Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: From Paper Dresses to Ponte Knits!

We love sharing posts written by sewers in every aspect of their sewing venture. Whether you're just starting out or have been doing it for years, everyone can relate because we've all been there! We are excited to share them because we know they will inspire someone else to make the move into sewing.

Allison, one of our website assistants, has had fashion and sewing in her blood from an early age. She agreed to share with us her interest from childhood to today, when she created her first sewing project since high school! Thank you Allison for sharing your story with our readers!


~Hi, this is Allison. I work at Fabric Mart working on putting new fabrics on the website. After being surrounded by fabric all day I felt compelled to sew something! This project is my first foray into garment sewing. 

I have always been a creative person but not so much of a garment sewer. Recently, I found a picture from when I was 5 years old where I created (with some help from my mom!) a paper outfit for my doll. I was thinking about fashion way back then. In high school, I spent a lot of time sewing tote bags from recycled materials, like the one below made from a vintage suit jacket.

The Paper Dress That Started it All!



One of the Tote Bags I Made About 10 Years Ago.

I wanted to make an A-line skirt from a stretchy fabric. I Googled "Ponte Knit A-line skirt" and came across the blog SEWN. They feature a post on making New Look 6035 with a ponte knit -- check it out here. The pattern calls for a woven, so it's good to take a look at this post beforehand! 

I modified the pattern by leaving out the zipper and adding an elastic waistband. This was my first time working with ponte knit. It sews surprisingly easy. I used a ball point needle and a stretch zig-zag stitch. The most difficult part was cutting out the pattern in the correct direction of the grain so the skirt stretches with the body. I also folded the waistband the wrong direction and had to take it out and re-sew it before putting the elastic in.



I really enjoyed this project. I realized that making a skirt was not as intimidating as I thought and that ponte knits are really great for beginning sewers. I definitely plan to make this pattern again in other colors!

Thanks Allison for sharing your story! If you would like to share your sewing story with us, email fabricmartblog@gmail.com.

Comments

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.

Recent Posts You Might Like

Sewing With Intention: New Look 6106 and a More Coordinated Wardrobe

Sometimes a sewing project begins with a beautiful piece of fabric or a pattern you just have to make. This one began with my closet. Recently, I did a major closet purge. I took a good look at what I actually wear, what I kept reaching for, and—maybe more importantly—what was missing. Once the pieces I no longer loved or wore were gone, something became very clear: I want to be more intentional about what I sew next. Instead of sewing individual pieces that I love but don't necessarily wear together, I want to build a wardrobe where my handmade garments coordinate with the clothes I already own—and with the pieces I'm planning to sew next. For this month's Fabricista project, this beautiful lightweight shirting from Fabric Mart turned out to be a wonderful place to start. The Fabric That Started It All Fabric Mart provided this beautiful oatmeal and black heathered shirting , along with the matching thread for my project. One of the things I love most about this fabric is ...

Meeting Endless Summer Energy with a Maxi Dress

How are the temps still so hot?! I’m trying to make the best out of a blazing situation with a gorgeous swishy dress made in a splendid graphic print in an attempt to keep my cool when I am very much not. The heat persists, but so do I (while wearing sundresses)!  I really wanted a full length, all-fancy-design-details-included version of the new Chalk & Notch Noe Tank Dress since testing the pattern. This is View C. This version features a beautiful open back with a tie closure and the long gathered hem for maximum impact.  I chose the higher of two necklines. The pattern features full lining and I used the same fabric for both. I prefer to avoid any peeking-issues the easy way.  As I was scrolling through the challis options on the Fabric Mart site, this one stood out immediately, a beautiful kelly green with big abstract swipes of aqua. Simple, bold, (non-directional!), all of my favorite characteristics necessary for a showstopping dress. I wanted something very ...

The Perfect Plan for this Linen Blend! Until I Changed My Mind.

Hello Sewing Friends!  It’s Sharon from Sharon Sews with another Fabricista make.  When I saw this linen blend designer fabric on the Fabric Mart Fabrics website, I was intrigued.  After all, I, like many of you, love to find designer fabrics at an affordable price. It is a linen/nylon/rayon/Lycra blend, and I wondered what the designer had created with the fabric as I wasn’t familiar with that combination of fibers.  Surprisingly, I discovered a sleeveless, lined, mid-length vest in the same color with an almost identical fabric composition. Perfect! I’ve been wanting to sew a longer vest with matching pants, and that discovery confirmed this fabric would work beautifully for the look I had in mind.  The vest I’m wearing, from the June 2026 Burda Style magazine, it is not what I was originally going to make.  You see when I found the designer’s vest, I remembered seeing a Butterick pattern that was almost identical.  I ordered the pattern excited to...

Fall + Flannel = Shacket

If there is one piece that transitions easily between crisp fall mornings, mid-day warmth, and chilly autumn nights, it’s a shacket. Today, I’m excited to share my latest Fabric Mart make: the Ellie and Mac Patterns Connie Casual Shacket, sewn in a dreamy plaid flannel coating fabric . Here’s a glimpse at how it came together, along with a few construction tips for planning your own version! The Ellie and Mac Patterns Connie Casual Shacket pattern offers plenty of options needed to make the perfect transitional top layer for fall. With a relaxed body, oversized sleeves, three lengths, and a curved or straight hem option, you can make your dream shacket a reality.  For this sew, I selected a plaid flannel coating fabric with a soft blend of sage green and cream tones from the Fabric Mart website. Heavyweight flannel is ideal for a shacket because it provides structure and added warmth. As a bonus, this particular fabric is extra soft and snuggly, which I love. In addition to the fa...