Made by a Fabricista: Spring Sewing with Fabricista Diane

I'm so happy to be back this month on the Fabric Mart blog with my first spring projects, simple and lightweight black pants and a flowy and sophisticated print top.

Inspiration for sewing comes from everywhere and I'm thrilled (like everyone else) that I no longer have to organize stacks of torn out pages from catalogs and magazines but now can save anything that inspires me to my "I Wanna Make This" board on Pinterest, no papers, no mess. And this outfit today is inspired by one of those pins.

The top is McCall's 7093, a brand new tunic pattern with different color block variations. I made View A (without the slits) in this geometric viscose print from Fabric Mart.

The top is a quick and easy sew and the only changes I made were omitting the slits in the front, taking in the sides 1/2", and adding black bias trim to the neck. I used the wrong side of a black silk charmeuse I had in my stash. It can be tricky to get bias trim to be even and I've found that if I ditch the pattern piece and make a free cut, I can have even binding. Here's how I do it:

Cut strips of bias at least 1" longer and 1" wider than the neckline pattern piece.

Fold fabric in half lengthwise and press.

Using a ruler and rotary cutter. Cut the folded bias strip down to the desired width (see photo).

Cut bias same length as the pattern piece and add markings.

Yay! Even bias strips = Even neckline trim.

I'm sure I will end up making this McCall's pattern over and over. I always want to wear leggings but never have the right top to go over them. Finally, I found the perfect blouse for leggings... longer in the back and shorter in the front.

The pants are from one of my "Tried and True" (TNT) patterns, Simplicity 1696. Now, of all of my TNT pattern types, a pant pattern is most cherished. A good fitting pair of pants is really hard to come by.

I've made these pants many times before, all with different variations, and this time I used this lightweight cotton twill from Fabric Mart , deleted the slash pocket and added 4" to the length. I ended up with a classic pair of pants that fill a gaping hole in my wardrobe.

Spring has sprung and I couldn't be happier. What's your first spring project?

And here's a gratuitous dog picture....he's my photography assistant!

Have a great day! Diane - Gatorbunnysews

Made By A Fabricista: Coat Sewing Chronicles

Sewing a coat is not for the faint of heart, or for the sewist looking for a light project. It is possibly the slowest form of apparel sewing that exists. If you’ve made a coat, chances are, you know what I mean. No matter what you do, you can’t rush through it, you can’t skip steps or cut corners, you just have to roll with the punches. One minute you’re flying through assembly thinking “I’ll be finished soon,” and the next you’re running away from your sewing room because you need space. Are you guaranteed to end up with a bespoke wonder in your coat closet, most definitely! But heed my warning, if you are looking for a quick win, it is not a coat! My coat sewing chronicles began around Christmas when I fell in love with a black-and-white basketweave wool-coating fabric on the Fabric Mart website. I quickly placed an order for 3.75 yards to finally make the Seamwork Bay coat I’ve been dreaming of making for a while. In addition to my Fabric Mart wool, I also ordered Kasha Satin...

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Made By A Fabricista: Surgery, a pattern hack, and a hemming tip.

Hello sewing friends! I’m here on the blog today sharing a pattern hack I recently did to boost my wardrobe with a few pieces to wear during my recovery from surgery…and I’m also sharing a tip for those pesky rounded hems. So let’s jump in! I recently had surgery on my neck due to issues with my parathyroid glands. All went to plan and I’m doing well, but I have to admit, the scar was a bit larger and more prominent than I expected. I definitely want to cover it up a bit during the healing process, and I realized that I own very few tops that cover that area of my neck. I don’t really love wearing high neck tops, so I came up with the idea to sew a top that I could convert back to my preferred style once I recover. The pattern I used to do this is the Laundry Day Tee from Love Notions. This pattern is a fan favorite in the sewing community and has been around for more than ten years. I love the style – fitted at the bust but with extra swing at the waist, with lots of sleeve and n...

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