Made by a Fabricista: Dramatic Double Knit Swing Dress

Happy New Year, Fabricistas!

It's Meg from Cookin' and Craftin', back here with another double knit project. Can't stop, won't stop...

With so many stunning double knits regularly popping up in the Fabric Mart listings, how could I resist?! This designer black and white jacquard double knit fabric, in particular, is so unique because of the design and the fabric content.

A cotton, rayon and lyrca blend? Yes, please. The fabric is super soft to the touch from the cotton, perfectly drapey from the rayon, and has fabulous stretch and recovery from the lycra. A unicorn blend, folks.

Plus, the design is really striking. The double knit fabric has a large scale black and white design woven into it with overlapping, patchwork-looking designs, ranging from geometric to floral.

I vacillated between different pattern options for my project with this jacquard double knit. Initially, when I saw "double knit," I thought it would be perfect for a Fulton Sweater Blazer. But then, once I got my hands on it and had a better feel for the fabric's hand, I changed my mind. I knew just the pattern to make this fabric shine...

I wanted to do justice to both the huge print and the fabulous drape, so I opted for a swingy t-shirt dress instead. I chose the Madeit Patterns Groove Dress, figuring it would serve as the perfect blank canvas for this dramatic print. I'd made summery versions of this dress in the past (here and here), and loved the movement and simplicity of the pattern. I like that you don't have to break up the print with lots of seam lines, and can show off the print to the full extent.

This Groove Dress is a size 18 with the straight (as opposed to high-low) hem, high, round neckline, and long sleeves. Since my previous versions were for summer, I hadn't printed out the long sleeve pattern yet and my printer was out of ink, so I laid my Cashmerette Pembroke long sleeve pattern over the Groove Dress short sleeve pattern and sorta merged them. Worked out great!

I just love my dress! The combination of a simple pattern and a dramatic fabric was just how I envisioned it! So twirly and cozy and fun.

Thanks to Fabric Mart for yet another killer fabric...

Made by a Fabricista: Brushed Wool/Cashmere Car Coat

I've been eyeing the Michael Kors Wool Blend Coatings for some time now. Fabric Mart had the most gorgeous array of coating colors that I have ever seen! During COVID stay at home time, I've been letting my gray grow out, and I thought that even though those gorgeous sherbet shades like apricot and apple green would be beautiful, the heathered gray shade would be the most flattering to my gray hair and the most versatile. Apparently, others thought the same, as the gray is sold out now, but there are still many colors available here: Coating Category When I received my fabric, I was just astonished at how soft it was and what a beautiful drape it had. I searched and searched for the perfect pattern- changing my mind at least a dozen times before I settled on Simplicity 3672. This is one of the few patterns that only was available in sizes 18-24, and not in smaller sizes. It is about 10 years old, but there are definitely copies available on the internet. I made a cr

Made by a Fabricista: Jungle fun!

Animal prints are e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e! So much so, that my hubby noticed and commented. :) Not one to try and be left out, I drooled over this cute print! It appears to be sold out, so here are some fun choices! Animal prints I have been wearing so many light layers lately since the weather can't decide what it wants to do this time of year. I knew I wanted a cardigan and to make a sort of 'modern' twin set sort of look, I grabbed enough to make a top I could wear underneath or by itself. I love how textured this knit is! Let me show you, and tell you what I did to accommodate a textured knit fabric. Here is a photo of the back. You can see what the back looks like to imagine what the texture looks like on the front. Don't let ridges scare you! They are easy to sew. Here's what I did. Use a lot of pins or clips. Personally, I love the clips. They fasten easily and unclip easily. Sew a few inches, lift the presser foot, and repeat. Sometimes the

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