3rd Challenge Winner + 4th Challenge Announced: Lady in Red

The winner of the 3rd Challenge is...

Sue from I Love to Sew!

Congratulations Sue! You have won three free patterns from Fabric Mart Sewing Pattern Collection!

Unfortunately, someone has to go home. We're sorry to see Sarah from Musings of a Seamstress leave the challenge. As always, great job to each and every one of the participants. This entire challenge is truly a challenge to add into your everyday life!

Winner from the Flickr Page: Kitty from Denver Sews is the winner of a free pattern from the Fabric Mart Sewing Pattern Collection. This was a randomly selected drawing. Please email me
(fabricmartblog{@}gmail.com) to claim your prize.

____________________________________________________

There are a number of challenges in the sewing community that have sewers create their signature little black dress. We did the Little Black Dress Challenge in last year's Fashion Challenge. I've seen the White Dress Challenge on Pattern Review, among many other similar challenges in the online sewing community. I wanted to do a challenge where we focus on one color and when I thought about red, the first thing that came to mind was the song, "Lady in Red" by Chris De Burgh.

I have heard the song many times, but never knew who it was written about or why. After doing some research, I found out it was inspired by a time he saw his wife from across the room in a nightclub. He didn't realize it was her and later on realized that so many times people never appreciate that the most important person in their lives is taken for granted. You also fail to notice what attracted to you to them in the first place.

In this challenge, I would like you to create the perfect red dress. It can be any version of red - burgundy red, bright red, red-orange, etc, just as long as it is red! If you need to send me a photo for confirmation, you can definitely do that.

I would also like you to create a story for us. Are you going out with your husband on a romantic date or a fun night out with the girls? Where will you be going? What will you be doing? Your dress should be able to tell your story.

We will be judging on a 1-10 scale (10 being the highest) using the following criteria:

Fit - Does the dress fit well? No unnecessary pulling in problem areas? Is it flattering to your figure?

Creativity - Does the dress have something interesting about it that sets it apart from your everyday dress? Also, did you come up with an interesting story to go along with this dress?

Craftsmanship - Did you put a lot of care into the construction? Top-stitching straight, careful overall construction, etc.

Presentation - While we totally understand not everyone has a professional camera and the perfect backdrop for photographing their creations, (Me included!!) you are in front of a world of other sewers! Make yourself look presentable. Submit a photo of the front, back and side view of the garment, as well as a "presentation photo" (this should be the best photo!) Detail photos are also requested so we can be better judges. So if you do some embellishing or a specific technique, zoom in and share with us! (Not all photos may be used in the final blog post, but shared with the judges.)

Guest Judge will be Laura Nash from Sew Chic Patterns. I interviewed her earlier in the summer during the In the Studio series. Read her interview here.

__________________________________________________________________

Entries are due by Tuesday, September 30rd, with viewer judging on Wednesday, October 1st-Thursday, October 2nd. The winner will be announced Friday, October 3 and a new challenge will begin!

PRIZES!!
The winner of this challenge will receive a Sewing Room Assortment pack which will include thread, a square ruler, grosgrain ribbon, scissors, and MORE! You will also receive a free 10 yard Mystery Bundle packed with beautiful fabrics from our website.

Reader Participation!

Don't forget!! If you are watching from the sidelines, you can participate in the challenge too! Head on over to our Flickr page and upload your finished red dress! Follow the same rules as the Challenge participants. Upload a photo of your finished garment by Wednesday, October 1st (made during the challenge please, no previously made items!) We will have a random drawing for the Flickr winner! They will win one free pattern of their choice from the Fabric Mart Pattern collection. (All prizes are sent to winner at the end of the challenge.)

Ready, set, go!!

Made By A Fabricista: A Wooly Wearable Blanket.

Twirling in a me-made outfit! I live in a small town where the nearest fabric shop is a road trip away, so I almost exclusively shop for fabric online. Having access to an online shop like Fabric Mart with a solid search engine is incredibly helpful. But by far my favorite aspect of Fabric Mart is what I call the “Drape Picture” included in each listing! This picture gives me all the information I need and I find it more helpful than the exact weight per yard/square meter. Seeing how the fabric falls close or away from the body gives me a clear idea of how it will behave and inspires me to make it into something that will highlight the fabric’s nature. When I saw the drape of this “Baked Plum” wool suiting , I immediately wanted to immortalize those beautiful folds into a skirt! I opted for a simple self-drafted pleated skirt with a deep hem. I wear my dresses year-round and rely on wool skirts that I layer under or over my dresses for warmth. I cut two panels for the front ...

Made By A Fabricista: Which comes first – the fabric or the pattern?

Ah, the age old question garment sewers are often asked – do you choose the pattern first and then look for fabric, or do you buy fabric and then later decide what it will be when it grows up? If you are a sewist with a large fabric stash (like myself), then perhaps you are on Team Fabric. I would say I definitely lean that way, but there are also times when I land somewhere in the middle – I see a fabric and I think, I’ve just seen a pattern and these two would be perfect together! And that’s how gorgeous dusty rose stretch velvet and a recently released cardigan pattern came together to create the newest addition to my wardrobe. And had me improvising a few things along the way. First. I have to admit - I have a stretch velvet problem. I see it pop up on the website and I almost always grab it, especially if I see a sale. It’s not the easiest fabric to sew (it’s slippery as heck!), but I love it so much and I especially love using it in non-traditional ways. In my last blog post, I...

Made By A Fabricista: Back In The Saddle

If you don’t know in October my beloved Bernina sewing machine blew a fuse and started smoking while I was using it. She went to the shop for repairs, and then I moved. So it’s been a bit since I’ve sewed last and I’ve had trouble getting back into it. I knew I needed a simpler project to get me going again. Julie sewed up a Jarrah sweater recently ( restock coming soon! ) and gushed about how simple and rewarding a project it was. Then we got in this beautiful wool/cashmere sweater knit from England. I was seeing lighthouse keeper, sheep herder in the highlands. I knew it had to be my Jarrah sweater. I did lengthen the bodice by 3 inches. I actually sewed up a mock up with the curved hemline, but decided that wasn’t for me and went with the straight hem. Of course I took zero photos of said mock up. Oops. Otherwise I sewed it up in a size 6 as is. Using the serger this really does sew up quickly. The dropped shoulder creates clean, simple lines that make it easy to sew u...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog