Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Summer Sewing with TNT Patterns

Image
By


I'm happy to be back this month with a summer Fabricista project and some exciting news...

There's nothing more rewarding for a sewist than having a TNT (tried and true) pattern you love to make, is easy to wear and versatile enough that you can make it over and over with great results. I decided to set out and do just that: design a line of modern patterns with friendly, fully illustrated instructions that sewers could use to build their sewing skills, fill their closets and add to their TNT pattern list. So with that, I'm excited to announce Blue Dot Patterns, my new sewing patterns!


For my summer outfit, I used one of Blue Dot's first patterns, the Dover Jacket which comes with two views. View A is short sleeved with a single button closure and view B has a 3/4 length sleeve, gathered bodice and a three button closure.


I chose a lightweight stretch denim from Fabric Mart (sadly it sold out) would be perfect for view A because it would look great with some decorative machine stitching.


The cotton/lycra fabric I used is light, has stretch and a soft brushed face but the jacket would also work in quilting cottons, like this polka dot, twills and ponte knits.


Dover is a loose fitting jacket with raglan sleeves that goes together quickly.  I bound the jacket facing with bias I made using a bias tape maker and fabric from my stash (I think it looks interesting when the jacket comes open) and added strips of interfacing to the bottom of the jacket to stabilize the hem.


My "Details" Pinterest board was the inspiration for the topstitching. After testing several different stitches on my machine, I ended up using a "dot and stitch" design around the edge of the jacket.


I debated on adding topstitched pockets to the front but after seeking the opinions of those around the house, I opted not to this time but I will the next time around. I used a Burberry button I had in my button tin (I have no idea where it came from) to finish everything off. I love it with the skirt but I also like that it can dress up a simple t-shirt.


For the summer skirt I used a Colette pattern I had in my stash. The Ginger skirt pattern became a TNT pattern for me a couple of years back but it's been a while since I been pulled it out. The high waist silhouette lends itself to this bold stretch shirting from Fabricmart. This cotton/lycra fabric is crisp and bright with a slight sheen and best of all, it's easy to sew.


I lengthened the skirt about 2" and added a cotton batiste lining but didn't change anything else. This pattern has great instructions and would be perfect for a beginning intermediate sewist.


Thank you for letting me share my Blue Dot news with you and for all my Fabricista friends, the patterns are 40% off through the end of July.

Happy Sewing,

Diane at Gatorbunnysews.

Comments

  1. ServicingstopJuly 17, 2015 at 4:51 AM

    Beautiful work, loving the pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sue ParrottJuly 26, 2015 at 9:41 PM

    Congratulations on your new pattern line Diane! So exciting!

    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: Embracing Winter in Wool Boucle

By
As winter drags on, the cold weather is such a bummer to me and feeling uncomfortable and cold so often is rough. Meanwhile, I listened to a podcast all about how people in very northern countries deal better with the onset of dark, freezing winter with a radically different mindset of embracing the inevitable season by reframing the chill as refreshing and the opportunity to spend most time indoors as cozy. I can do that!  I found a gorgeous, quintessential wool boucle suiting in black and white to make myself a luxurious outer layer while I’m outside attempting to embrace the sting of dry winter air… It’s kind of working. So classic, so chic! Wearing boucle is always an uptown move and I certainly do feel sophisticated in it. This black and white houndstooth combination feels especially Old Hollywood, and what a treat to make something with this!  I sewed the Daphne Jacket from Vivian Shao Chen. There are no closures, and the shape is boxy and very easy to wear over multipl...
4 comments
Continue Reading »

Made By A Fabricista: Valentine’s Day Cozy Lounge Set

By
What comes first: the pattern or the fabric? How do you make your sewing plans? Throughout the month of January, my social media feeds were flooded by fabulous sewists sharing sewing resolutions and goals, and designing thoughtful plans for their 2025 makes.  While I am a big planner in my day-to-day life, when it comes to my creative hobby, I am much more spontaneous. I find that fabric design and texture often inspires me most so I typically look for fabulous prints or bold colors and let the fabric tell me what it wants to become. As I turned my attention to my first-ever (!) Fabricista make, I wanted something to get my creative juices flowing. One evening, Fabric Mart shared an Instagram story that highlighted their Dusty Mauve Sweatshirt Fleece . It had a nice stretch, was fleece-backed, and was a muted baby pink that spoke to me. It was soft and feminine, perfect for a cozy day or night by the fire. I immediately knew I wanted to make a cute pair of sweatpants for a fun Vale...
4 comments
Continue Reading »

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing + Running

By
It’s not every day that I get to mix two of my favorite hobbies. Especially when one hobby is sewing and the other is running. You can’t sew and run at the same time, but, you can go running in something that you sewed! With this realization, I embarked on my first hobby-merging adventure.  We’ve had some frigid temperatures in Pennsylvania this winter. Since I’m an outside, stroller-pushing runner, I bundle up my son and myself before I hit the road. The temperature feels 20 degrees warmer for outside runners than the outside air. For the children being pushed in the stroller though, it feels about 20 degrees colder.  With these differences in temperature for each of us, layering is the only thing that ensures that we both stay perfectly warm. My running wardrobe has been lacking a warm top layer. My son’s wardrobe would also benefit from having another warm layer, so I knew pullovers were what I should make.  Inspired by a name-brand ¼ button-down fleece pullover I saw,...
2 comments
Continue Reading »