Made by a Fabricista: A Trio of Textured Knits

I simply love wearing knits. So comfortable, so easy to wear, so stylish and fun! For this month's post, I decided to use a new knit from FM and two from my stash that are also from FM, it's just that I've had them for a while, so I will have to share some similar fabrics with you.

First up is this textured activewear by Malden Mills. You can see the fabric I used here: Activewear knits

This is really nice fabric, perfect for working out in, or just hanging out in. It's breathable and lightweight. I decided to go for an athleisure look for my top.

The pattern I used is from Itch to Stitch.

The pattern goes together well and since I made it previously, I knew it would work with less of a drapey cowl. I basically chopped about 2.5 inches from the biggest part of the cowl. That's it. Nothing magical.

Because the knit is a bit lighter weight, I used woven SewkeysE tape to secure the edges or hems.

You probably don't need to do this, but I thought it would be a good idea. If you've never used this tape, try it! It's the best out there and is for sale in the notions section of FM's site.

My second top is made from a lacy knit I purchased a few years ago from this site. This was a Julie's pick and I waited and waited to figure out what to use if for. When DD1 was her for Christmas, she said that she was going to confiscate the fabric if I didn't figure something out quick.

I decided on a simple top that I'd wear during the cooler months that could be a layering piece. Here are some ideas from FMs site for fabric choices: Geometric knit

Lipstick red pucker dot

I chose this pattern by Papercut and this is the Rise and Fall Turtleneck.

This fabric sewed and pressed so easily, no wonder it was a Julie's pick! I used the 'regular' SewkeysE tape for this top and it worked like a charm.

For my third and final make, I used this heavily textured ponte from FM. This has been in my stash for a while, but if you click on the links below, you can find some similar and very pretty choices.

I really love this fabric and am glad I finally sewed this up! It's about time! I used my trusty McCalls 6886. This pattern is a workhorse. I've used it multiple times and every time I use it, I get excited about it all over again!

For this dress, I used what I call a textured ponte. This fabric is just luscious! Here are some similar fabrics from FMs site: Vibrant Pink Designer knit fabric Imported from Italy fabric

Thanks for reading! I hope you are making some great garments for 2019! Happy New Year!

Sue from Ilove2sew!

Made By A Fabricista: Liberty Snow Day

Hi everyone! While we’ve been blanketed with snow out here in Southeastern PA, I decided to conquer my fear of button holes and make NewLook pattern N6749. I was able to snag a few yards of the Jess + Jean print Liberty of London Tana Lawn for it. It’s always exciting when Fabric Mart is able to get Liberty fabrics in! I always make sure to grab some. Cutting into a beautiful piece of tana lawn is scary every time. The fabric is such good quality, I’m afraid to mess it up! I had to be extra careful as this is also the first directional pattern I’ve worked with. But one of my assistants made sure all of my pieces were laid correctly. Something I wanted to try out with this dress was finishing the inside seams using the overlock stitch on my domestic machine. Normally I would french seam, but it was nice to not have to worry about cutting seam allowance in half, sewing, trimming, flipping, and sewing again. Next time I would cut the seam allowance back before overlocking, but I thin...

Made By A Fabricista: Embracing Winter in Wool Boucle

As winter drags on, the cold weather is such a bummer to me and feeling uncomfortable and cold so often is rough. Meanwhile, I listened to a podcast all about how people in very northern countries deal better with the onset of dark, freezing winter with a radically different mindset of embracing the inevitable season by reframing the chill as refreshing and the opportunity to spend most time indoors as cozy. I can do that! I found a gorgeous, quintessential wool boucle suiting in black and white to make myself a luxurious outer layer while I’m outside attempting to embrace the sting of dry winter air… It’s kind of working. So classic, so chic! Wearing boucle is always an uptown move and I certainly do feel sophisticated in it. This black and white houndstooth combination feels especially Old Hollywood, and what a treat to make something with this! I sewed the Daphne Jacket from Vivian Shao Chen. There are no closures, and the shape is boxy and very easy to wear over multipl...

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing + Running

It’s not every day that I get to mix two of my favorite hobbies. Especially when one hobby is sewing and the other is running. You can’t sew and run at the same time, but, you can go running in something that you sewed! With this realization, I embarked on my first hobby-merging adventure. We’ve had some frigid temperatures in Pennsylvania this winter. Since I’m an outside, stroller-pushing runner, I bundle up my son and myself before I hit the road. The temperature feels 20 degrees warmer for outside runners than the outside air. For the children being pushed in the stroller though, it feels about 20 degrees colder. With these differences in temperature for each of us, layering is the only thing that ensures that we both stay perfectly warm. My running wardrobe has been lacking a warm top layer. My son’s wardrobe would also benefit from having another warm layer, so I knew pullovers were what I should make. Inspired by a name-brand ¼ button-down fleece pullover I saw,...

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