Made by a Fabricista: Spring Sewing!

I am getting tired of winter. It's lingering. It's cold. I need spring. I need new clothes. Ok, done whining!

I needed some basic colored tops in some not so basic shapes. These two fit the bill.

The ivory is a Linen/Cotton/Rayon blend. Pictures don't do the fabric justice. It has a lovely shine and drape. If you've never checked out Fabric Mart's linen section, you need to! The fabric is so pretty, is high quality, and never disappoints me.

For this top, I choose a simple design with some on trend details such as a ruffle--I may be too old for a ruffle, I am still wondering if I should remove it, and sleeve details.

I modified the sleeve a bit and left them as slits that close at the bottom of the sleeve.

The pattern is Simplicity 8694. Super cute with fun options.

I made a modified version of A. I needed some short-sleeved patterns that are not tees. This works.

For my dark top, I choose chambray. Whenever FM has chambray, I try to snatch some up. This one is so lovely and such a wonderful quality!

For this top, I choose a French pattern company called Oraguese. This is the Helsinki Blouse. I've noticed that FM is choosing to carry more Indy and foreign pattern companies.

This is a very on-trend pattern. I love everything about it! This pattern calls for a shirting, and the chambray fit the bill perfectly. If you can't tell, I really love how this turned out!

I am gearing up for spring by getting my sandals out for the photo.

This pattern looks interesting from all angles.

The knot makes this so cool.

And a picture of the back.

I hope you are gearing up for spring as much as I am.

Thanks for reading!

Sue from Ilove2sew!

Made By A Fabricista: A Wooly Wearable Blanket.

Twirling in a me-made outfit! I live in a small town where the nearest fabric shop is a road trip away, so I almost exclusively shop for fabric online. Having access to an online shop like Fabric Mart with a solid search engine is incredibly helpful. But by far my favorite aspect of Fabric Mart is what I call the “Drape Picture” included in each listing! This picture gives me all the information I need and I find it more helpful than the exact weight per yard/square meter. Seeing how the fabric falls close or away from the body gives me a clear idea of how it will behave and inspires me to make it into something that will highlight the fabric’s nature. When I saw the drape of this “Baked Plum” wool suiting , I immediately wanted to immortalize those beautiful folds into a skirt! I opted for a simple self-drafted pleated skirt with a deep hem. I wear my dresses year-round and rely on wool skirts that I layer under or over my dresses for warmth. I cut two panels for the front ...

Made By A Fabricista: Which comes first – the fabric or the pattern?

Ah, the age old question garment sewers are often asked – do you choose the pattern first and then look for fabric, or do you buy fabric and then later decide what it will be when it grows up? If you are a sewist with a large fabric stash (like myself), then perhaps you are on Team Fabric. I would say I definitely lean that way, but there are also times when I land somewhere in the middle – I see a fabric and I think, I’ve just seen a pattern and these two would be perfect together! And that’s how gorgeous dusty rose stretch velvet and a recently released cardigan pattern came together to create the newest addition to my wardrobe. And had me improvising a few things along the way. First. I have to admit - I have a stretch velvet problem. I see it pop up on the website and I almost always grab it, especially if I see a sale. It’s not the easiest fabric to sew (it’s slippery as heck!), but I love it so much and I especially love using it in non-traditional ways. In my last blog post, I...

Made By A Fabricista: Back In The Saddle

If you don’t know in October my beloved Bernina sewing machine blew a fuse and started smoking while I was using it. She went to the shop for repairs, and then I moved. So it’s been a bit since I’ve sewed last and I’ve had trouble getting back into it. I knew I needed a simpler project to get me going again. Julie sewed up a Jarrah sweater recently ( restock coming soon! ) and gushed about how simple and rewarding a project it was. Then we got in this beautiful wool/cashmere sweater knit from England. I was seeing lighthouse keeper, sheep herder in the highlands. I knew it had to be my Jarrah sweater. I did lengthen the bodice by 3 inches. I actually sewed up a mock up with the curved hemline, but decided that wasn’t for me and went with the straight hem. Of course I took zero photos of said mock up. Oops. Otherwise I sewed it up in a size 6 as is. Using the serger this really does sew up quickly. The dropped shoulder creates clean, simple lines that make it easy to sew u...

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