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: Celebrating warm weather with Spring sewing!

Hi sewing friends! I don’t know about you but boy, was winter cold and dreary this year! The weather here in the Philadelphia area has been slowly improving, but Spring sure did take her sweet old time to arrive. So by April, I was definitely in the headspace of needing to sew up things that were either bright and cheery or meant for the warmer weather I am very much craving right now. I recently purchased a few SewBexx Patterns so I took them on a test run to create some Spring makes. First on my list was to make a top using this absolutely gorgeous ITY fabric I picked up last year. I had two yards which was enough for a long sleeve shirt. I chose the Olivia top, which is oversized with a drop shoulder, has multiple lengths and a split hem. I think the pattern is intended for heavier fabrics but I was envisioning how lovely this top would look with the drape of ITY knit fabric, and it did not disappoint. It came together for me quickly and was a straight forward sew…and I love the br...

Made By A Fabricista: Stripes For Spring

Hi everyone! It’s finally warming up here in southeastern Pennsylvania and I wanted to make a light, flowy dress for springtime. I snagged a vintage Laura Ashley pattern from Joanns on one of my last trips there. I somehow didn’t have anything in my pattern stash with a sweetheart neckline, so I thought it would be a good addition. The pattern calls for a giant gathered skirt, so I knew I would need something lightweight and drapey for it. Something like a pink striped cotton fine seersucker. The fabric is light and has a really nice drape, almost like a challis . I knew it would gather beautifully. I got to work cutting everything out, with help from my assistant. When I say the skirt is massive I mean it. I ran into an issue right away where my fabric isn't wide enough to cut the back panel without opening the fabric out. And my three yards of fabric wasn’t enough to cut two back panels. I ran into this issue last year when making my pinafore dress . In ...

Made By A Fabricista | Chasing Time: My White Rabbit-Inspired Look for Atlanta Frocktails

For this year’s Atlanta Frocktails, I found myself captivated by a character who’s been quietly tugging at my imagination for years—the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. There’s something so relatable about his frantic energy, always checking the time, always running late. While he’s worried about being on time, I’m usually calculating how late I can be and still technically arrive on time. Spoiler: I’m often wrong. It’s a cycle of procrastination and anxiety that I know all too well. So when I imagined my look for Frocktails, I thought—why not honor the White Rabbit? After all, time has been chasing me too. But this look isn’t just about Wonderland whimsy. It’s also deeply inspired by this year’s Met Gala theme, Tailored for You, which includes a focus on Black Dandyism—a celebration of Black elegance, intellect, and expressive style. I’ve been obsessed with this theme since it was announced. As a Black creative, I find it powerful and moving to see style used as a way to reclaim...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog