Fabric Mart Fabricistas

     One question that is often asked by our customers is "Do you carry home decor fabric?" And often to our customer's great disappointment, our blanket response is "No, we only carry apparel fabric". And if you look at everything in black and white, it is true we only carry "apparel fabric" because we find that is what we do best! However, that has not stopped me from designing and making all of my curtains from Fabric Mart's fashion fabrics. Additionally we carry some fabrics that I would make pillows, duvet covers, tables cloths and even upholster with, you just need to get creative, which is what fabricistas love to do.             When choosing a fabric for home decor you  want to look for a material that is durable, timeless, and hopefully washes easily. Some great choices for window treatments are; Dupioni, the stiffness lends itself well to folding and draping, adding volume to your treatment. Using a silk gives a rich and lustrous l

Hello! Today we have something special to share with you! We recently went on a search for 3 seamstresses who work with knits to give you some tips and tricks on how to sew this sometimes stressful fabric. We have selected Kathy, Amber, and Meghan. First up is Kathy who will be sharing with us she uses Activewear knits. An supplex/activewear knit can be a mixture of polyester, nylon, and/or spandex. These knits are created to wick sweat away from your body to keep you cool. Perfect for making sports bras, work out tops, running shorts/skirts, etc.   Here's Kathy! Kathy is a seamstress and blogger living in Baltimore, Maryland. She has a background in arts marketing and a degree in Art Education but sewing has been a self taught adventure for the past 15+ years between work, school and life. As a stay-at-home mom these days, most of her sewing is done while her sweet little two year old naps. She goes between working with knits and woven fabrics but always concentr

Have you ever wondered how knits are made? Well we've done all the research for you! Learn a little bit about how knits are made and the different types. There are two methods used in producing fabric: Non-woven and Yarn Manipulation. Non-woven includes felting, bonding and interlocking fibers. Yarn manipulation includes: weaving, intertwining & twisting, and knitting. Weaving and knitting are the most popular methods being used in fashion, decor, medical, aviation, transportation and more.  _________________________________________________________________ Knitting Processes Stitch or Loop in black Knitting is a fabric production method done by drawing a yarn with a needle or hook needle into a loop from a previously done loop. (Just like if you were knitting yourself!) The smallest unit of a knit is a loop or stitch . A row of loops running selvedge to selvedge are called Course and a column of loops running with the selvedge are called Wale. Knit

Now that spring is here, I'm in the mood for home improvements. I haven't been doing a lot of sewing, but had an itch to do a quick project. I wanted to make a project that I could get done in two hours and feel a sense of accomplishment. I also did not want to buy any materials, so I used things I had. The fabric I used was scrap, the fiber fill I had sitting around, and the button I had stashed in a jar of buttons.  My original intent was to make a circular pillow from the book, One-Yard Wonders by Patricia Hoskins and Rebecca Yaker. But when I realized that it wanted you to do smocking, I knew it would take MUCH longer than I wanted to spend. Don't get me wrong, I really want to try smocking, but not at this moment. I still wanted to make a circular pillow, so I decided I would figure it out myself. I'm the kind of sewer that likes to figure things out as they go, so I will be sharing my experiences along the way.  This pillow will be approximately 15"

Here we are again with my attempt at sewing a bra! I didn't feel so successful in  my first attempt and was a bit discouraged. But I'm willing to give it another shot. For my final draft fabric I chose an activewear knit and used the stretch lace again. I also have a bit of nude soft elastic I found in our brick and mortar shop in Sinking Spring that I will use. All of my supplies are from Fabric Mart. View some of our activewear knits here: http://www.fabricmartfabrics.com/xcart/Active-Wear-Knit/ Look for Stretch Laces in our lace section: http://www.fabricmartfabrics.com/xcart/Lace-fabrics/ Before cutting on my "good pieces of scrap fabric" I took another look at the PDF pattern. I marked each piece with what it was since after cutting out the pattern, I lost some important information which led to me getting terribly confused and eventually took a long extended break from sewing the bra. I then traveled back to the Ohhh Lu Lu blog and