And the winner of the Fabricista Fashion Challenge is...

The votes are in and we have a winner in the Fabricista Fashion Challenge! This was SOOOOOO hard. I wish I could have all of them! Congratulations to....Elizabeth from I Sew, You Sew!

Elizabeth is the winner of $25 a month for one year to spend on fabric, plus be a Fabric Mart Fabricista for 6 months writing guest posts for the blog. (A $300 value with media exposure.) She will also receive a Julie's Picks Membership.

Tiffany is second place and wins a $100 gift certificate and a Julie's Picks membership. Kristen is third place and wins a $50 gift certificate and a Julie's Picks membership. Tiffany and Kristen did an amazing job as well and it was so hard to make final decisions! Don't worry, I don't think this will be the last you see of these ladies. I'm working on the blog schedule and hope to have some newcomers lined up for the new year. If you would like to consider blogging with us occasionally, please email me at fabricmartblog@gmail.com for more information. We'd love to have you!

Thanks goes out to all the contestants that participated in the third year of the Fashion Challenge. I always look forward to doing this and being inspired by everyone.

Thanks to all the "celebrity judges" for helping to judge all of these talented ladies projects. It is a TOUGH job!

Thanks to all the readers for participating at home and for all that watched from the sidelines. We do this for you and we're so glad you enjoy it.

And speaking of our readers...we need to select a winner in the Reader Participation section of the blog: Congratulations to Nikkee H! She wins a notion prize pack! She also included a little information about the projects.

~My hardly worn item was a simple blue v neck tshirt. I don't really own much in the blue color family, besides a pair of jeans which I felt made me too blue.

So I whipped up a pair of black slacks, self drafted, whether with this shirt or not these pants will see a lot of wear. They are comfortable and I like how they look.

The second item I made was a sweater. I made this one with an extremely modified mccalls pattern. I didn't initially plan this top for this sew along, but it was made fully in the time frame.

@deb1meineke also submitted a rust colored vest --

Made By A Fabricista: A Wooly Wearable Blanket.

Twirling in a me-made outfit! I live in a small town where the nearest fabric shop is a road trip away, so I almost exclusively shop for fabric online. Having access to an online shop like Fabric Mart with a solid search engine is incredibly helpful. But by far my favorite aspect of Fabric Mart is what I call the “Drape Picture” included in each listing! This picture gives me all the information I need and I find it more helpful than the exact weight per yard/square meter. Seeing how the fabric falls close or away from the body gives me a clear idea of how it will behave and inspires me to make it into something that will highlight the fabric’s nature. When I saw the drape of this “Baked Plum” wool suiting , I immediately wanted to immortalize those beautiful folds into a skirt! I opted for a simple self-drafted pleated skirt with a deep hem. I wear my dresses year-round and rely on wool skirts that I layer under or over my dresses for warmth. I cut two panels for the front ...

Made By A Fabricista: Which comes first – the fabric or the pattern?

Ah, the age old question garment sewers are often asked – do you choose the pattern first and then look for fabric, or do you buy fabric and then later decide what it will be when it grows up? If you are a sewist with a large fabric stash (like myself), then perhaps you are on Team Fabric. I would say I definitely lean that way, but there are also times when I land somewhere in the middle – I see a fabric and I think, I’ve just seen a pattern and these two would be perfect together! And that’s how gorgeous dusty rose stretch velvet and a recently released cardigan pattern came together to create the newest addition to my wardrobe. And had me improvising a few things along the way. First. I have to admit - I have a stretch velvet problem. I see it pop up on the website and I almost always grab it, especially if I see a sale. It’s not the easiest fabric to sew (it’s slippery as heck!), but I love it so much and I especially love using it in non-traditional ways. In my last blog post, I...

Made By A Fabricista: Back In The Saddle

If you don’t know in October my beloved Bernina sewing machine blew a fuse and started smoking while I was using it. She went to the shop for repairs, and then I moved. So it’s been a bit since I’ve sewed last and I’ve had trouble getting back into it. I knew I needed a simpler project to get me going again. Julie sewed up a Jarrah sweater recently ( restock coming soon! ) and gushed about how simple and rewarding a project it was. Then we got in this beautiful wool/cashmere sweater knit from England. I was seeing lighthouse keeper, sheep herder in the highlands. I knew it had to be my Jarrah sweater. I did lengthen the bodice by 3 inches. I actually sewed up a mock up with the curved hemline, but decided that wasn’t for me and went with the straight hem. Of course I took zero photos of said mock up. Oops. Otherwise I sewed it up in a size 6 as is. Using the serger this really does sew up quickly. The dropped shoulder creates clean, simple lines that make it easy to sew u...

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