Made by a Fabricista: Flower Power

Although I don't consider myself a floral kinda girl, I was drawn to this Floral Burnout Famous Dress Designer fabric. The bold colors cobalt blue, chartreuse green, white and hints of black grabbed my attention. And the juxtaposition of the bold floral and the mesh grid was especially interesting. This fabric is even more gorgeous in person! It is light weight, but has body which allows the gathered skirt to have more fullness. It was a breeze to sew and only frayed slightly and that was mostly due to the gathering of the skirt. There are a few yards left in stock so grab yours now! click here

I knew I would play with the sheerness of the burnout feature of this fabric. I debated using a pattern that featured a sheer bodice yoke like New Look 6243, a total over dress with a slip like McCalls 6883 or a sheer hem like McCalls 7534. In the end I decided on View C of McCalls 7774 adding a touch of shearness by leaving hem band unlined.

I've sewn M7774 previously and loved the result! The pattern has two unique views and offers several ways to play with the grain of a pattern. The instructions are very straightforward although I had to add a few steps to underline the bodice and skirt due to the burnout effect of the fabric. I used a white cotton voile (sold out) for both the underlining as well as bodice lining.

While it is officially fall, the summer heat often lingers in the south so I will get a couple of wears out of the very summery dress.

Have you moved on to fall sewing?

See you next month,

Tiffany
TipStitched.com

Comments

Made By A Fabricista: Just Wear It Out!

Originally I wasn’t happy with my make this time around. I put it on fresh off the sewing machine and didn’t love how it fit. My elastic was slightly too narrow for what the pattern called for. I did end up putting a stitch to close up the v-neck on the top. I thought my sewing on the waistband looked sloppy and I looked kind of frumpy in the outfit. I was going to put the project down to fix later but decided to wear it out for some feedback from our web manager and one of the describers. I ended up pleasantly surprised! The fabric is super comfortable and I felt really good wearing it. All the things I didn’t like kind of melted away wearing it out. The flaws were so small that only I noticed them. I think it’s important to remember that while striving for perfect seams and flawless construction is good, a handmade garment doesn’t have to be perfect to be wearable. This isn’t the first time I’ve softened on a garment after wearing, and it certainly won’t be the last! The 100% c...

Made By A Fabricista: The Sheer Volume Of It All!

This garment was inspired by a dress I saw in an ad, and when I went to purchase it (which I rarely do)…I realized that the dress didn’t come in my size. Ticked off and with $300 back in my pocket, I decided to draft it myself. The description listed the fabrication as a silk cotton voile, so I used that as a starting point to recreate the simple yet elegant silhouette. My drafting experience is limited; I’ve only ever made garments that are pleated rectangles that fit into an elasticated waist. No darts, no complicated calculations, and definitely no sleeves. But I’d have that dress if it’s the last thing I do! I made a drawing, created a Pinterest board to document my inspiration, and narrowed down the features I really wanted to have: billowy bubble-hemmed bishop sleeves (say it three times fast!), a fitted and lined bodice, and a gathered tiered skirt. Finally, it was time to shop for fabric. I knew I wanted a silk blend of some kind, without breaking the bank. For weeks, I ke...

Made By A Fabricista: In Love with Linen

Linen is the best fabric to sew and wear. I selected a beautiful 100% linen from Fabric Mart that is a steel blue and cream floral linen to sew up a By Hand London Hannah Wrap Dress pattern. The flowers look like Dahlias. I originally sewed a Toile from a black and white cotton bedsheet, wore the dress a lot but never made it again. I gave the Toile away to a friend who always commented on how much she loved the dress. When I saw this fabric, I knew I wanted to make the Hannah again. Linen is so easy to sew the entire experience reminded me why linen remains one of my favorite fabrics to sew. I look for a light to medium weight European linen for a dress. I like a rayon or cotton blend with linen because it seems to have more drape and be more soft. Linen gets softer with washing and wearing it. This particular linen feels crisp and after ironing and washing, softens up. I like how Fabric Mart describes the fabrics as top, dress, blouse, shirt weight under “Use” and will describe...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog