Made by a Fabricista: Spring Sweater Duster

I'm sew excited to become a Fabric Mart Fabricista! I love Fabric Mart's quality fabric and exceptional customer service. Last year I thoroughly enjoyed competing in Fabricista Fashion Challenge and I'm glad to be a back with Fabric Mart as a monthly guest blogger. To learn a little more about me (and to learn what frougie is) check out my blog TipStitched. Let's get on to the post, shall we?

I don't know about where you are, but here in the southeast Mother Nature can't seem to make up her mind. It can go from highs in the 50s to highs in the 80s in a matter of days. Even when the temps stay somewhat consistent for the week, I usually have to turn on the heat for my morning commute then the A/C for in the afternoon.

Dusters are the perfect layering piece for the sporadic weather of spring (and fall). The big 4 companies offer several duster patterns, and I'm sure indie patterns as well, but I decided on Simplicity 8059 because of its simple construction and lack of buttons (I hate sewing buttonholes-especially on knits).

I fell in love with this Mandala Print Hacci Sweater Knit as soon as I saw it on the site. I feel larger prints, like this one, work best with simply constructed garments where the scale of the print can shine. Once the fabric arrived I fell in love again as it has a great feel and had snappy stretch. This hacci knit has a tighter weave and slightly heavier weight than others I have seen and I like it.

Simplicity 8059 is a straightforward pattern. The duster sews up fairly quickly as it is 5 pattern pieces (front, back, sleeve, neck facing and front facings) plus interfacing. This hacci knit sewed up beautifully. There was some rolling up on the edges but nothing a few extra pins couldn't take care of. Due to the large scale of the print I did not put any effort into matching up the print at the side seams. I feel it is so busy (in a good way) that the seams don't stand out.

Interfacing is often a necessary evil. I should interface as soon as I cut the pattern pieces, but I always seem to wait until the I get to the step that requires the interfaced piece. Then I have to stop sewing to warm up my iron and interface. Don't be like me, interface first. Due to the weight of this knit (all 3 yards of it) I added clear elastic as a stabilizer to the shoulder seams.

Despite the simplicity of this duster, I did make a few changes. I didn't care for the elastic tab on the back so I omitted it. I chose to add belt loops and a matching belt in lieu of the tie ends as per the pattern. I felt the ties would drive me crazy when I wear the duster open where as I can tie the belt in the back to be out of my way.

To create the belt loops I cut the length of a scrap piece of fabric by 2" and folded each edge to the center and folded again and topstitched it closed. I pinned where I wanted the belt to hit on my waist and then sewed the belt loops to each side seam at the point.

For the belt itself I simply cut a strip of fabric the width of the fabric (58") by 3", this makes a 1" wide belt with 1/2' seam allowance. Next I folded the strip in half lengthwise right sides facing and sewed a 1/4" seam from the center to one end and then again about 1" away from the center point to the opposite end leaving a hole in the center for turning. I then turned the belt right side out and topstitched the 1" hole closed, because I was too lazy to slip stitch it. When I make this duster again I will keep the belt but increased the width to 2" (or a 5" strip).

The fabric is the perfect weight to cut the chill of the A/C in my office. I received several compliments throughout the day, so it's definitely an eye catcher. I am very pleased with the end result and I highly recommend this hacci knit and Simplicity 8059.

~ Tiffany

TipStitched

Made By A Fabricista: A Tipsy Martini Transitional Three Piece Look

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon with Sharon Sews with my latest Fabricista make – a three-piece set I can wear as the weather transitions to fall here in Texas. It may look like a summer outfit but there will days filled with sunshine and high temps well into November. At first glance it looks like a nice, lightweight jacket, top and pants. But look closer – it’s sewn from the designer Tipsy Martini cotton sateen that was originally used by the designer for a pajama set. Now I could have sewn myself a pair of pajamas using the Closet Core Carolyn Pajama pattern (available at Fabric Mart) and replicated the designer pajamas. But if I had gone that route the only ones who would have seen this adorable kitschy fabric would be my family. This print is much too cute to hide out at home. This Tipsy Martini cotton sateen fabric was lovely to sew. I used black thread, an 80/12 universal needle, and Palmer/Pletsch Perfect Fuse Medium interfacing (link here). Note that this is a rayon fu

Made By A Fabricista: Hooray for Cozy Fall Sews!

Greetings, all! I am in such high spirits with the best-of-all-seasons just beginning and change is finally in the air. I always rejoice when the sweatiest time of the year passes and we can all take a deep breath and gear up for cozier times. Neighborhood Patterns is a new-to-me designer, and I came across them on Instagram in late summer and fell in love with the Plain Jane Skirt. This is such a simple A-line skirt, but with nice details like large inseam pockets and an optional drawstring, and though I’m sure I could draft this style myself, the appeal of having it all done for me was too tempting to pass up. A sew such as this is a lovely palate-cleanser and this was the first project I sewed after returning from a cross-country trip. Perfect! The gorgeous plaid flannel is exactly what I want to be wearing in the fall. The fabric is SO soft and a pleasure to snuggle up in. Because flannel does not have much body and is prone to stretching or shifting with all its mechanical give,

Made By A Fabricista: Quilted Jacket Chronicle

What do you get when mixing the best things about apparel sewing and machine quilting? A quilted jacket! It's funny that I elected to sew myself a quilted jacket for this Fabricista blog because I don't consider myself much of a quilter. I can count on my hands the number of quilted projects I've made over the last few years. While I fully appreciate the end product of quilting, I don't normally gravitate toward starting quilting projects. That's why making a quilted jacket is a new and exciting project for me! It gives me the fun of making a quilt on a much smaller scale. If you are an avid apparel sewist and are new to quilting, this is the perfect project to take for a quilting test drive! For my quilted jacket, I used the Seamwork Easton Jacket pattern. I decided to stick with a solid-colored fabric for the jacket's exterior and ordered 4 yards of Dark Umber Brown Lycra Stretch Canvas Suiting from the Fabric Mart website. I wanted a contrasting color for the

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