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: 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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