Made by a Fabricista: A Layering Dress for Fall

I am so happy with how this project turned out, can you tell?! Everything about making this dress was completely enjoyable. So many of my projects have to be tweaked tiny bits here and there for a great fit. They may involve pattern manipulation before cutting fabric or small tucks and shifts here or there on an almost finished project, but for this make the fitting was so very easy and the result so fun to wear.

The pattern is the Deer and Doe Arum. This is the first Deer and Doe pattern I've ever made up so I was curious about the fit. Most of my makes as of late have been with the bigger pattern companies and I pretty much know how they will fit my body type. It felt like a bit of a gamble when I began grading this pattern between sizes (which I always do to any pattern because my measurements always put me in two to three ranges).

But I have to say that I am so impressed with the back of this dress, can you believe that I didn't have to make a single sway back adjustment? What?!! I always need a small sway back adjustment to get a smooth look in the small of my back but not with this pattern. The grading between sizes made this pattern fit perfectly down my back, into the small of my back and over my back side- miracle!! The only place where I took a bit in was at the side seams from the hips down. This was easily accomplished by wearing the dress inside out and pinning out the excess.

The shape is fun too, I love a shift but my one complaint with shifts is usually that there is absolutely no shaping. This dress has just the right amount of shaping combined with only five pattern pieces. The kimono sleeves mean that there are no sleeves to set and the shift shape means there's no zipper to install, win-win!


My pose was directed by my seasoned fashion photographer....my 8-year-old!

Now on to this great fabric! I love this fabric too, it was perfect for this project. My original plans for this dress were to use a denim or rayon challis but when I spotted this rayon/tencel suiting I was very curious since I've never sewn with this type of fabric. The texture is great for fall, it has great drape like a rayon challis but is thicker than challis and has a twill woven texture. It is very soft and very comfortable to wear.

I think this is going to be a great layering piece for fall and imagine pairing it with mustard colored tights and a cute moto jacket. Or maybe I will wear tall boots, a chunky sweater and bright scarf- its great to have options! I hope your fall sewing is off to a great start and the cooler temperatures (if you're in the northern hemisphere!) provide you with a renewed sense of inspiration!

Happy Sewing!

Elizabeth

I Sew, You Sew

Made by a Fabricista: What's Black and Gold with Chevron All Over? This DIY Pant Suit, That's What!

Hope you're having a Golden day, get it? [I crack myself up sometimes!] This DIY pant suit is golden for sure. So tell me this, were you one of the lucky ones who were able to grab some of this fabric when Fabric Mart posted their new arrivals? I jumped on it so fast it was crazy and before you know it "poof" it was gone. So sorry I don't have any links to this fabric but all is not lost, you can use something else for these patterns. Try looking in the suiting selection for the blazer. The other awesome option is denim and as always check the New Arrivals. I went to my "tnt" blazer pattern for this project because I knew the metallic bias around the edges would look fab and I was on a mission to make another pair of mimi g's jeans and trim the seams in metallic bias as well. I recommend both of these patterns to any level sewist. I did a little pattern hack on the blazer pockets to make them a little more interesting and I made a pic...

Made By A Fabricista: The Skirt that Brought my Sewjo Back

I know it can’t just be me. My sewjo has gone away and I’ve been having such a hard time trying to get it back. I remember the days when I used to sew every single day without fail and now, not so much. I think about sewing and all the things I’d love to make, but I just haven’t found the motivation. I kind of know what the issue is. I started a new job last October and ever since I started, I’ve been sewing less and less and I don’t like it! Well, in comes Simplicity S3237. Summertime is here and it’s time to bring out all the skirts. Simplicity recently released S3237 as part of their summer patterns. This skirt is a full, gathered skirt with a bias-cut yoke with side seam pockets and an invisible back zipper. The skirt comes in 3 different lengths – mini, midi and maxi. I decided to make View B which is the midi length. I’m not much of a maxi length kind of girl and that mini was a little too small for me. I sewed up a size 22 with a few modifications. Let’s talk about th...

Made By A Fabricista: Check on It

We are getting close to the start of summer and I am coming to you with this checkered look to start the season. I had an inspiration saved of a full checkered set which I absolutely loved and said if I ever find the perfect fabric I would make it. I was so happy to see exactly what I was looking for one day when I was checking out Fabric Mart’s site. Not only did I find the exact big check but I also saw the traditional gingham shirting in a very close colorway. I thought it would be fun to work the two scales together to create a look. I’ll admit sometimes I overthink things and end up going down a deep rabbit hole trying to find a new inspiration that would work. I wanted to make something that still would reflect my personal style and could continuously rework in my wardrobe without it looking too “countrytime” or “clownish”. My other goal was to try to use a pattern that wouldn’t be too cumbersome as I am still working out of a temporary space a...

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