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: Why I Love Sewing Woven Fabrics Over Knits

Sewing is a creative hobby that allows me to express my unique style while adding a personal touch to my wardrobe. When it comes to choosing between wovens and knits I will mostly always choose woven. There are a lot of reasons I choose wovens as my go-to choice. The project I chose for this Fabric Mart make is from Friday Pattern Company’s Patina Blouse . I used a gorgeous lightweight rayon . It’s delicate hand is the perfect blouse weight and it drapes beautifully with this pattern. In this blog post, l'll explore the advantages of sewing woven blouses over knit shirts, highlighting the creativity, versatility, and satisfaction that come with this choice. The Joy of Creativity Sewing a woven blouse offers a chance for my creativity to flourish. Woven fabrics come in a wide array of colors, patterns, and textures, allowing me to unleash my artistic potential. With knits, the stretch and drape of the fabric often limit my design options. In contrast, woven fabrics give me the fr

Fabricista Guest Post: Perfectly Imperfect

Hey Sewing Friends!! I’m super excited to be a guest Fabricista. I’ve been a fan of Fabric Mart since I began sewing again in 2020. Let me begin with an introduction. I’m Eras, and my Instagram account is sewing_andmore. During the day, I work as a Nurse Practitioner, and I first learned to sew in my local 4-H club when I was in middle school. At that time, I had an amazing sewing instructor, Mrs. McKinney, who was extremely patient and was by my side for every step. However, in 2020, the stress of being a Nurse Practitioner during the pandemic made me turn to sewing for my mental health. I started out sewing and creating masks, and I immediately saw a change in my mood. I’m so glad I dusted off my old sewing machine, and I haven’t stopped! After seeing the rush of adrenaline and satisfaction sewing provided, I started making clothes. When I no longer needed fat-quarters, I started looking for online fabric stores. It was during this time that I discovered Fabric Mart and their great

Made By A Fabricista: Skipping Winter - Tailored Outfits in Twill & Shirting for Spring

Hi Fabric Mart fans! I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! This month, while perusing the Fabric Mart collection, I was drawn to cotton twill fabrics. My son, who's growing like a weed, is always in need of new pants! I could easily have made him multiple pairs of pants, however I was also drawn to a bright blue stretch twill for me. I just can't resist a bold color on a jacket, and this blue was calling my name! I hope you love these outfits as much as I do! Since I planned to make pants for my son, I knew I'd need to make a button-down shirt as well. Fabric Mart had a range of fabulous cotton shirtings and it was hard to land on just one, but I eventually picked this royal blue gingham which pairs perfectly with the tan twill pants. When it comes to woven patterns for boys, I can never go past Oliver+S. I've made their dress shirts so many times now - the finishes are always lovely, and always so worth the time and effort. I used the Buttoned-Up Button-Down Shi

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