Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Ready, "Set", Go!

Happy Saturday Loves!
I am officially on summer break and I am so excited that I will have all the time in the world to sew.   I am ready to embark on my summer challenges and tackle and learn new skills.  One of my main goal before the end of this summer is to make a lined jacket and prep for a fall coat.  I have been dreading it for years and plan to overcome my fear.



Now let's get to the chase!  I am so in love with this set! When I saw a linen rayon blend for May Julie's pick, I ordered it and when it arrived, I knew I wanted to get a different color linen rayon blend for my June's Fabric Mart post.  I love the feel the texture and the fact it doesn't wrinkle as much as 100% linen.  Go grab a few yards here before it is sold out!
When the fabric arrived, I quickly went to work with a muslin for the top as I wanted to make a matching set .This top is made using Simplicity 8927,  Mimi G's summer pattern.  My goal was to make the set but after my struggles with the top I decided to create a crop pants instead.
 I did make a wearable muslin in denim and had so many challenges and decided to try the dreaded buttonholes again. Little did I know I have been using the wrong foot (a Brother's foot) with my Husqvarna Vikings Jade 20 sewing machine and had to reorder a new one.
With this version, I added an extra 1/2 inch to the side seams for a looser fit and extended it by 2 inches for a less crop look.  To extend, I slash the pattern about an inch from the last button (above the front tie) then added 2 inches so that it will be perfect for the set.  I also modified the back pattern piece (lengthening by 2 inches) matching notches from front and back piece. The new buttonholes are exactly 2 inches apart.

I used a solid blush pink to line the front of the pattern pieces as I did not have enough.
  I do love the contrast tie.
When I attempted with the correct buttonhole foot at home, I still encountered challenges again but refused to give up.  I wanted to push through and when I visited the dealer for help the 2nd time around, it was a minor mistake I was making and I was able to get the buttonholes done.
These pants are my 3rd version (see version 1 and 2 here) using Simplicity 8558 Mimi G's crop pants pattern which is perfect for my body type. This "easy to sew" elastic waist crop pants style was made an early morning before going to work. I prepped and pin the night before and it literally took an hour and a half to sew. I did modify the waistband pattern by adding an extra 3/4 inch to both the top and bottom of the waistband and using 2 different sizes of elastic as I wanted a wider band (Previous post here with steps on creating a snug waistband).  I also ensured that the elastic casing was a bit more snug for the bottom row and stitched both rows down.
 I did not plan to stitch down the elastic at first but wanted to try this technique again.  I am absolutely happy I did as I love the fit and how it lays flat on my waist!  I do plan to share a step by step insta-story on how to modify different waistband and save it on my Instagram highlights.
I truly love separates as I get to maximize my looks.  (Check out a  previous set made using 100% linen here).
 I am gearing up and creating a vacation capsule one set at a time and plan to wear the pants or skirt this Fall to work.

What are your summer sewing plans? Thank you so much for reading and be sure to check out my Instagram page as I do plan to share beginner tips and techniques throughout the summer.  Don't forget to stop by my blog to check out my last set a "faux jumpsuit" I made.

One Love,
Marica! Overdriveafter30

Comments

  1. Thank you for all your tips in this post. I LOVE the waistband elastic tips. My waistbands ALWAYS roll over. The outfit is beautiful on you, and the shoes go with it so well. I better check out that linen now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot! Yes will share more tips on my Instagram stories too.

      Delete
  2. During the 80's, jumpsuits were popular too, and I liked the unified look but I did not want to deal with the "issues" of a jumpsuit so I did the same thing and made eight "faux jumpsuits", four long and four short. Your outfits are great. The style suits you and the color !!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love love love your makes! You totally rock them.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Super cute Marica! I totally thought it was a jumpsuit at first! The contrast tie is fabulous, and I love the drama of the wide leg with this print!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Looking Fantastic! Summer ready, no doubt.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Why Sew A Muslin

Here it is, my September blog post featuring Newlook N6692 and this pretty rayon challis from Fabric Mart! This pattern style is so in right now. The square neckline, cute puff sleeves and the tiered skirt are all exactly what I was looking for in a summer dress. As always I started with making a muslin first!  Let’s get into why it’s important to start with a muslin.  A muslin is basically a practice garment. It prevents you from cutting into your good fabric prematurely.  I usually use a muslin fabric (natural cotton) but you should also consider using a fabric that is the same weight as your fashion fabric. This will give you a truer gauge of how the garment is going to lay in the final fabric. Anytime I try out a new pattern company I make a muslin. This was my first time using a Newlook pattern so I need to know what the ease would be like for this pattern. Also I need to see how the bust would fit me and where I would need to make adjustments. Plus there were some new techniques

Made By A Fabricista: The Love of Sewing - Basic Pieces for a Beginner

Happy Friday All! It has been a while since I made myself a dress. I am excited to sew after not making anything since my last post (whew) and finally sharing some photos.  This past summer has been a roller coaster journey with plans to release a small collection and then deciding that right before the launch to postpone. Sewing has brought me joy over the past 8 years and the mere fact to sew daily for orders had me in a panic mode. I really don’t want to walk away from my craft due to burn out  and decided that if I do sew for others, it would be only for local clients. Moreover, If next year I decide to launch, it would be seasonal and not year round. I really want to share my talent and love for sewing with others but don’t want it to be a full time job and lose the passion in me.  After a bit of soul searching, teaching and sharing my talent with my community will always be my first love. For the past 2 summers, I was blessed to partner with two nonprofit organizations’ local sum

Made By A Fabricista: End of Summer

Summer is nearing to an end but here where I am in Texas the heat isn’t letting up any time soon!  I still have plenty of time to get a few more summer looks out of the way.  In this blog I will be sharing two separate projects. The first project is this denim set; I had the inspiration saved on my list of makes to make.  For this project I got this gorgeous denim and matching thread to start my project. Yes, Fabric Mart will match the thread to your fabric perfectly and with my favorite thread brand Gutermann.  The denim had a very great weight and wasn’t too stiff.  It was very starchy when it arrived, so I did a prewash before working with it.  I’m so glad I did because it had a lot of dye saturated in which would not have been great for the skin and other clothes. For the first part of the set, I drafted a corset with the scallop edge cups, such a cute detail!   To start I used my bodice sloper to make the corset, I was not worried about the design details and focused more on