Made By A Fabricista: Lilly Pulitzer Inspired Dress

Hello again, Fabricistas!! It's been a while since I blogged last, but I've been lurking about and occasionally sewing. While doing my daily (yes, daily, I am not shy to admit it!) rundown of Fabric Mart's new arrivals, I fell in love with this cotton pique lighthouse print fabric instantly. I did some research for inspiration and quickly figured out this material was for a Lilly Pulizter shift dress in 2014-- I love the Designer Fabric section... I've picked up some sweet designer surprises before in that category. It was not labeled with the designer's name, but I plugged into my search engine a few descriptive words about the print and up came a list of fashion bloggers wearing the original dress and then again on the designer's website.

I made a version of the Lilly Pulitzer Delia Shift dress to fit my figure with a reprinted vintage 1960's pattern, Simplicity 1609. I used View C and cut a 16 bodice and made the skirt much more of an a-line, somewhere about a 20 or so. I also tweaked the overall fit on the side and back center seams, adding here and removing there slightly to fit my shape better.

I originally added my usual 1" on to the length of the bodice, but had to remove it after making my muslin up. I did add an inch to the hemline afterwards.

I have sewn up limited numbers of vintage patterns, and every time I've found that the upper back is monstrously humongous!! I had to remove about 3" total from the front and back upper bodice in total. You can see the before and after on my red and white polka dot muslin below. I also removed the front center seam to keep the print one continuous piece. With that, I added a couple darts at the upper neckline. I extended the back sleeve opening by about 5/8" for my wider back shoulder.

With such simple clean lines, I wanted to get the finishes super nice! I added a lining, it's a lightweight 100% cotton. I used an invisible zipper and of course hand sewed a blind hem.

Overall I'm really pleased with this sweet little dress. I know a die-hard Lilly Pulizter aficionado will be able quickly see it's not an original without the special imprinted hem tape that bares the designer's name... and the fact that my name is sewn in it! Now I'm totally ready for my weekend at the beach, which is exactly where I will be when this blog post goes live!

Happy Sewing!!

~Kathy
Kathy Sews

Made By A Fabricista: Silky Prints for a Tropical Vacation

Hello again! I want to share with you my latest project using silky prints. My family had been planning to go to the Virgin Islands for a vacation. For this trip I wanted loose-fitting outfits. When the summer Vogue patterns were released, I fell in love with the vintage Vogue V1886 caftan. It is ankle length and the sleeves fell elegantly to the hemline, hitting the arm slightly above the elbows. It has a scooped back, which would make it comfortable in hot weather. There are side panels, but no seams. I could wear this relaxing under an umbrella during the day or for an evening stroll to enjoy the breeze on the beach. FM’s polyester lightweight charmeuse silky prints caught my eye. Even though I swore I would never again sew slippery fabrics, the coastal mountain print on the fabric (SKU UQA7666r) was hard to resist. The moonstone blue/berry pink/medium blue/taupe were cool relaxing colors. While looking at the first fabric, I saw another silky print (SKU UQA7667r) that was ha

Made By A Fabricista: YouTube Edition | Hannah - Full Bust Adjustment

When I first started sewing I quickly realized the size I was cutting out in shirts and dresses wasn’t fitting my shoulders. Why you may ask? I was only measuring according to my bust measurement which made my tops too big in the shoulders. After some research and asking in Facebook groups I learned I needed to do a Full Bust Adjustment on all of my patterns. I watched tons of videos and read books on how to do a FBA and I found one way that continues to be my favorite way to this fit adjustment. The pivot and slide method has become my go to for every FBA I do. In this video I walk you through the steps to help you get the right fit for your bust area. Feel free to leave a comment if you have questions, I am here to help you on your sewing/fitting journey! HANNAH | @modistra.sews Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly! You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following category CHALLIS .

Made By A Fabricista: Twirling in Liberty of London!

Hi Fabric Mart Fans! One of my very favorite things about Fabric Mart is being able to snap up some totally amazing deals - and this month I definitely scored one of those! When I noticed a shipment of Liberty of London Tana Lawn had been added to the site AND was on sale, I KNEW it had to become my next project! This is such a beautiful fabric to sew and wear - it's lightweight, has a crisp hand, is tightly woven, and feels sooo nice! I decided to get 2.5 yards to create a beautiful sleeveless dress with double circle skirt for my eldest! I used the Peony Patterns Freesia - the twirl is fantastic, the dress is fairly straightforward to sew, and the print on the fabric makes it so feminine and pretty! One of the easiest ways to finish a circle skirt is with a bias binding facing. I created my own bias strips with some lime green gingham cotton shirting, and used the same fabric to create the optional waistband tie. Fans of Liberty of London know that you never throw away yo

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