Sewing Athleisure: Simplicity 8790

At the end of this post, I’m going to ask you for help with something! Please read, I need your tips!

But first,

I get a catalog from Athleta in the mail every month or so and I always LOVE the clothes in there. I’ve gotten a few pieces on clearance in the past, but on the whole, it’s out of my budget to order from them. But I love getting the catalog still, because I often find something I’d like to copy!

One of those items is an athleisure style dress, that can be worn with or without leggings, goes with casual sneakers or even snow boots when the weather warrants them, and is just a casual piece for the colder weather. When I scored the perfect clearance fabric at Joann a few months ago, I knew I’d be making a similar dress to those in my Athleta catalog.

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I didn’t need to spend much time searching for a pattern because I had Simplicity 8790 in my stash already. It had only been waiting for the right fabric. I made view C because I wanted the hood without the cowl and I like the raglan style sleeves, not the dropped shoulders.

I did make a couple of changes. The pocket design on this pattern is pretty cool; it’s a kangaroo pocket, but it looks like two side pockets. The pattern included a facing for the pocket, but I thought that was silly. I cut a strip and bound the pocket like you would most other patterns for knits. I bound the hood in the same way, as I feel it’s more of a professional looking finish than the simple hem the pattern called for.

The other change I made was to add cuffs and a hem band, rather than hemming the bottom and sleeves the traditional way. I love how that ended up looking! It feels more substantial, somehow, maybe because it adds weight to the hem.

I’d like to make this pattern again, for sure! Next time I will do a full bust adjustment, as I should have done on this one. This version fits well, but I can tell it would be just perfect with the FBA. Now that I know how to do them, I’m not as afraid of them!

(Find my favorite sneakers here).

I’m on the hunt for a sweatshirt fleece to make the shirt version next, so I’ve been looking at my thrift store for sweatshirt fleece blankets. I have super hard time buying fabrics online and I always have! Do any of you feel this way?? As much as I’d like to, I just never quite know what I’m getting! And paying for shipping and having returns be challenging and often costly, it feels so risky! One company I ordered from sent my fabric to an old address and I never received the fabric, nor would they give me my money back. It was super disheartening and I’m even more timid about online fabric ordering now. I’m on a pretty tight budget, so I’d rather not order swatches and spend even more money. How can I get over this?? Advice about ensuring success when fabric shopping online would be very welcome!

And if this dress inspired you, feel free to pin this image to save for later!

Cheers :)