Skip to main content

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

By
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. JoyreeJune 15, 2019 at 8:57 AM

    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. MaricaJune 17, 2019 at 10:25 AM

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

      Delete
  2. patsijeanJune 15, 2019 at 9:09 AM

    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. kmfettyJune 15, 2019 at 9:25 AM

    beautiful

    ReplyDelete
  4. KarenJune 16, 2019 at 10:42 AM

    Love love love your makes! You totally rock them.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Elizabeth Made ThisJune 23, 2019 at 10:05 PM

    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
  6. MaricaJuly 4, 2019 at 8:35 PM

    Thank you Elizabeth

    ReplyDelete
  7. CennettaJuly 31, 2019 at 6:41 PM

    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.

Recent Posts You Might Like

Made by a Fabricista: What to Make with Silk Taffeta

By
You may have noticed that Fabric Mart has a *HUGE* selection of silk taffeta right now.  A lot of it is either large plaid or large stripes.   I was curious about it, and not really sure what I could make with it, but I just knew it would be gorgeous fabric and had to play around with it.  Turns out, it's actually great for quite a range of projects!  The dress above is my third project. Let me show you the first two. My first was to make some queen size pillow shams.  They are the plaid ones in the back of the photo.  I also made the two printed ones in the center from another Fabric Mart home dec fabric special!  I wanted to make the covers removable with a zipper, and include a braided trim.  As luck would have it, I found a whole card of braided trim at an estate sale that worked with my taffeta for just $2! To start, I used a zipper foot to stitch down the braided trim all around one side of the pillow. Then I serged ...
8 comments
Continue Reading »

Made By A Fabricista: Mechanic Chic!

By
When it comes to buying ready-to-wear garments as a sewist, I only ever spend in three categories: heavy duty winter jackets (life in Maine!), bras… and jumpsuits! I love a good jumpsuit, but unfortunately the ones I used to buy have been impacted by the tariff situation and I can’t get them affordably anymore. This can only mean one thing, folks: it’s time to roll up my sleeves and sew my very first jumpsuit!  When I started planning for this project, I knew I wanted to use a heavyweight linen for cozy comfort in the fall and breathability in the summer. I wanted something that would wear beautifully and soften with age, and something with neutral tones that could go with everything. Naturally, when I came across this 100% linen canvas on Fabric Mart, my heart skipped a beat! I love the ikat-inspired geometry and something about it reminds me of leopard spots too. Bold yet wearable! I am pretty sure this fabric was intended for home decor which I don’t mind at all and in fact of...
7 comments
Continue Reading »

Made By A Fabricista: Tried and true summer basics that fit.

By
Happy Summer Friends! As I am writing this, we are headed into a nasty heat wave…so the timing could not be better to share two of my favorite summer patterns and fabrics.  But first, let me tell you about the fail I had heading into this month’s blog… As Fabricista’s, we get to pick out fabric for each of our blog submissions. I fell in love with this gorgeous lilac jacquard knit that I thought would be perfect for a pop of color in my summer wardrobe. But I made a fatal error - I grabbed a pattern I haven’t made for years, quickly went up one size to account for a few new pounds, and sewed them up. And they don’t fit, will NEVER fit, and will never be worn. Sigh…when will I learn?? Here’s a flat lay pic so we can at least look at the lovely fabric: The lesson I learned (relearned!) is that just like with off the rack clothes, the things that worked well for me years ago don’t work well for me today.  And that’s the case with both tops and bottoms. So I went back to two patt...
1 comment
Continue Reading »

A Yard And Change

By
Do you have a fabric that you love and has been hanging around but is too small to use? Maybe you found a wonderful fabric with a super cute print but there's only a yard left.  I've got a few projects I worked on all with roughly a yard of fabric. And I have a few tips for making that yard and change go further! Cutting Layout: You can get a lot more mileage out of a yard of fabric if you can get creative with how you lay out your fabric. Cutting things single layer will give you the most control. My favorite thing to do is unfold the fabric and fold the selvages in to meet in the middle. That gives me two folded edges to work with. I had to overlap these to get enough width for the tank top. Just make sure that your pattern pieces don't also overlap!  This one was especially fun for me because I really loved the print on this swimwear knit but am not yet up to sewing swimwear. But a nice flowy hiking tank is perfect for this! In the future I'd love to experiment with...
1 comment
Continue Reading »