Made By A Fabricista - "Boden" Skirt with Shetland Wool

And our next new Fabricista is.....Diane from Gatorbunny Sews! Some of you might remember Diane from last year's Fashion Challenge. We loved her style and are excited to have her here back on the blog.

~My Pinterest boards, like many of yours, are full of all sorts of “wanna wears” and “wanna makes”. If you were to look at my boards you might say “This girl likes Boden clothing". Their clothes are classic but fun and their fabrics are never boring, something that speaks to the sewist in me.

Although it’s been unseasonably hot for a while where I live, I've been wanting to make something for winter and what better project than a Boden inspired skirt. And I love this one! It’s cute, classic, easy to wear and it gives me the opportunity to use wool, one of my favorite fabrics to sew with.

A small plaid Shetland wool from Fabricmart in muted violets and purples won out as my fabric choice but I would've been happy with this one or this one too (always the problem...choosing just one). Shetland is a medium weight springy wool, that’s soft and easy to sew. It doesn't fray and when you pin and sew, the fabric pieces want to stay together.

I chose Butterick 4686 View C skirt and made just a few changes. I shortened the pattern 4” and lined it. I changed the order of construction by attaching yokes to the skirts on both the front and the back, putting the zipper in the back and finally sewing up the side seams. That way, I was allowed to make last minute fitting adjustments along the side seams without pulling the yokes apart.

When working with a medium weight fabric, it's important to reduce bulk wherever possible. I cut away the seam allowances on the fusible woven yoke interfacing and graded all seams. Instead of using the outer for the facing (as the pattern called for) I used lining fabric. It made for a smoother and less bulky yoke. And any way I can make my middle section “less bulky”, I’ll do it (especially if it doesn't involve giving up Reese’s peanut butter cups).

There are a hundred tutorials on how to put an invisible zipper in so I don’t need to cover that here, but for this pattern it was important to line up not only the skirt top but also the yoke.

I sewed one leg of the zipper in, then closed the zipper. I made a small chalk mark at the yoke seam (see above). I then pinned the other leg of the zipper, making sure to match the chalk mark to the opposite yoke seam, then I basted it in.

I checked to make sure everything matched, then sewed it in. Can’t beat that for matched up seams.

So, my new favorite “Boden” skirt (for a fraction of the price!) is the first winter piece I made this season. Great way to break the ice, don't you think...so to speak?

Made by a Fabricista: Living in Linen

As the warmer weather approaches linen is probably one of my favorite fabrics that I feel often gets overlooked. It drapes well, it’s cool and comfortable and you can make almost anything out of it. For this feature I used 4 yards of designer linen to create a vintage inspired look. I had an image of a vintage Butterick pattern from the 60’s that I had saved on my Pinterest board. I love the versatility and easiness of the style. Since I did not have access to the pattern, I used similar patterns from my stash along with my own pattern drafting to replicate the style. In the end I created 4 pieces total allowing for interchangeable looks. To create the skirt I used McCall’s pattern 7981 which is almost I identical to the on featured on the vintage pattern. The shorts pattern was McCall’s 7962. They are perfect to wear underneath the skirt for a layered look or by themselves. The bralette was self-drafted, I took my basic bodice sloper and moved the dart to create a center fron

Made by a Fabricista: A Fruity Spring Dress

After a year in yoga pants and sweatshirts all I want to sew are dresses. Big, over the top, wonderfully floaty dresses. I loved this fruity chiffon border print from the moment I saw it and knew it had to become one such dress. Much like florals, I absolutely adore fruit prints on fabric, so to find a fabric with both was a real treat. Chiffon is one of those fabrics a lot of sewists seem to be afraid of, and I don't blame them, it can be very tricky to work with. However, I strongly believe in doing difficult things, because the end is so worth it and you have the chance to learn new things along the way. I've only sewn with chiffon a couple times before so I decided to go with a pattern that didn't have any tricky closures and or require a lot of careful fitting. I ended up settling on Simplicity 8872, view A – a maxi length pullover dress with a tiered skirt and cap sleeves. I started with a small bust adjustment (SBA). I do this with nearly every pattern because I tend

Made by a Fabricista: Boho Chic Summer

Hello Gems! I'm so excited to share this month's look as a Fabric Mart Fabricista featuring two gorgeous fabric selections from Fabricmartfabrics.com. If you know me by now, you know that I adore a cool, floor length, boho chic look. There is something so sophisticated, sexy and cool about a free flowing look this time of year made from lightweight breathable fabrics such as the ones used for my most recent Fabricista make. Although the weather is warmer, I still enjoy creating long flowy dresses and free flowing silhouettes to stay cool in the summer and beat the heat. So for my June look, I did a hack of Vogue pattern 9311 and created a voluminous floor length dress with large billowy sleeves and a plunging neckline. I used Fabric Mart's Rayon Framework Crinkle Challis fabric, which is very light weight and breathable, but not transparent. I love the drape of this fabric and how it just melts onto your body. I added facing down the front and made it a button up so that

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