Search Results for: fleece

I love it when an indie pattern company releases a dupe of a fast fashion piece–we all save money and also garments get made by people who want to, who are earning more than $6/day.

Petite Stitchery wasn’t on my radar but they came up on Instagram and I saw their Mikal Jacket was pretty much an exact copy of the Free People Hit the Slopes Jacket (the one change was pocket flaps instead of zippers).

I’d impulse bought some neon sherpa fleece at Joann and it all came together:

This was a pretty easy sew, even with making my own bias binding out of supplex to match the trim (it looks like Free People uses foldover elastic, but I didn’t have enough). The collar construction is clever–everything is bound so you can just sandwich the seam allowance at the neck and boom, a nice finish:

The pattern didn’t give finished measurements so I made a large based on body measurements, but it’s definitely an oversized fit. If I make it again, I’ll size down, but it works for layering/being cozy.

And I definitely could make this again–look at all the solid sherpa colors at Joann right now!

After I tweaked the Greenstyle pattern to make my colorblock vest, I realized I could use those tweaks to make a colorblocked Cotopaxi jacket knockoff, like so:
And like so:

I didn’t have to purchase anything for this project: The Polartec shearling fleece has been in my stash since I got it from Discovery Fabrics two Black Fridays ago and the bright nylons and all the elastics are leftovers from making all those Catagonia fleeces. The navy waterproof taffeta is scraps from the lining of my big parka; I just used poly quilt batting to quilt it and then treated the whole thing like an overlay, like so:

I took my time and added zips to the (enormous) outside pockets, the square chest pocket that I drafted, and even drop-in pocket on the inside:

I love it–it was fun to engineer and sew, I got to quilt something, and I got that incredibly bulky fleece out of storage and freed up some fabric space.

It’s a great weight, too, warm but not parka-weight. Just right for the shoulder season:

It’s still winter, so I’m sewing up all the fleece that has been sitting around since last winter. This is a pair of Brassie Joggers in a Polartec Powerstretch that I bought when I got the fabric for my dad’s vest last fall.

I was inspired by this pair of Cotopaxi fleece joggers that retail for one hundred and twenty American dollars, wtf:

I had woven nylon in a pretty good color match sitting around from all the Catagonia fleece orders last year, so I eyeballed a similar pocket shape and sewed up my own version:

Not too bad, especially for zero dollars! I even copied the back pocket and threw on a contrasting zipper and a Catagonia label, because why not:

Warm pants with pockets that are not $120: Is there anything better? Not really.

It got cold here and I needed a hiking layer. I just couldn’t get excited about the performance flannel options and already had two yards of this chartreuse Polartec and all the notions for it, so I sewed up a zip jacket:

I used the “Adult Plush Polar Jacket” pattern from Green Pepper, which is very similar to the pullover fleece pattern they have. The pockets on the Polar Jacket actually encompass the entire lower front; that seemed like it would get way too bulky for this fleece so I subbed in the pullover pockets  and made them out of supplex.

I also wanted to try binding the edge of the zipper in foldover elastic for a nicer finish, but I was rushing/treating this like a wearable muslin so it’s not the most professional. (It’s not the most professional in general; the fleece is soft and warm and light but was really hard to work with due to the lack of stability. Also it made a mess.)

But it’s good on the trail, warm but breathable, plus I’ve been wearing it at home a lot. Not bad for a project that was “free” [bought last year] and a couple sewing sessions.

I’ve needed a better technical base layer for a couple of seasons now. I’ve had fabric for a better technical base layer in my stash for a year now. So I finally sewed it up:

The pattern is the Jalie Marie-Claude Raglan and it fit beautifully in my size with no adjustments, not even for arm length. (Check out those thumb hole cuffs!) I think Jalie might be giving Greenstyle a run for its money as my favorite pattern company.

The technical fabric is Polartec Alpha Direct and it is truly magic fleece. As the fabric description says, it’s “a more efficient fabric for regulating warmth and transferring moisture. This advancement increases thermal adaptability in changing conditions and different phases of physical activity.” What that means is I can be hiking uphill or standing still in the wind and I’m just…magically the right temperature. It’s also super light and compressible, if I ever decide I want to thru-hike.

The weather was warm enough on Sunday (and the fleece was magic enough) that I didn’t even need a jacket over my base layer, just a vest (another Polar Pullover for me sneaked in between orders) and my fleece lined tights from a few years ago.

I think Doc needs a Magic Fleece Base Layer next!

And I’m still averaging “one for them, one for me”–the hand print was a commission (as a gift!) and the vest was something I sneaked in for me while I had beige thread in all the machines:

The hand print is a Spoonflower fleece, which is soft and vibrant but just not all that fuzzy. The mountain print is part of the spring collection from La Maison du Joann (lol). I wore the vest yesterday but it’s still a little cold in the house to not be completely covered in fleece. Soon, though.

When I find myself in times of trouble, Joann Fabrics calls to me–
Speaking words of wisdom: “Let it fleece.”
Wear some fleece, wear some fleece, wear some fleece, wear some fleece…
Try a pair of fleece pants, let it fleece.

All I want to wear or sew or shop for is fuzzy polyester. It’s warm, it’s bright, it’s easy–everything we need in times of trouble. My latest obsession: fleece pants. You can wear them working from home:

You can wear them headed out of the house to pick up N95 masks:

And you can save about $75 by making them yourself (that farm-print yellow pair was directly inspired by this Patagonia pair for $89)–just use the Greentsyle Brassie Joggers pattern, size up, and boom. Let it fleece.

After she saw Doc’s Catagonia, my friend (who just adopted 2 more kittens) asked me to make one just like it for her son’s 11th birthday in January. Her own birthday was yesterday so while I was buying fleece over Thanksgiving, I saw this new arrival and thought, “Make one for her and mail them together!” And so I did:

This is Joann’s Blizzard Fleece in an amazing “Mod Cat” print. It’s their lightest weight but that worked out, since my friend lives in a warm climate. I finished the sleeves and hem with foldover elastic and used some Snap Source cap snaps I had, since KAM Snaps didn’t have an exact color match. (Of course I had to use some of that custom label order, too.)

My friend was so surprised and pleased when this was delivered Saturday–and I was so relieved it fit!

After I finished Doc’s Catagonia fleece and I posted about fashion fleeces, it was inevitable that I made one for myself. This is sherpa fleece from Joann and nylon supplex from The Rain Shed, with long prong KAM Snaps and wide foldover elastic (from Etsy) for the hems.

I used the Green Pepper Polar Pullover again, traced off in a small. I figured out there’s 9 inches of ease in the sizing–my measurements would have put me in a medium, but the small is still fashionably oversized.

The pattern has some nice finishing details that I didn’t show in Doc’s, including a covered neckline seam and a hanging loop:

This baby is WARM, almost as warm as a coat, so I’m not wearing it in the house yet since the weather is still pretty mild. But I can wear it out on walks or hikes and people will think, “What a cool Patagonia!”