Made by a Fabricista: Rib Knit Tanks and a Ponte Cardigan

My sewing time has been very limited with the holidays and the normal house activities (kids getting older means life getting so much busier)! And because of that I've been very selective of what I choose to sew, free time is so incredibly rare! Right before Thanksgiving I sat down and quickly sewed four new tank tops and I absolutely love how they turned out!

This is the Kila Tank pattern by Allie Olson. I've been wanting to sew it for a while, but haven't been able to find rib knit fabric that would work well. Fabric Mart had the perfect fabric for the pattern. I say had as this specific fabric has sold out. But they have many other rib knits still in stock!

I grabbed one yard each of a light gray, dark gray, black, and pumpkin rib knit fabric. The pattern was super easy to follow and sewed up quickly! I love that it is perfect to layer and wear when it's cooler outside and I can wear it on it's own when it's hot!

Over Thanksgiving we went on a vacation to Arizona and I brought my tank tops along with me and they were perfect! I wore them all day long and they didn't stretch out of shape or get loose and baggy (yay for good fabric!). And they were comfortable enough to wear on a long flight!

Before vacation I also sewed a Blackwood Cardigan (a pattern that I've sewn five times before). This time I used a more structured Ponte knit fabric from Fabric Mart. I absolutely love this pattern, and it is great with the ponte knit fabric. The Blackwood Cardigan has extra long arms, which I love. I love being able to pull my long sleeves down around my hands!

What have you been sewing lately? For me, it's only been quick and easy projects, but I'm hoping to carve out more time do a few more intricate projects! Even though my sewing has all been quick and easy, I love knowing that I'm sewing things that I'll wear again and again!

Teresa :: Dandelion Drift

Made by a Fabricista: A Work Wardrobe with a $50 Fabric Budget

Can you save money by sewing your own clothes? Well, that all depends on a lot of factors! I decided to challenge myself to make a new Spring work wardrobe with a $50 budget for fabric. I know, I know- that doesn't include your patterns, notions and miscellaneous things like interfacing and lining. For me, those are already sunk costs, because I already have them. By ordering during one of Fabric Mart's $2/$3/$4 sales, I was able to make 8 items- 2 pants, 1 skirt, 1 dress, and 3 tops. Here's my exact order:

This took me about 6 weeks once I started. I usually sew after dinner for about an hour or two every day. It's my relaxation time. I dove right in the deep end with the jacket first.
I absolutely love this fabric! It is so bright and cheery. I made the jacket with Vogue 2957, an out of print Anne Klein designer pattern.

The fabric is a Milly Cady suiting which I found challenging to work with. It feels delightful, but it is tough as nails. I started…

Fabricista Guest Post: "Julie's Picks" Goes to the Opera

Hello, fellow fabric enthusiasts and sewers alike ! My name is Mary Martha and I am thrilled to be presenting a guest post for Fabric Mart's Fabricista blog. As a bit of background, I fell madly in love with opera in 2015 when I attended my first performance in a movie theater as part of the Metropolitan Opera's "Live in HD" simulcasts, which projects live staged operas in New York City into cinemas worldwide via satellite. (They're fantastic !) Since the start, I have dressed the part of the characters when attending these performances, beginning with outfits fashioned from scarves and skirts in my mother's closet to more ornate costumes. It was during this time that I taught myself to sew using a sewing machine and I haven't looked back ─ my life was changed forever !
In December 2018, I subscribed to Julie's Picks swatch club as an educational experience: I wanted to expand my knowledge of different fabrics besides the typical polyester satins I h…

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