UPDATE: the Cedar Workout Tank is now the Spruce Tank.

Whether you’re always in the front row at spin, look forward to your daily walks with the dog, or love donning super stretchy and soft secret pajamas when you get home after work, we have a new set of patterns just for you! Introducing, the Cashmerette Activewear sewing pattern collection: a set of tops, bottoms, and a yoga bag, to make your new athleisure mini-wardrobe. Our curvy and plus size activewear sewing pattern collection consists of three patterns (with variations):

• The Cedar Tops, which include:
  • A sporty workout tank with awesome princess seams (front and back!) for color-blocking fun, two necklines and on-trend back detailing.
  • A dolman-sleeve top that can made out of drapey wovens or knit/woven technical fabric, perfect for throwing on after a workout, or over a pair of jeans for the weekend.
• The Belmont Pants, which include:
  • The yoga pants of your dreams, which come up ultra-high for no flashing guaranteed.
  • Essential basic leggings, which, like the yoga pants, come with or without a gusset for added flexibility.
• The Shawmut Bag
  • A cute yoga bag which is just begging to be made from the most gorgeous canvas in your stash.

The Cedar and Belmont patterns are available in sizes 12 – 28, and the Cedar Tops have cup sizes from C – H, as you expect from Cashmerette! These patterns are available in a PDF format, with files to print at home, or at a copyshop. Check out the special offer below for discounted copyshop printing.

Launch Special Offers for our curvy and plus size activewear sewing patterns!

We have two special offers to celebrate the launch :

• If you buy the Cedar Workout Tank & Dolman Top AND the Belmont Yoga Pants and Leggings, you’ll get the Shawmut Yoga Bag free! (a 20% discount on the total price). Click here to buy your activewear bundle.

• These patterns are PDF only, so we have partnered up with our friends over at PDFPlotting.com (US only) who now have a dedicated sewing pattern printing page, to get you a 15% discount off their already very low prices! Use code CASHMERETTE at checkout, and you’ll get 15% off (excluding shipping), and you’ll receive your patterns printed onto 36 x 48″ paper, ready for cutting out. Valid through Jan 31st, and on any Cashmerette patterns.

OK, let’s take a look at what’s in store. Settle in, because there is a bounty of new things to cover!

Cashmerette Cedar Workout Tank & Dolman Top

The Cedar Tops pattern includes two totally different garments: one that’s thoughtfully designed for the needs of curvy women when we exercise, and one that’s great as a post-exercise cover up, or, in a different fabric, is a totally stylish everyday top.

Cashmerette Cedar Workout Tank

I’ve struggled for years to find workout tops that suit my needs, so I decided to make my own. My key requirements were that it would cover my (substantial) sports bra, not overly compress my bust (so hard to breathe!), be long enough not to be flashing my neighbours in downward dog, but still have some of the fun features you see in straight size workout wear.

And here it is! The Cedar Workout Tank:

The Cedar Workout Tank has princess seams front and back, for a great fit, but also awesome color-blocking opportunities, as you see on our beautiful model Rachel. It easily covers your sports bra (that scoop in the back is designed to be comfortably above your back bra strap), is long enough to stay in place when you’re moving around, and has a decorative back strap detail that you can play with. The edges are finished with Fold Over Elastic for a sporty and clean finish.

There are two neckline options, both of which are cut high, so there’s no cleavage on display. You can either go for a gently rounded V-neck, or a sporty crew neck, as modeled by Dawn:

The Cedar Workout Tank is designed for stretchy knits (at least 50% stretch) like lycra and spandex – we’ll have blog posts helping you source your fabric and fold over elastic, and we also have a kit (see below!).

Cashmerette Cedar Dolman Top

The other piece is an on-trend Dolman Top, which is super versatile depending on what fabric you choose.

The first view of the Cedar Dolman Top features a fun tie-front, and this version, made in a heavy knit, is perfect for throwing on after the gym (which I have indeed been doing with this sample!).

The top has a deep neckline and hem facing, which are both topstitched down (use contrast thread for extra detailing), and a center front seam. The dolman sleeves are incorporated into the pattern pieces, so no sleeve insertion is required. The dolman style has been adapted to work well for larger busts, but bear in mind that you’ll always have some folds at the underarm with dolmans – embrace the slouchy casual look!

The second view of the Cedar Dolman Top has a simple hem without the tie – and made from fashion fabric, it’s a super cute top to pair with your Ames Jeans. Here, I used a woven rayon that I picked up at Gather Here – and I adore the look with my black skinny jeans.

Unusually, because of its design, the Cedar Dolman Top works equally well with knits or wovens – just make sure if you’re using a woven that it’s very drapey (rayon is perfect). If you’re making your Dolman to be post-workout, there are lots of fantastic breathable, wicking technical fabrics that are a great match – check out our kit below.

Cashmerette Belmont Leggings & Yoga Pants

On to the bottoms! There were two things I knew I wanted when I was designing these pants: a high rise, reaching above my belly button, and the option of a gusset, which gives you lots more range of motion when you’re lunging in Crossfit or to grab an errant toddler.

Cashmerette Belmont Leggings

What can I say? The Belmont Leggings are a total classic, with a clean finished waistband that comes up really high, so no slipping leggings during the day. There’s the option to add a gusset, which is especially worthwhile if you’re going to be using them for exercise. You can whip up a pair of these in less than an hour!

One recent trend I love is wacky printed leggings, and this floral pair is a great nod to that style without going *too* nuts! (Want to find spandex covered in kittens, flags, sushi pancakes, candy, or other bizarre things…? Check out Spandex House).

The key with leggings fabric is to choose 4 way fabric, which means it stretches both across the grain (horizontally) but also lengthways (vertically). Check it’s opaque enough that it won’t go see through when you lean over, and it’s also a good idea with printed spandex to get a sample and see if there’s “grin through”, which is where lots of white lines appear when it’s stretched.

Cashmerette Belmont Yoga Pants

The other pattern in the Belmont bottoms is the Belmont Yoga Pants. Capri-length, with a deep yoga waistband that can be worn up or down, they’ll be your new best friend in downward dog. Again, they come with or without a gusset – the gusset is slightly more advanced, so we’ve classified that version Advanced Beginner, but without a gusset they’re an easy Beginner pattern.

Yoga Pants work best in specialist heavy spandex fabric like Supplex, but any beefy knit can work. Check out our kit below!

Cashmerette Shawmut Yoga Bag

Finally, to top it off, we’ve got the Shawmut Yoga Bag. It’s super easy to make, and ripe for creativity when it comes to fabric – you’ll stand out from the crowd before yoga! It’s designed to fit a standard size yoga mat, and it has a pocket in the front for your water bottle. The sample here was made with Cotton + Steel canvas, but it will work in any heavy woven.

Cashmerette Activewear Kits

Sourcing the fabric for activewear can be slightly more difficult than for regular garments, so we put together some kits with specialist fabric for you, which are a great place to start.

Cedar Workout Tank Double-sided Wicking Lycra Kit

First up, we have a bold double-sided green wicking lycra, that’s an ideal match for the Cedar Workout Tank. One side has a pale green gridded texture, and the other end is a bold rich electric green – perfect for color-blocking, like you can see on our sample. The technical fabric was designed for activewear, and wicks moisture away from the body as you sweat it out in hot yoga, or when you’re lifting heavy things. The kit also includes co-ordinating Fold Over Elastic, and the PDF pattern, so you have everything you need – just add needle and thread.

These are strictly limited edition – get your kit here.

Cedar Dolman Top Double-sided Bamboo Kit

Then we have another double-sided delight for you. This technical bamboo fabric has a micro-gridded texture, and is a soft mauve on one side, and pink on the other (you can see the pink on the ties below). Use it either way round, or you could even make your top reversible! The fabric is wicking, and bamboo is also naturally anti-microbial, making it perfect for a post-workout layer. The kit comes with the fabric and pattern – pick yours up here.

Belmont Yoga Pants Black Supplex Kit

Finally, high-quality activewear bottoms fabric can be hard to find, so we did the work for you! This black supplex makes great yoga pants, and we have two options for colorful waistbands – choose from navy or aqua ikat. A limited number are available here.

Thanks for making it all the way through to the end! I’m so happy to be bringing stylish and size-inclusive activewear to Cashmerette – and stay tuned for lots of inspiration, fabric help, and sewalongs for our curvy and plus size activewear sewing pattern collection.