I like to be comfy when I'm home cleaning, cooking, chasing kiddos, and doing other mom things.  So, in the spirit of super comfy and cute pants, I bring you the GreenStyle Creations Brassie Joggers.

This pattern has been out for a while and I've always admired it from afar, but with spring coming, I bought the pattern and whipped these bad boys up.  I needed some capris (you can make these in shorts, capri, and ankle length), and this is one of my favorite fabrics of all time.  The fabric I chose is a poly/rayon/lycra jersey (say that 5 times fast) with an amazing drape and a beautiful hand.  It's so soft and washes up perfectly.  I throw everything I make into the washer and dryer so I need my fabrics to be high quality.  I never hang dry or do any of that nonsense.  Ain't nobody got time fo dat.

You can find the fabric I used here, at Cali Fabrics.  While you're browsing, I'd also recommend these other fabrics for the Brassie Joggers too.  That black on green will totally match my running shoes and I'm digging all the modern florals that are really on trend right now.

L to R: Black on Green, Tonal Black Stripe,Colorful Feathers, Pink & Aqua Floral

I did the joggers in an XS based on my measurements and I did not have to adjust even one thing.  I just went with it as drafted and they fit perfectly.  The waistband is elastic and a drawstring so they are really comfortable and secure on the waist.  

My favorite part about these are the pockets!  The construction was super simple and I even got to whip out my coverstitch machine to give these an awesome detail.  You can, of course, make these without a coverstitch if you don't have one, I just like to kick things up a notch sometimes. :)

It's always nice to be rockin' a cute new pair of capris even when you're just at home cleaning in your mismatch socks.

Here are all the details:

Pattern	Brassie Joggers
Pattern Designer	GreenStyle Creations
Sizes Included	XXS - 3XL
Skill Level	Beginner
# of Pattern Pages	20
Attributes	YES	NO
A4 Printing		"
Fabric Requirements	"
Finished Measurements		"
Finishing Options	"
Labeled Pattern Pieces	"
Length Options	"
Line Drawings	"
Materials List	"
Nested Pattern Pieces	"
No Trim Pages	"
Pictures of Finished Garments		"
Print by Size (Layers)		"
Printing Guide	"
Rise Options	"
Size Chart	"
Suggested Fabrics	"
Table of Contents	"
Tips and Tricks	"

 

FAQs: Volume 1: Sewing

I get a lot of the same quick questions from time to time on a bunch of different things so I thought I'd compile some answers here for quick reference.  If you ever have a question, comment, suggestions, or just wanna chat you can always email me at sugarplumcuties@hotmail.com and I'll do my best to answer you that same day.

Q: What kind of sewing machine do you use?
A: I use a Brother XR-9000.  You can see it on the Brother website here.  I got it at Costco a couple of years ago when it was on sale and I had a coupon.  I love it, and I will probably never sew with anything other than a Brother until maybe one day when I can afford a more upscale sewing machine.  This one has an automatic needle threader, a long arm for sewing things like sleeves, and an extra long arm for quilting.  It comes with a million different presser feet, a bunch of extra bobbins, and a really awesome manual and DVD for visual learning on how to thread the machine and sew.

Q: What kind of serger do you use?
A: I use a Brother 1034D serger.  You can see it at Amazon here.  I actually bought it from Amazon last Valentine's day, and I have no idea how I survived sewing for 4 years without a serger.  It's worth every penny I spent on it, and I've often thought about buying a second one and keeping it set up as a 3-thread serger to do rolled hems.  I have 2 of these bad boys now!  I leave one set up for a 3-thread rolled hem and the other is set for a 4-thread serge.  Threading the machine was hard the first 1 or 2 times but after that, it's a breeze, and changing blades is super easy too.  The DVDs that come with the serger are awesome and show you a lot of different serging techniques.  I highly recommend it.

Q: What kind of coverstitch machine do you use?
A:  I have the Brother 2340CV.  You can see it on Amazon here.  My dad sent it to me for Christmas 2014 and I'm dying over it.  I don't know all the ins and outs yet but I've used it on a few projects and it's sooooo good.

Q: Where are some good places to buy knit fabrics?
A: Buying knits is sometimes tricky.  Lower quality knits are thin and harder to sew with and are less than ideal for sewing clothing, so you have to really pay attention to the description of the knit in the listing.  When in doubt you can always email the shop owner and ask more specific questions on the weight and drape of the fabric.  That being said, there are a couple of places I love to buy knits from, and I'll just list them here in no specific order.

• Girl Charlee
• Purpleseamstress Fabric - on Facebook
• Funkalicious Fabric - on Etsy
• Nature's Fabrics
• The Fabric Fairy
• JoAnn Fabrics
• Ixat - She is located in Korea so shipping to the US is high, but her knits are awesome, and so far I have not been disappointed with the quality.
• Harts Fabrics