Made by a Fabricista: Tropical Paradise Summer Top and Maxi Dress

"One Love, one heart,
Let's get together and feel all right!"
Lyrics from Bob Marley song!

The melodies of one of my favorite songs from Bob Marley replayed in my head when I came across two beautiful fabric; a solid yellow and tropical print. They both screamed Jamaica, Caribbean, cruise vibes and summertime fun in the sun. I instantly fell in love and had to select them for my May Fabric Mart blog post.

When I saw this sun yellow polyester/lycra crepe techno fabric, it reminded me so much of the Jamaican flag. I knew I had to grab a few yards before it was sold out.

My first choice was to make a wrap dress but fearing that I would look like a yellow highlighter with my hips, I decided to go with a top instead. I always wanted to create McCalls M7812 and knew it was the perfect fabric for this style based on the texture.

I cut the small and used view A bodice with view B sleeves and made no modifications. The next time around I will definitely lengthen the bodice by an inch as this is a great pattern for summer. This was a quick and easy sew as I did sewed up most of it before heading out to work at 8am.

I am in love with the front gathers and found the perfect drawstring in my notions pile!

1 INCH elastic for the sleeves

This beautiful tropical floral double brushed jersey knit screams paradise vacation. This fabric and print hit the nail and is perfect for Mimi G's Simplicity new summer pattern S8915. I fell in love with the booty gathers the minute Mimi shared as it is perfect for the curvy girls. I love a great maxi especially if it has a great drape and length.

Typically, I do not sew a commercial pattern more than twice unless it's TNT but I do plan to make this again using lycra, and the other view using a jersey as it is an easy sew and great fit right out of the pattern envelope.

I needed an extra 1/2 yard based on the bottom back piece and instead of cutting it on the fold, I decided to join 2 pieces creating my own fold as I did not have enough. It worked out just fine and yes, I am satisfied with the look.

The two modifications to fit my curves and my height are:

- Graded the waist from a size 12 to the 14 hips.

- Added 1 inch to the length.

It came out absolutely perfect to my taste when I tried it on and I was floored with the fit.

Another minor tweak that I will make next time is removing 1/2 or 3/4 inch from the back bodice piece.

I am happy with both looks and can't wait to sew down my stash of knits purchased from Fabricmart.

I am counting down to summer break which starts on June 7th, and can't wait to rock both makes in Jamaica this summer.

Thank you so much for reading and for always showing love! Don't forget to check out my latest makes on the blog and my Instagram page.

Photos taken by my daughter Arielle (10 years old)!

One Love,

Marica - Overdriveafter30

Made By A Fabricista: A Tipsy Martini Transitional Three Piece Look

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon with Sharon Sews with my latest Fabricista make – a three-piece set I can wear as the weather transitions to fall here in Texas. It may look like a summer outfit but there will days filled with sunshine and high temps well into November. At first glance it looks like a nice, lightweight jacket, top and pants. But look closer – it’s sewn from the designer Tipsy Martini cotton sateen that was originally used by the designer for a pajama set. Now I could have sewn myself a pair of pajamas using the Closet Core Carolyn Pajama pattern (available at Fabric Mart) and replicated the designer pajamas. But if I had gone that route the only ones who would have seen this adorable kitschy fabric would be my family. This print is much too cute to hide out at home. This Tipsy Martini cotton sateen fabric was lovely to sew. I used black thread, an 80/12 universal needle, and Palmer/Pletsch Perfect Fuse Medium interfacing (link here). Note that this is a rayon fu

Made By A Fabricista: Hooray for Cozy Fall Sews!

Greetings, all! I am in such high spirits with the best-of-all-seasons just beginning and change is finally in the air. I always rejoice when the sweatiest time of the year passes and we can all take a deep breath and gear up for cozier times. Neighborhood Patterns is a new-to-me designer, and I came across them on Instagram in late summer and fell in love with the Plain Jane Skirt. This is such a simple A-line skirt, but with nice details like large inseam pockets and an optional drawstring, and though I’m sure I could draft this style myself, the appeal of having it all done for me was too tempting to pass up. A sew such as this is a lovely palate-cleanser and this was the first project I sewed after returning from a cross-country trip. Perfect! The gorgeous plaid flannel is exactly what I want to be wearing in the fall. The fabric is SO soft and a pleasure to snuggle up in. Because flannel does not have much body and is prone to stretching or shifting with all its mechanical give,

Made By A Fabricista: Quilted Jacket Chronicle

What do you get when mixing the best things about apparel sewing and machine quilting? A quilted jacket! It's funny that I elected to sew myself a quilted jacket for this Fabricista blog because I don't consider myself much of a quilter. I can count on my hands the number of quilted projects I've made over the last few years. While I fully appreciate the end product of quilting, I don't normally gravitate toward starting quilting projects. That's why making a quilted jacket is a new and exciting project for me! It gives me the fun of making a quilt on a much smaller scale. If you are an avid apparel sewist and are new to quilting, this is the perfect project to take for a quilting test drive! For my quilted jacket, I used the Seamwork Easton Jacket pattern. I decided to stick with a solid-colored fabric for the jacket's exterior and ordered 4 yards of Dark Umber Brown Lycra Stretch Canvas Suiting from the Fabric Mart website. I wanted a contrasting color for the

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