With a short, petite frame and hips two sizes larger than my waist, I’ve struggled to find athletic wear that won’t roll or shift down while I move.  Even with poor luck with the big name athleisure companies, I started making my own work out clothes a few years ago and haven’t turned back since.  The fabric and compression fit are important factors to me and why I am SUCH a big fan of Pine Crest athletic fabrics.  I was pretty stoked when they asked me to work with their gorgeous Blazer Floral Printed Ciré fabric since I was curious to see how it felt and moved with it’s liquid-like look.

You can understand my love for this company by checking out my other makes using Pine Crest fabrics like my Full-Zip Rashguard, Textured Web Athleisure Capsule, and Holiday dress with their Stretch Velvet.

FABRIC

When I was first asked to work with the Blazer Floral Printed Ciré, I honestly admit, I was a little hesitant about how it would look and feel.  Would it be TOO shiny?  I mean, I do like some flash…but I don’t consider my style to be flash-yyy…  Would it have a “plastic” coating to it?  Would I end up sticking to it when I work out?  There were so. many. questions.

Well, I’m so glad I took the plunge because this fabric is A-MAZING!  While there is remarkable shine and sheen to the top of the fabric, the Ciré is not “sticky” at all.  It is smooth to the touch and is completely matte on the reverse, making it SO comfortable and soft.  The fabric is 80% Nylon, 20% Spandex, 195GSM, and has a generous 56/58″ WOF.  There is ~40% four-way stretch with GREAT compression — making this fabric ideal for working out, dancing and even swimwear.  You can check out more the full line of Ciré fabrics including more colors and prints here.

In addition to the amazing base cloth, the Blazer Floral Printed Ciré  has these stunning gold foil flowers that stretch and move beautifully with the fabric.  There are also subtle black printed shadows of the same flowers that give the fabric even more depth and texture.  I’ve washed this fabric twice and even tried to pick at the foil a little bit, and it is not coming off!  The fabric has remained vibrant with that signature sheen and even with all the stretching, the gold foil recovers back to a smooth finish — winner!

PATTERN

The true test of the Ciré is how it sews up and wears on the body.  So, I chose the Greenstyle Creations Power Sports Bra and Stride Athletic Tights (because…pockets!)  With the floral print, I made sure to take extra care with pattern placement with nothing odd coming out off the crotch and rear areas.  (We’ve all made those mistakes before!)  I LOVE the scale and how the foil flowers look on the body.  There is a nice balance between the gold and the navy base.  Too bad my Zumba studio is still closed, else, I’d be showing this off!

I used both my Juki MO-2000QVP Serger and Juki MCS-1700QVP Coverstitch to make both of these pieces.  It’s been awhile since I last used my Coverstitch machine and I was riding high on my “great” sewing skills on the first pass of the leggings…..until I went to try them on….and heard a series of pops.  Ugh!  I had to remove all of the thread and coverstitch again…only to go back and repeat.  SMH.  Even though I eventually got it right,  the Blazer Floral Printed Ciré took a pounding at the seams with so many additional punctures that were certainly not necessary.  With other stretch fabrics, the area would have been worn down and fuzzed up. But to my surprise, there didn’t seem to be any additional wear! This was kinda shocking since I really beat up the fabric.

With the reverse of the fabric being matte, I couldn’t help flip it over for a subtle accent.  You can see I used the matte side on the back of the tights and in the band and straps of the Power Sports Bra.  I love the extra use out of the same Blazer Floral Printed Ciré!

Other Pattern Notes:

• Power Sports Bra –
  • Made the  34C U-back with extra wide band
  • Stitched down the sides of band to keep from shifting
  • Used reverse side of fabric for the lining

• Stride Athletic Tights –
  • Made the Medium from hips down
  • Graded to Small in waist using curved add-on waistband
  • Add Power net to waistband along with elastic
  • Shortened pattern by 1.5″
  • Cut the cropped length
  • Added optional gusset for full range movement

PROJECT SUMMARY

• Fabric: Blazer Floral Printed Ciré by Pine Crest Fabrics
• Patterns: Greenstyle Creations Power Sports Bra and Stride Athletic Tights
• Machines:  Juki MO-2000QVP Serger and Juki MCS-1700QVP Coverstitch
• Threads: Gutermann Bulky Nylon and Toldi-Lock (aff links)

I hope you are inspired to try out some new fabric that might not necessarily be your style…you maybe surprised with the results!

Happy Sewing!

Cristy

Fabric for this post was provided by Pine Crest Fabric.  Project conception and all opinions are my own.  

There maybe (noted) affiliate links in this post.  For my full disclosures, click here.