Skip to main content

5th Challenge: Mystery Fabric Bundle - What They Made!

This week's challenge is a day late, because I was out of town at a trade show all week and didn't have access to a computer! So this week viewers will have Thursday and Friday to judge for their favorite! The winner will be announced this Saturday! 

To recap, this week's challenge was to create a 2-piece garment out of a fabric bundle I provided them. This is also the second to last challenge before the BIG one, so the last three going into the next challenge will win something.

Starting at top left: Green bundle - Nakisha; Gray/red bundle - Sue;
Tan/Black/ Red bundle - Dina; Blue/Pink bundle - Ann

This week's judge is Marcy Tilton, a renowned pattern designer and world traveler! You can check out her website here.  

Let's see what the contestants made!



Ann from SewBaby



Getting a mystery bundle is lot like playing cards- a bit of a gamble, but lots of fun!  In my bundle for this challenge, I had one wild card- a beige wool gabardine. One of the other fabrics in my bundle was a floral satin that I knew would make a great lining, so I decided to try to dye the wool to pick up the blue in the satin. This was my first attempt at dyeing fabric, so I researched, tested different formulas, and finally came up with the perfect mix of royal blue and aquamarine dye for the weight of wool that I had.  


After dyeing, I had just under two yards of wool- just enough for a great short jacket.  I used McCalls pattern 6294 which had a triangular insert in the back. My dyed wool had some parts that were more variegated than others, and I decided to feature the most variegated piece in the triangular insert. The wool was quite fluid, so I interfaced all of the pieces to give it more body.  


For the other part of my outfit, I decided to mix two knits- a ruffly jade green knit and a large white/gray floral with plastic sequins. My pattern was Hot Patterns 1144, Deco Vibe Sarine Dress which has a skirt overlay that tucks into the waistband. I only had one yard of the green knit, so it got used as the top portion. A piece of black swimwear fabric from my stash worked as a waistband to transition into the floral knit. Because of the plastic sequins, I chose a raw edge hem finish on the skirt sections. Had I not been participating in this challenge, I would have never thought of putting these fabrics together.  But, I think it works!


I love blues and greens and feel that this is a modern mix of colors that is "me".  I can wear the dress alone or with the jacket, and the jacket will be wearable with many other items in my wardrobe, as well. I'm excited that I branched out to try dyeing fabric, and will definitely be using this technique in the future (as well as ordering more mystery bundles)!  





Dina from My Superfluities


The top is Butterick 5922, and I decided to do a long version of view A. I used the white wool as the collar (even though it specified stretch knits only, the collar was fine in a woven), the animal print crinkle knit as the back piece (which I placed on a fold instead of having a center back seam), the reverse of the animal print crinkle knit (black nylon) for the sleeves, and the maroon horizontal rib knit for the front piece.  I love how it looks.  Though I am not one for colorblocking, and prefer my animal prints either abstract or classic 60s (think traditional leopard prints), this combo worked, and the front especially reminds me A LOT of Boden, they do tops like this quite frequently. 


Johnnie hasn't lost his job providing me with their cute clothing, but it was kind of thrilling to know I made a pretty good dupe (even if it has a bit of a "party" going on in back).  My hubby loves the front look, but can't get past the animal print, even though it is in his beloved Saints colors, black and gold.  I think I will wear it when he is watching the Saints play and if they score a touchdown, I will run into the room and yell, "the animal print did it, the print!" 


The pants are McCall's 6711.  I like pants that have pockets, and a zip in the back, with a minimal waistband, since I rarely tuck in my blouses or tops.  I am very high-waisted and sometimes front zips and buttons hurt when I sit down.  Anyhow, I was thrilled to see these would work for me, as the crotch curve is identical to a pair of Burda shorts I have made multiple times that fit me well.  I don't anticipate that all McCall's pants are like that, but these, yes!  I used the gorgeous wool plaid for the pants, alone, since I liked the idea of having a very traditional item with one less so up top.

 
My husband really likes these.  And because I love the fabric so much (even though it gave me fits while cutting it, grrr), I knew I wanted to spend the time ensuring the plaids matched up precisely and that the pants had a proper lining (made from a blue lightweight cotton).  The time and energy was worth it.  They feel so so good on...and remind me a lot of some RTW J. Crew pants that I have, but dang it be all, don't fit properly anymore.




I was the lucky recipient of bundle #1!  I received a grey/white faux sequin knit, a kelly green dazzle knit, a poly/cotton broadcloth in black, a light/mid printed ponte and a bright green sweater knit.
I was feeling pretty good about my bundle and was almost certain that with a 10 yard bundle we would be required to create 3 pieces to make an outfit. Don't ask me why, but I was CERTAIN.  And then we got the challenge. :)  

I knew the grey/white fabric was out because I just couldn't make it "go" with any combo of the others in my head. So I set about creating an outfit from the remaining 4. I had an entire different look initially (deets on the blog!) and ended up ‘scrapping' that plan...and sewing a new look from my scraps!!!



Sue from I Love to Sew!


So, I wanted a weekend, running errands sort of outfit and for fall in my neck of the woods, that means a jacket and pants.  And, on the weekend I want comfort!  So after rifling through my pattern stash, I found two winners that make up my outfit.

So, I hope you can tell which fabrics I used where!  The challenge stated you had to use the majority of the chosen fabrics for your garments.  Well...I am proud to say I ONLY used the fabrics provided!  Nothing from my stash was used...at all!  Two of the fabrics used on the jacket are pretty obvious.  One that may not be as noticeable is the gray satin that I used as the piping on the jacket.  So, I successfully used four of five fabrics only on these two garments!  



For my jacket, I wanted to make more of a layering piece rather than a full out jacket for cool days.  The piping was my own addition and I thought the touch of the gray pulled the two fabrics together and accentuated the gray zipper.    


Let's talk about those awesome details!  Is this the most RTW jacket you've ever seen?  It is for me!  I had so much fun with adding the snaps, topstitching, cords, and stoppers. 



Now for the pants...I wanted super comfy but stylish pants to run errands in and Vogue 1411 was the perfect choice!  This pattern came together fairly fast--even with all the topstitching! They fit well, are super comfortable, and dressier than your average leggings.  I see many more of these in my future! 


Check out my freaking awesome topstitching and how it matches at the outer leg!


I am very pleased with my new outfit.  I can't wait for the weekend to test it out!


Comments

  1. I'm torn... I'm don't know who to vote for this week :) Another week of great work!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Everyone here has got game! Hard to pick.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I cannot figure out who I would vote for! Every one of these is amazing! All I can say is Wow!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Amazing talented women, I love Dina!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wish I could vote for BOTH Nakisha and Sue!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've really enjoyed following these challenges. All very talented ladies. I love Dina's creation, the colours work so well together and the top is really unique. Well done everyone x

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Workwear Ready

I'm excited for my first post in 2023! At the beginning of the year, I recently went back to working in person so now I am looking to make and wear pieces that I can wear to work.  The goal is to be functional but also very fashionable since I am a fashion design professor. I saw this blue denim fabric and knew I wanted to make some pants; I just wasn’t sure what kind.  I decided to make Mimi G x Simplicity S8985 View B pants.  I liked the oversized flare look, I just made one slight modification to them by adding a pintuck along the front.  This was easy to add since the waistline was called to be slightly gathered to fit.  The fabric had a hand closer to linen and was very lightweight which was great and very satisfying to sew.  I lengthened the pants by 3” and finished with a 2” hem. The top I used Simplicity S9707.  It’s an oversized partial button down top.  I decided to create a high low hem by combining two different views.   I loved the print of the fabric but honestly as s

Made By A Fabricista: New Year, Same Me

Happy 2023 all! It’s a new year & I am back with a new Fabric Mart make. If you’re new here I am Macy & I love to make dresses (they’re my specialty). I enjoy sewing a variety of fabrics & shopping for them even more, but floral fabrics truly have my heart in a chokehold. If you’re returning visitor, thank you for coming! Today, I am sharing my brand new Simplicity 9642 make. I absolutely love this dress; I love the feel & movement of it, as well as the fabric. Fabric Mart had the most beautiful royal blue floral velour/velvet fabric & it paired perfectly with this pattern. The fabric has such beautiful flowers in the actual fabric that are: red, yellow, tans, & emerald green for the leaves. The fabric was remarkably easy to cut & sew with.  The 9642 Simplicity pattern has a fitted bodice & flared skirt. They have a variety of sleeves & lengths to choose from, but I chose View C. The sleeves have a series of pleats, which creates a “poof” like look. 

Made By A Fabricista: Spring into 2023 with Liberty of London!

Hi Fabricista Fans! I'm excited to be back with my first FabricMart project of 2023 and my second with Liberty of London Tana Lawn ! This fabric is so luxurious and wonderful to work with, I just can't pass it up whenever I see it come on sale! With such a high thread count, Liberty of London doesn't easily crush, and although it's 100% cotton, it's so flowy that it's perfect for billowy dresses, blouses, and skirts. With my $50 budget this month, I purchased 2 yards of Tana Lawn and made a Peony Patterns Rosemary Dress with inseam pockets for my youngest daughter. This is a gorgeous button down dress with long and short puff sleeve options. After cutting it out, I realized I had plenty leftover for a skirt for my eldest, so I whipped up the FREE Peony Patterns Apple Berry Skirt for her. Since she needed a top to go with it, I raided my stash for some additional fabric, and found a lovely eggshell Fabric Mart Rayon Lycra hidden away. (Don't worry, I still ha