Raspberry Creek Fabrics Swim as Workout Wear with Kelly of Kelly Gonthier Art

January 13, 2022 1 Comment

Hello, everyone!  Kelly here.  I am so happy to be back on the blog today.  When I was deciding on what to talk about this time, I knew we would be right at the beginning of the year, and what better thing to sew for myself then a new workout outfit, right?  It may seem cliché, but it really is fun to make yourself a new, bright outfit to help motivate you to keep at your exercise goals (or start them, in my case!)

I found some really fun prints in the swim section of Raspberry Creek Fabrics, and fell in love with many of them.  I checked out the Facebook page to see if anyone had successfully used some of the swim fabric for workout wear, and I saw that there were mixed reviews about using it for leggings and sports bras, so I decided to give it a try!

I chose to use the Aqua Blue Orange and Magenta Tie Dye Print 4 Way Stretch MATTE SWIM Knit Fabric with the coordinating Aqua Blue Orange and Magenta Large Ombre Print 4 Way Stretch MATTE SWIM Knit Fabric, both of which are CLUB fabrics.  For my lining I used some Solid Lipstick Fuchsia Pink 4 Way Stretch MATTE SWIM Knit Fabric that I had in my stash and had purchased a few years back.  Once again, I am reminded of how well RCF does in carrying fabrics that match and coordinate, even years apart.

One difference from swim to athletic fabric, to me, is the thickness and stretchiness of each type of fabric.  I feel that swim is thinner and slick and has more stretch, so I knew I would want to line my sports bra and legging waistband with a power mesh or net for more support.  I ordered both the Beige Flesh Tone Power Mesh and Beige Flesh Tone Power Net to see how they felt in person. 

The power net is firmer with not too much stretch to it; it is a stronger hold.  The power mesh has a nice springy stretch to it.  I decided on the power mesh so I wouldn’t feel compressed too much.  I wanted a better hold than the swim would provide, but didn’t want to be uncomfortable.  

It’s very easy to use power mesh, just cut it out as an extra lining piece, then sew it at the same time as your lining.  If you’re smart, you’ll baste it to your lining so it doesn’t move around while you’re sewing.  If you’re like me, you’ll just give it a go without basting and go back and seam rip and then still have to baste it.

I was really excited to try out the Patterns for Pirates Colorblock Pegs pattern for my leggings.  The cool part is that this is a free pattern!  I love the color block on the legs, and the option for making the waistband color blocked as well.  Since my two fabrics go together so well, it was easy to play around and figure out how I wanted the fabrics to go.

I chose to make a Dani Strappy Sports Bra from Made for Mermaids to complete my outfit.  I’ve made a few Dani’s in the past, and I really like the crisscross back and ease of construction.  I played around with the fabrics again to find out how I wanted to really make the fabric pop.  I love how the straps in the back mimic the ombre in the print. 

The tie dye print was my main focus, and the ombre the pops of interest.  I love the sweetheart shape above the booty on the Pegs, and this ombre really added more interest as well.  I followed the ombre from the blocks in the thighs, to the waistband, and then up into the sports bra as well.

While I don’t do any heavy-duty exercises (I tend to stick to my elliptical, light weights, stretching, and walking) this swim fabric held up really well through my day of a light workout, running some errands, taking the kids to the park, and taking a bunch of pictures!  While it’s not moisture wicking if I plan to do a lot of sweating, this fabric really works well for lighter exercise (and bonus, I can hop in the pool with the sports bra too!)

Thank you for reading – if you would like to sew up any of the patterns I used, here are my affiliate links that will take you to them:

Patterns for Pirates Color Block Peg Legs

Made for Mermaids Dani Strappy Sports Bra

Instagram: KellyGonthierArt

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