Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Sequins and Lace Holiday Affair

Happy Holiday Loves!

Can you believe 2018 is almost over? This year has been an amazing journey! I have met so many talented sew sisters, crafters, and fashionistas across the globe via my monthly Fabric Mart post.  In 2018 I gained confidence in my sewing skills, took risks and even had some failures along the way. 2019 I am so ready and excited to take on new challenges and stretch beyond my comfort zone.

I wanted to end the year with a little sparkle and challenge myself by sewing and working with sequins.  This sparkly top which is perfect for the Holidays was a challenge and I plan to continue to practice more with sequins in 2019.  My first plan was to create a simple caftan dress using this mesh sequins that can be worn for a holiday event but after making the dress, I hated the fit.  

The pattern that I used was a Simplicity 8657 and I decided that this would not go in my fail pile and created a top instead. The neckline was way too deep and even after re-cutting the XS the fit was still weird. I opted to make it an off the shoulder top and I use bias tape for the seams and neckline as I opted not to line.  I do plan to wear it over a fitted dress bodycon dress.

Now let's talk about this beautiful designer stretch lace that I am absolutely in love with

This designer lace is mixed with lycra and has a sprinkle of sequins. My original plan was to make a midi length dress using McCalls M7569  but at the last minute after cutting the skirt lining, I decided to make a maxi length skirt instead that I know I can wear more ways than one. 

I simply drafted the skirt by multiplying my hip measurement by 1.5 and then dividing it by 2 to create 2 pieces with side seams.  I also decided to create a detachable lining so that I can wear the lace skirt with a short or a longer lining depending on the occassion.
I decided to try something new with the waistband and plan to perfect this technique with another elastic waist skirt.  I did try a few techniques this summer with knit and have shared some great tips HERE on my personal blog.  I have mastered the art of creating elastic waist skirts (pencil and maxi) in 1.5 hours or less.

Here are the steps that I used for creating this waistband!



For the top row, I created a 3/4 inch casing for a 1 inch elastic.  This ensures that the elastic does not roll as I was using the lining fabric to create the waist band has has a 2 way stretch.
For the middle row, I decided to not to include any elastic but separate the rows by creating a 1/2 inch mock casing.
For the bottom row, I created a 1 and 1/8 inch casing for the 1.5-inch elastic.  I wanted to give it a more formal look with this casing method.

This lace fabric has a beautiful scallop detail seen at the hem.  I do plan to use the left-over on a sleeve of a dress or adding details to a top.  I also plan to wear this skirt as a bathing suit cover-up on my next beach vacation and a perhaps a dress with a lining during the summer.  I know for sure I will get more wear from this skirt than a formal dress. 
I have 1 week of work before I am off for two weeks.  I am excited about my 2019 sewing goals and plan to share it with you next month.  Thank you so much for the love and support in 2018.  I appreciate your kind words or encouragement and the love and support this year. Since this is my final post of 2018, I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy NEW Year when it comes!!

As always, don't forget to stop by my Instagram page to check out my latest makes!

One Love,
Marica!

Comments

  1. Great work as always. You never disappoint. Love what you did with the sequin fabric. I could see myself wearing that top . The lace skirt is amazing. Anything maxi, I love! And the fact that it's versatile is a plus! I'm going to use your waistband technique in the next skirt I make.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful garments! Great sewing technique on the waistband.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love these fabrics I am relatively new to sewing--why do you make the casing for the elastic smaller than the elastic. Won't it fold over and create a lump?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Revisiting a Pattern After Five Years

Have you ever used a sewing pattern and then immediately vowed never to sew it again? Well, I have. It all began in the spring of 2020 at the start of the pandemic lockdown. I tackled sewing projects that were more challenging to help me grow as a seamstress. There was one pattern in particular that almost did me in, the Seamwork Penny shirt dress. The Penny dress pattern has a classic button-up dress shirt style bodice with a gathered skirt and pockets. It is a beautiful take on a shirt dress, and my sister and I loved it. The only downside is that it was recommended for intermediate-level sewists and I was only an adventurous beginner back then.  I think I had only ever made one button-up shirt before attempting this Penny Dress and it didn’t even have a collar! Despite all of this, I thought “Why not try it, what’s the worst that can happen?”  Thankfully the worst didn’t happen, and the dress turned out surprisingly wearable, but I had some intense frustration at the end. I...

Made By A Fabricista: A Simple Frock for Spring

Hello friends! I’m really into sewing and wearing tent dresses at the moment. A tent dress is basically a wide A-line style gown. For this month’s project, I’ve opted to try out The Assembly Line’s Square Neck Dress. This style is a little avant-garde in its enormity and shape, and boasts the squared neckline it’s named after, plus some cute hem side slits.  All that volume is fun to move around in, plus there’s loads of air circulation which is cooling. This dress’s main feature–its wide and high squared neckline–really piqued my interest recently, and I added it to my Make Nine plans for 2025. I find it so satisfying to check off those boxes as I sew!  This beautiful shirtweight linen is a color I simply adore; a muted medium blue. Stormy skies, worn-in denim, and ocean waves all come to mind, and that is exactly what I want to be all wrapped up in. While I think a wild or large print would be amazingly on display in this big canvas of a dress, I also thought that a subtle ...

Made By A Fabricista: Bold Aspen Dress for Spring

 As I write this in mid-April, central New Jersey weather is showing small signs of spring. My neighbor’s daffodils are blooming and our magnolia tree is trying to unfold its vibrant magenta petals. I am in the midst of preparing my wardrobe for the warmer months, even if we are still huddling against windy 30 degree days. For me, warm weather means linen. I love breathable, floaty linen sundresses and drapey, loose linen wide-leg pants. My vision for a spring piece was something bold and bright, inspired by the natural colors of blooming flowers, but also something that could transition well between the warmer and cooler months. When I saw Fabric Godmother’s Apsen Dress, I knew that it had the sensible transitional opportunities I was looking for while also providing a blank canvas for fun prints, patterns and colors. With the pattern in mind, I then turned to the stunning linen collection that Fabric Mart always has on hand to see what colors or patterns would best suit my visio...