Made by a Fabricista: Springtime Style - Simple ITY Maxi Dresses

Now that spring is officially on my mind, my makes going forward will be spring clothing that transitions into summer. Maxi dresses or skirts are great staple pieces to have. I was ready to start the creation of my Spring makes and when I came across these two great ITY prints I knew they were perfect for dresses. Unfortunately, they are both sold out but these are two great ITY (Interlock Twist Yarn) knits available in solid or floral that would definitely work for this style.

The beauty about maxi dresses is that they are a no worry one piece that can be dressed up or down. I wanted to find a pattern that was easy and selected Simplicity 8595 as a start.

This Floral ITY maxi dress is a staple piece because you I can wear it running errands during the warmer days here in South Florida or to work with my blackwood cardigan (Made here). ITY is a cool and fluid knit fabric that has an incredible drape and does not wrinkle.

I wanted to find a TNT (tried and true) easy to sew maxi dress pattern and based on the cover, I knew VIEW D with and without sleeves was perfect for my pear shape body. This style is only 4 pattern pieces, front, back, neck and sleeve band.

As usual, I had to make a few modifications to the pattern to fit my body type:

1. Graded the size small to the medium from the waist.
2. Added 4 inches to the length

My original plan was to create another maxi dress using McCall 7122 but the sleeve style and the fact that the back piece was not cut on the fold, would require a bit of matching and lining up the print. I opted to reuse the same simplicity pattern as I am in love this print. I layered it with my leather jacket and boots earlier this week when the temperature dropped.

The ITY knit is light enough for the Florida weather and perfect for a maxi or wrap dresses. I am in love with both maxi dresses and can’t wait to make another style VIEW D using some designer ponte knit.

Thank you so much for reading and please don’t forget to check out my latest blog post of the top I made for Valentine’s Day. Be sure to stop by my Instagram page to see some of my recent makes. Have a wonderful day!

One Love,
Marica - Overdriveafter30

Made by a Fabricista: Updating My Summer Wardrobe

Hello all! I am back and excited to share my makes for the summer. While looking for something to wear, given the heat and humidity, it became obvious quickly that there are two gaps in my summer wardrobe: a sundress and a maxi dress with ruffles. After all these years, I had neither one! From Instagram’s MeMadeMay discussions, true sundresses are lightweight sleeveless dresses that expose the shoulders, arms, possibly the back, and typically have straps. Before I retired, I was too busy to shop so any sleeveless dress was good enough. Also, from social media, lightweight maxi dresses with tiered ruffles are on trend. Looking back, I avoided these two styles of dresses because they reminded me of what little girls would wear. Now in my later years, I seek comfort above all else. These dresses seemed they would keep me cool for the summer. For the sundress, I liked the features of Vogue V1625 by designer Tracy Reese. It looked extraordinary with the cowl neck in the front, th

Made By A Fabricista: The Perfect Suit

One piece of clothing I have always had an issue buying is a bathing suit. The top never fits the bottom, the torso is always too short and the straps never hit in just the right spot. So when I find the perfect fitting bathing suit, it’s as if I hit the lottery. When I went on vacation last month, I found a great fitting suit from Amazon. The suit fit great but the fabric was a different story. All I kept thinking was “this suit would be in my top 2 if the fabric was better”. So then enters this perfect nylon/lycra hibiscus print I snagged from Fabric Mart online. It provides the perfect amount of stretch and comfort making it the best option for swimwear. I duplicated the pattern and fit and made it just a bit better with the fabric. Chandler’s suit was drafted. NIKKI | @ beautejadore Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly! You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following category, ACTIVEWEAR/SWIMWEAR .

Made by a Fabricista: YouTube Edition | Marty - Royal Cottage Core

With the rise of internet aesthetics I've found myself enamored with the fairytale mashup of royal and cottage core. I really don't have much to say on this dress other than what I've said in the video, enjoy! MARTY | @ scrapsandsequins Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly! You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: CREPE & BLOUSE WEIGHTS .

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

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