Skip to main content

Fashion Challenge Week 1: Same Fabric, Different Look

I'm so excited to start this new season of the Fabricista Fashion Challenge! It is a reader favorite and I know it's fun, stressful, exciting and nerve-wracking for the contestants! So let's begin!

This week's challenge is called, "Same Fabric, Different Look."


This fabric is a polyester/lycra blend sweater knit. It is a large geometric print, printed on a heathered gray sweater knit fabric. It is 58/60" wide. Perfect deep colors and weight for fall!
Each contestant received 3 yards of the same sweater knit print. Use this fabric to create any garment for yourself, that is flattering, fun and perfect for fall. I get a lot of requests from customers asking how to use sweater knits and this is your chance to show them what to do! Along with making the garment, give the readers at least 3 tips on working/sewing with sweater knits. The tips can be very simple (good for beginners) and/or more complex for more advanced sewers. You could end up saying similar things, but I'm sure you will each have unique insight into sewing with sweater knits, whether you come up with them during the sewing process or through research you did online. If you find info online, please give credit to the place you found it. (Everyone deserves credit!)


We will be judging on a 1-10 scale (10 being the highest) using the following criteria:

Validity of Tips - Did you come up with valid tips for working with sweater knits? Is the wording easy to understand for all levels of sewers? Did you give credit to those who deserve it whether it came from a book or online source?


Fit – Does the garment proportionately fit you? Not too short, not too long, not too tight? If you made a top, does it fit in the shoulders? If there's something about the fit that you think we would challenge, please tell us why you chose to do what you did.

Craftsmanship - Did you put a lot of care into the construction? Top-stitching straight, seams match, careful overall construction, etc?

Presentation - While we totally understand not everyone has a professional camera and the perfect backdrop for photographing their creations, (Me included!!) you are in front of a world of other sewers. Make yourself look presentable. Submit a photo of the front, back and side view of the garment, as well as a "presentation photo" (this should be the best photo!) Detail photos are also requested so we can be better judges. So if you do some embellishing or a specific technique, zoom in and share with us! Not all the photos may be used in the blog post, but for judges reference. 

This week's guest judges are Dina and Ann, two of the Fabricista bloggers! Dina was the winner of the challenge two years ago. Ann was one of the challengers in the same year and we invited her to join the team later on. Both are very talented seamstresses.





Due Date: All photos, text, etc is due on Tuesday, September 13th. The finished projects will be revealed for reader voting Sept 14-15 and the winner will be announced on Friday, September 16th. 


Attention readers! Don't forget to vote for your favorite piece! A link for voting will be provided on reveal day.

Prizes: Winner of this challenge will receive 3 patterns of their choice from our hand-picked pattern collection of Independent Pattern Designers.



Reader Participation:
This week's challenge is a tough one for you to sew along with since you do not have the fabric. But we aren't going to leave you in the dust! Your challenge is to make a garment from any sweater knit. Post a photo on Facebook or Instagram using #FabricistaFabricMart by Sept 15 and 3 winners will be picked at random to receive their very own 3 yard piece of the gorgeous sweater knit the contestants used in the challenge.

Ready? Set, Go!

Comments

  1. I can't wait! I have the perfect sweater knit for this!

    ReplyDelete
  2. How can I just purchase this fabric?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Mischelle,
      We dont have this fabric to purchase. It was exclusively for the challenge. There is a contest for our readers though-- if you post a photo on Facebook or Instagram of a garment you made using a sweater knit, you could win a 3 yard cut of the same fabric the contestants used. Just use #fabricistafabricmart when posting so we can track it.

      Delete
  3. I submitted for the challenge and I know mines was good and I didn't get selected I posted on facebook before the deadline :( very disappointed

    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: Playing with Classic Silhouettes and Timeless Color Palettes

When it comes to sewing, few things excite me more than reimagining classic designs and breathing new life into timeless patterns. As someone who has been sewing for over 25 years, I thrive on exploring unique details and construction techniques that make each piece feel special. Recently, I found inspiration in a previous look I’d created and decided to take it a step further, crafting a full outfit that plays with volume, texture, and classic styling. See below my dress from 2011 that I drew inspiration from. The Fabric For this project, I chose a Glen Plaid Suiting fabric from Fabric Mart, a timeless yet versatile pattern that instantly elevates any garment. The fabric’s classic black-and-white palette gave me the perfect base to experiment with silhouettes and pairings while keeping the overall look chic and cohesive. I love how this fabric’s pattern gives off an air of sophistication yet lends itself beautifully to bold, modern designs. The Dress For the dress, I used the VikiSew...

Made By A Fabricista: Liberty Snow Day

Hi everyone! While we’ve been blanketed with snow out here in Southeastern PA, I decided to conquer my fear of button holes and make NewLook pattern N6749. I was able to snag a few yards of the Jess + Jean print Liberty of London Tana Lawn for it. It’s always exciting when Fabric Mart is able to get Liberty fabrics in! I always make sure to grab some.  Cutting into a beautiful piece of tana lawn is scary every time. The fabric is such good quality, I’m afraid to mess it up! I had to be extra careful as this is also the first directional pattern I’ve worked with. But one of my assistants made sure all of my pieces were laid correctly. Something I wanted to try out with this dress was finishing the inside seams using the overlock stitch on my domestic machine. Normally I would french seam, but it was nice to not have to worry about cutting seam allowance in half, sewing, trimming, flipping, and sewing again. Next time I would cut the seam allowance back before overlocking, but I thin...

Made By A Fabricista: Ghostly School Uniform

When Fabric Mart asked me what fabric I wanted for my first project I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to make, Nene Yashiro from Toilet Bound Hanako kun (a weird but cute anime) but as cute as the design was, I knew I'd need to adjust the colors to a slightly warmer tones to better suit my complexion and undertones. For the main dress I was so happy to find an off white cotton/Lycra stretch twill that was opaque enough to not need a lining and stretched enough that I could continue avoiding my nemesis; zippers. I wanted to try out having a seamless center front panel, so I modified one of my existing go-to bodice patterns, and after figuring out what length I wanted for the skirt, was able to have the center front panel incorporated into the center front panel of the skirt. I then had the rest of the bodice as their normal waist length so that I could add an additional panel to the skirt to be able to have enough width to have volume and gather it down evenly around my waist. The hem h...