Made by a Fabricista: Knit - Summer Hit and Miss!

Happy Saturday Loves! I am officially on summer break and truly enjoyed the first week just relaxing at home and working out at the gym. I have not done any sewing this week but plan to start on my summer sewing plans next week.

As an advanced beginner, I truly started my sewing journey 4 years ago working mostly with Ankara wax cotton, rayon, polyester and ponte knit and the only type of knit I was comfortable sewing with were scuba and ponte. In my stash, I have other knits including lycra and mid-weight jersey but really never had the desire to make basic pieces that I can buy for less than the cost of the fabric. I came across 2 beautiful knit prints back in April and knew it was perfect for summer.

I am in love with this top, made using Liverpool knit fabric. It is a beautiful midweight knit fabric for summer and is actually sold out but Fabric Mart has other selections including this beautiful flower print here.

This McCall pattern (M7686) has been on my to sew list for a while so I created view D bodice and view F sleeves shortened for the warm summer weather.

This summer, my main sewing goal is to create essential wardrobe pieces that will not be just for a few pictures to share on a blog, but pieces that I can wear daily. I have created a few summer tops which I love and have worn them several times already. The minute I saw the fabric, I knew I wanted to create a fitted off the shoulder to wear on a lunch date with a friend.

Unfortunately, my jersey knit fabric (also SOLD OUT :-) was a miss as it did NOT work out as planned. I wanted to create Beaute Jadore's most recent gathered tunic top here and the weight of the fabric would not work as it was too light-weight and sheer for my personal taste to wear as a top or a skirt. I needed to use a solid crepe fabric and this jersey was NOT for the shape and style. Honestly, I really knew that I should have ordered a PONTE knit version for structure but wanted to try something different. I surely recovered the fabric and created a beach cover-up dress for my day at the beach.

Learning and understanding fabric weight, type and color based on a pattern design are essential before starting any sewing project. Large stripes and prints are tricky and bold colors may not always work for a curvy figure. I know for sure that I will always check the suggested fabric and NOT assume that a particular fabric will work for a look. I am not a fan of fabric that is too lightweight with minimal structure so the next project will definitely be from Julie's PICK or a fabric that I am familiar with.

Thank you so much for stopping by and stay tuned for a few everyday work garments that I plan to make over the next few weeks. Have a wonderful summer and don't forget to stop by the blog to check out my latest makes!
Marica - Overdriveafter30

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: Summery Stripes Set

Warm weather and linen go hand in hand! Our summer has been slow to show up with the heat, but bright, sunny afternoons have me all ready for light, swingy garments to stay cool. Wearing matching sets has been one way to make getting dressed easier when I hit decision fatigue since reaching for two items that already go together removes the need to plan or do any rearranging. This is a lovely lighter-end-of-mid-weight linen in the most beautiful and subtle seaglass hues of grays and greens. This color combo strikes me as so calm and sophisticated, and a little stripe-play is perfect for details. My tank pattern is the brand-spankin’ new Matchy Matchy Sewing Club Sunny Side Tank, just released this week. It’s a perfect little cropped A-line shape for wearing with high waisted pants or showing some midriff. I made no changes to the extra small. The wide neckline is so elegant and this shape still gives full bra coverage to boot. These really cute pants are the Mat...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog