Made by a Fabricista: A DIY Summer Dress in Polka-Dot and Flowers.

[Dress was made for and modeled by my daughter Mori]

Summer is here, kinda...... over here in PA the weather gets warm then cool, then rain then warmer, then cool. When it comes in full swing Mori will be prepared with all the dresses I've sewn this week. For this DIY dress I used Butterick pattern 6453 will be a summer staple for sure. It's sew cute and sew easy to make. I made three different versions of this dress and the other two are posted on my blog, so stop by and check those out.

The pattern is pretty straight forward no issues and the possibilities of hacking this pattern are endless. The pattern does not call for an invisible zipper, just a regular install. I used a peach color zipper which will give some peek-a-boo color action in the back. I think an exposed zipper would work magic back there with a simple print or solid. I may try that if I make another dress from this pattern.

I purchased this sateen border print when I visited the retail store last year and I bought two panels to make a midi skirt. I never got around to it so it was a perfect choice for this dress. Now the question was what fabric do I use for the top of the dress, no solids in sight, so a polka-dot print it was. Fabric Mart doesn't have any border prints in stock right now, but check back periodically. I think any floral print would make a fabulous dress.

For those of you who know about the sewing magazine I am publishing, I wanted to let you know it's coming along and the Go-Fund-Me is still open for a few more weeks. If you wanted to donate there is still time, just click the picture. All donations big or small are appreciated.

That's all for now folks!

Michelle @ That Black Chic

Made by a Fabricista: Living in Linen

As the warmer weather approaches linen is probably one of my favorite fabrics that I feel often gets overlooked. It drapes well, it’s cool and comfortable and you can make almost anything out of it. For this feature I used 4 yards of designer linen to create a vintage inspired look. I had an image of a vintage Butterick pattern from the 60’s that I had saved on my Pinterest board. I love the versatility and easiness of the style. Since I did not have access to the pattern, I used similar patterns from my stash along with my own pattern drafting to replicate the style. In the end I created 4 pieces total allowing for interchangeable looks. To create the skirt I used McCall’s pattern 7981 which is almost I identical to the on featured on the vintage pattern. The shorts pattern was McCall’s 7962. They are perfect to wear underneath the skirt for a layered look or by themselves. The bralette was self-drafted, I took my basic bodice sloper and moved the dart to create a center fron

Made by a Fabricista: A Fruity Spring Dress

After a year in yoga pants and sweatshirts all I want to sew are dresses. Big, over the top, wonderfully floaty dresses. I loved this fruity chiffon border print from the moment I saw it and knew it had to become one such dress. Much like florals, I absolutely adore fruit prints on fabric, so to find a fabric with both was a real treat. Chiffon is one of those fabrics a lot of sewists seem to be afraid of, and I don't blame them, it can be very tricky to work with. However, I strongly believe in doing difficult things, because the end is so worth it and you have the chance to learn new things along the way. I've only sewn with chiffon a couple times before so I decided to go with a pattern that didn't have any tricky closures and or require a lot of careful fitting. I ended up settling on Simplicity 8872, view A – a maxi length pullover dress with a tiered skirt and cap sleeves. I started with a small bust adjustment (SBA). I do this with nearly every pattern because I tend

Made by a Fabricista: All Dressed Up and Finally Somewhere To Go!

May was a month with a load of events and milestones! I'm so thrilled that I was able to get fully vaccinated and wait those final two weeks for immunity to kick in, and my relief and gratitude feel overwhelming. I toasted to a lovely Mother's Day, I celebrated my 40th birthday, and I had my first in-person gathering with my favorite girlfriends in over a year! All of these things brought me so much joy, so naturally a joyful dress was a wonderful way for me to express myself. Wearing and sewing linen were both part of my Me Made May pledge, so I'm happy to report that this dress fit the bill on both accounts. Nice! Tiered dresses are everywhere now, and I'm finding them irresistible. They offer so much fun movement even just walking around, and they could not be more comfortable in warm weather. I have this frequent urge to combine multiple colorways of the same fabric into one garment, and this is absolute the perfect style for me to engage in those shenanigans! The

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