New pattern launch! Introducing the Summer Sweatsuit pdf sewing pattern by Sew DIY

Today, I’m very excited to announce the launch of the Sew DIY Summer Sweatsuit pattern. This vintage-inspired sweatsuit is equally suited for all your summer activities whether that be sports, lounging or even sleeping. I know for many of us (myself included), that staying at home this year has inspired us to get extra cozy with our clothing. After spending months in our comfiest clothes, constricting and scratchy garments just can not be tolerated anymore. This pattern is the answer for what to wear when you want to be comfortable and it’s crazy hot outside.

The Summer Sweatsuit is a 2-for-1 pattern featuring a full-coverage racerback tank and mid-rise short shorts. Watch the video above for all the details on this new sportswear pattern. (If you the video doesn’t work for some reason, you can watch on YouTube.) I hope that you love this pattern as much as I do!

ABOUT THE SUMMER SWEATSUIT PATTERN

The Summer Sweatsuit pattern gives you an entire outfit that you can wear separately or together. The Summer tank top has a full coverage racerback style with a medium-scoop neck and curved hem. It's designed to be fitted at the bust and skim over the waist and hips in a swing style. The neckline and armholes are finished with self-fabric bands.

The shorts feature an elastic waistband and a high cut curved leg opening. There are no side seams in the shorts, making them extra comfortable on sensitive skin. If short-shorts aren’t your thing, the pattern shows you how to lengthen the legs of the shorts. These garments are quick-to-sew so that you can get back to summer in no time.

New pattern launch! Introducing the Summer Sweatsuit pdf sewing pattern

Sizing for the Summer Sweatsuit pattern

The sizing for this pattern uses the Sew DIY sportswear size chart (also used for the Ali Sweatshirt). The pattern is drafted for bust/hip sizes 32-58 inches (81-147 cm) and a C-cup bust. To support our #sewingtall community, we also draft for a height of 5’10”, however it’s easy to adjust the length to suit your preferences.

The instruction booklet that comes with the pattern also includes three pages of advice for common pattern adjustments and alterations.

You can learn more about our size charts here.

Fabric and supplies

For the tank top, we recommend light to medium-weight knit fabric with at least 20% 2-way stretch, such as jersey, bamboo, modal knits.

For the shorts, we recommend medium-weight knit fabric with at least 35% 4-way stretch, such as jersey, French terry, athletic or ponte knit fabric.

Additionally, you’ll need a ballpoint or jersey needle and matching thread. If you’d like to finish your garments with a twin needle, you’ll also need that. For the shorts, you’ll need 1.25” (3 cm) wide knit elastic. If you’d like to use a different width of elastic, the pattern includes advice on how to adjust the waistband to fit.

If you’re having trouble sourcing elastic, we have some in the shop. The 1.25” wide elastic is the perfect size for both the Summer Sweatsuit shorts and for our Lela Skirt pattern. This elastic is pre-shrunk and made in the USA. Check it out here.

Sewalong

Over the coming weeks, I'm planning to share video sewalongs for the both the tank and shorts as well as a few pattern hacks. In the meantime, I’ve gathered all of the existing blog posts that will help you sew this pattern. These posts include tips for sewing with knits, how to thread a serger, adjust serger tension, sew a knit neck band and use a twin needle. Check them out below or click here to visit the Summer Sweatsuit sewalong page.

Explore the sewalong

How to Sew a Knit Skort—Free Pattern Add-On and Summer Sweatsuit Hack

Hello! Today I’m very excited to share a hack for the Summer Sweatsuit pattern and a FREE pattern add-on. I released this pattern 5 years ago and it’s still one of my most worn garments for the summer season. I’ve shared a few hacks for this pattern over the years but this may be my favorite. This hack takes the shorts and adds a skirt on top. When I was younger, skorts were really popular and I really enjoyed wearing them. (I also wish I had kept a few of them!) This hack looks like an athletic skirt with a subtle A-line shape but has a hidden pair of shorts underneath.

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DIY Racerback Maxi Dress – Summer sweatsuit pattern hack

Hello sew-friends! Today I have a simple but oh-so-good pattern hack for you. For this hack, I'm taking the racerback tank top from my Summer Sweatsuit pattern and turning it into a maxi dress with a side slit. I released the Summer Sweatsuit almost exactly one year ago. I had planned to do some tank hacks then, but never got around to it. So, I’m really happy to finally be sharing this one with you. (Btw, check out the Summer Sewalong for lots of tips and hacks to the shorts patterns.)

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DIY Wide Leg Knit Pants - Summer Sweatsuit pattern hack

Hello sew-friends! Today, I have another hack to the Summer Sweatsuit pattern. Last week, I shared how to convert the shorts pattern into jogger style pants and today I’ll show you how to hack the pattern to make wide leg knit pants. This is a comfy, relaxed silhouette, perfect for lounging around. Depending on the type of fabric, they could even look a bit stylish. Read on to learn more.

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How to calculate fabric stretch percentage - Video tutorial

Hello sew-friends! In today’s YouTube video, I’m talking about fabric stretch percentage. If you've ever sewn a pair of leggings or a swimsuit, then you know how important stretch can be in your handmade garments. Read on and watch the video to learn all about fabric stretch, why it’s important, a bit about fabric stretch terminology and, most importantly, how to calculate fabric stretch percentage. ⁠

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DIY Knit Jogger Pants - Summer Sweatsuit pattern hack

Today, I’m very excited to be bringing you a cool-weather friendly hack to the Summer Sweatsuit pattern. The Summer Sweatsuit was designed to be worn on the hottest days of the year, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not a useful pattern to have in your stash all year round. In today’s blog post, I’ll show you how to adapt the pattern to create your own knit jogger pants sewing pattern. Read on to learn how to hack the pattern to get your own custom jogger pants pattern.

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How to sew a racerback tank top - Summer Sweatsuit VIDEO Sewalong

Hello sew-friends! The Summer Sweatsuit sewalong is continuing with another video! Both the tank top and shorts from the Summer Sweatsuit are fairly easy to sew, so I decided to just do one video about each. Last week, I showed you how to sew the knit sweat shorts and this week will be the racerback tank top. I'll be reviewing the pattern pieces, and showing the step-by-step process of sewing the racerback tan top.

To learn more about the Summer Sweatsuit, check out the introductory blog post. To buy your own copy of the pattern, head over to the shop.

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How to sew knit sweat shorts - Summer Sweatsuit Sewalong

Hello sew-friends! The Summer Sweatsuit sewalong is starting off with a video! Both the tank top and shorts from the Summer Sweatsuit are fairly easy to sew, so I decided to just do one video about each. This week, I’m showing you how to sew the knit sweat shorts and next week will be the tank top. I'll be reviewing the pattern pieces, chatting a little bit about fabric and most importantly, showing the step-by-step process of sewing the shorts.

To learn more about the Summer Sweatsuit, check out the introductory blog post. To buy your own copy of the pattern, head over to the shop.

Read more →

Tester Roundup for the Summer Sweatsuit Sewing Pattern by Sew DIY

Summer Sweatsuit Tester Roundup

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New pattern launch! Introducing the Summer Sweatsuit

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Tips for buying, downloading, printing and storing pdf sewing patterns from Sew DIY

Tips for buying your first pdf sewing pattern

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Summer Sweatsuit PDF Pattern

US$14.00

The vintage-inspired Summer Sweatsuit is equally suited to warm weather play or lounge activities. The sweatsuit consists of a racerback tank with a curved hem and mid-rise short shorts. The Summer tank top has a full coverage racerback style with a medium-scoop neck and curved hem. It's designed to be fitted at the bust and skim over the waist and hips in a swing style.

The Summer shorts feature an elastic waistband and a high cut curved leg opening. There are no side seams in the shorts, making them extra comfortable on sensitive skin. If short-shorts aren’t your thing, the pattern shows you how to lengthen the legs of the shorts.

These garments are quick-to-sew so that you can get back to summer activities in no time. This pattern has a close fit and requires knit fabric with stretch.

This digital pattern includes an illustrated, step-by-step instruction booklet, a print-at-home layered pattern for letter or A4 size paper, a US copy shop pattern and an A0 size pattern.

Model is 5’11” and is wearing a size D tank top and size E shorts.

THIS IS NOT A PHYSICAL PRODUCT. After checkout, you will receive a link to the pattern that will be active for 24 hours after you click it. Prices are in USD.

I hope that you love this pattern as much as I do. It’s really quick to sew, doesn’t use a lot of fabric and is so comfortable that you’ll be wanting to wear your Summer set all day and night. To celebrate the launch, we are offering 20% off this pattern with code HELLOSUMMER. Offer expires Wed., August 26, 2020 at midnight, Pacific time.

Click here to grab your copy of the pattern. Happy sewing!