Made by a Fabricista: Easy Ponte Knit Pencil Skirt or Dress!

"Don't make things too complicated. Try to relax, enjoy every moment, get used to everything." Angelique Ferber

One hour or less, Ponte Knit pencil skirt or dress!

Have you ever created the perfect plans mentally, sketched it on paper and ready to start and then something happened and you lost the desire to create it? Lately, I have been uninspired to sew projects that will take more than an hour. The last 2 weeks I honestly lost my sewjo and I truly need it back to get ready for Spring/Summer.

Teaching these last few weeks have been hectic as I have been preparing the students that I teach and my children for the Mathematics end of year state exams. I have been so exhausted and the past few weekends I have only completed easy sewing projects that would take an hour or less. I am counting down the days to this year's summer break (perks of being a teacher) where I can truly travel, relax with my children and sew more. I am excited and looking forward to my first Sewcation event planned at the end of July with other sew sisters (Check out my blog here for more details or follow the page on Instagram here). Sewing in my own world has NOT been fun lately and I wish I had a sewing group to connect and meet up with at least once per month.

I really wanted to hack a few patterns and make a mommy and me look but all the plans were sidelined after having a failed peplum top using this bodice. I love this pattern especially the bodice and maxi dress views with the color blocking option. With the great fit of the bodice, I had to save it and create a bodycon dress. The bodice that I use was McCall 7121 which is so versatile and fun for color blocking.

I am thankful that I had extra fabric to work with as I do not create muslin and I tend to make adjustments directly on the pattern. This bodycon dress came out better than I imagined and with the perfect shoes in my closet, it was icing on the cake. I actually draft all my pencil skirts directly on the fabric using my tape measure, curve, and my quilter's ruler.

I love dresses that are perfect and versatile for different occassion such as an outdoor wedding, a business happy hour event or even a date, so I opted for a sleeveless look that I could rock with a jacket, kimono or totally by itself.

Fabric Mart has a variety of spring and summer colors in Ponte knit fabric here which are perfect for maxi or body con dresses, pencil skirts or a more structured or fitted look. I always grabbed a few yards when they have the great deals in a variety of colors as I truly love working with Ponte knit versus jersey knit. This summer, I plan to create more everyday garments such as jackets, pants, skirts, and dresses using more structure knit that I know I will wear more than once or twice.

Pencil skirts, tees, and tanks are my favorite to wear during Spring/Summer months and it has been a few months since I created one. Saturdays are my days for errands and a pencil skirt with converse goes a long way.

What are your sewing plans for the Spring/Summer season? Do you sew more or less during these months? Thanks for reading and don't forget to stop by the BLOG and check out the details for the Sewcation 2018 event!!

One Love!

Marica (OverdriveAfter30)

Made By A Fabricista: A Pink Suiting Set for Spring

Spring is here! So is my first blog of the year. I had some inspiration with this one. I saw a picture on an Instagram profile and wanted to make my own. Now, my version ended up a little different, but overall, I really love it. However, I still want to recreate the inspiration pic at some point. For this look, I chose a cotton candy pink double weave suiting . It is soft, has a semi-textured hand, and has a crepe weave on the wrong side. The fabric does have some stretch to it. I absolutely love the color and feel of this fabric. This is a suiting fabric with the softness of a knit. The thing I do not like about it though is it snags. So, I had to be careful using pins and seam ripping to prevent snags. I had the Fernanda Vicki Sews pattern in mind but once I downloaded the instructions and saw how many pieces were involved, I switched to a different pattern, lol. I ended up making the Riana Blazer. It has a semi-fitted blazer with a straight silhouette. A belt and belt loops that yo...

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing the Eleonora by Silversaga – A Romantic Dress you need in your closet

I recently had the pleasure of sewing up the Eleonora pattern by Silversaga, and I’m excited to share my thoughts because this one really surprised me—in the best possible way. If you’re not already familiar with Silversaga, their aesthetic leans into romantic minimalism—think timeless silhouettes with poetic details. The Eleonora Dress is a vintage-inspired, chemise-style from the Regency Era of the 1800’s design infused with modern elements like adjustable sizing, soft gathers, and flexible fit details. The Eleonora is a thoughtfully designed dress pattern with multiple views and customizable features. Some of its standout design elements include: • Adjustable fit via ties and elastic channels at the neckline and waist, allowing it to flatter a range of body shapes and sizes. • Sleeve options, including short or long gathered raglan sleeves, often finished with ruffles for added softness. • A full, swishy four-panel skirt—complete with in seam pockets and a deep hem—that b...

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing the Chalk & Notch Hayes Dress

Hey lovely friends! With summer knocking at the door, I am absolutely ready for breezy dresses at all times. I love linen all year round, but summer is my particular favorite for this fiber. This bright happy color fills me with delight, and it’s so perfect in the sunshine. For this project, I got all my supplies in one go! I chose this stunning Sea Green linen , lightweight fusible interfacing , ½” elastic , and of course, matching thread. If you haven’t sat down to create your own little sewing kit with all the bits at hand, it’s quite a nice gift to yourself and makes getting started that much easier. I’m all about ease these days. I sewed the new Chalk & Notch Hayes Dress with the open back cutout, which is View A. The other two options are a closed-back dress and a two piece set. I was a tester for this charming pattern, and I can confirm the two piece set is also gorgeous and really fun to wear. I have looked forward to sewing this version for weeks! Please...

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