Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Down to Business

 

Hello everyone!  The last time I posted about some things I sewed for my daughter, Serena, she was in Chicago in 2017, and I had made her a black and white mini-wardrobe here.  Fast forward 3 years, and she is climbing the corporate ladder and just got promoted to a position where she would need to present frequently to a board of directors.  So, the challenge was making something appropriate to wear to the board meetings, also something that would pack in a suitcase well, and something that would be not so dressy so she would still be able to wear it to work on a non-board meeting day.  Her workplace is generally ultra casual, which is the trend in most businesses, as I hear.  I wish it were more dressy, as I love making suit jackets!

So, to me, the fabrics that came to mind were ponte and double knits- non-wrinkle, comfortable, washable, and professional looking.  At the time (this was back in June), Fabric Mart had this fantastic black and white pinstripe knit available.  It is so nice- the weight feels like a luxury suiting.  Although they are sold out, they often have a great selection here.  

Here are my original fabric selections:


 

I decided that she should have a jacket, a couple of tops, and a couple of bottom options that she could pack when she went on business trips.   For the jacket, I chose a pattern from the August issue of Burda 2016 magazine, style #134.  This is a pattern that was designed for heavyweight knits such as ponte or sweatshirting.  It has a nice long lapel, patch pockets and a lining.  

For the pants, I chose Burda Plus Spring 2014 Style 428.  They have an elastic back waistband, pockets and are narrow legged.


For the pants, I made one matching the jacket in the full length of the pattern.


And then I made another out of a printed double knit, just 6 inches shorter for more of a capri look.  I think that she's worn the capri length more often, so I'm glad that I did. 


The peach top is from the January 2015 issue of Burda magazine, #128.   I just left off the overlay, and made the sleeves shorter.  The peach double knit has a honeycomb texture to it.


Then I made her one more top from a bright blue double knit with a liverpool bullet texture.  This one has a draped neckline and ruching at the side.  I used Burda 6785 for it.


Serena is living in the Santa Rosa, California area right now, and lives in a beautiful redwood tree grove. 


Her area has been spared from the forest fires, but they have been within a few miles of them, which has worried me immensely.  She has just accepted a new job in the Denver area, and will be moving there soon.  She will miss the beautiful redwood trees!

Her business wardrobe will work in her new position as well, so I hope that she will get several years worth of use from it.  So, the fabric for a custom fitted jacket, pants, capris and two tops totalled just a little over $50 when the double knit category was on sale.  You cannot beat that!

For those of you that follow my blog in addition to this one, you may know that I have gone through a personal tragedy- my husband died unexpectedly in August.  I had made all of these items before this, but I do hope to continue sewing and blogging, as it is quite therapeutic for me to do something creative that I love to do.

Kind regards,

Ann 

SewBaby News

Comments

  1. My condolences for your loss. Sewing is a wonderful way to settle the soul. Those pieces look fantastic! I hope your daughter recognizes how lucky she is. The fabric choices are so sensible and fit her beautifully. God bless you both.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely outfits and so put together for the office. Sincere condolences on the loss of your husband.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So sorry to hear of your personal loss Ann. I have been there also.

    I really enjoyed your sharing of the lovely professional work wardrobe For your daughter. An amazing results at a budget price!

    Keep sewing and sharing. You do it so well!

    Your sewing sister Karen

    ReplyDelete
  4. So sorry for the loss of your husband! Praying for peace & comfort for you.

    I have always enjoyed your posts as your garment selections are always very wearable and nicely made. How lucky your daughter is to have her own personal stylist/ tailor!

    Best wishes and I hope you are able to continue posting your sewing journey.

    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 I Love Sewing Woven Fabrics Over Knits

Sewing is a creative hobby that allows me to express my unique style while adding a personal touch to my wardrobe. When it comes to choosing between wovens and knits I will mostly always choose woven. There are a lot of reasons I choose wovens as my go-to choice. The project I chose for this Fabric Mart make is from Friday Pattern Company’s Patina Blouse .  I used a gorgeous lightweight rayon .  It’s delicate hand is the perfect blouse weight and it drapes beautifully with this pattern. In this blog post, l'll explore the advantages of sewing woven blouses over knit shirts, highlighting the creativity, versatility, and satisfaction that come with this choice.  The Joy of Creativity Sewing a woven blouse offers a chance for my creativity to flourish. Woven fabrics come in a wide array of colors, patterns, and textures, allowing me to unleash my artistic potential. With knits, the stretch and drape of the fabric often limit my design options. In contrast, woven fabrics give me the fr

Fabricista Guest Post: Perfectly Imperfect

Hey Sewing Friends!! I’m super excited to be a guest Fabricista. I’ve been a fan of Fabric Mart since I began sewing again in 2020. Let me begin with an introduction. I’m Eras, and my Instagram account is sewing_andmore. During the day, I work as a Nurse Practitioner, and I  first learned to sew in my local 4-H club when I was in middle school.  At that time, I had an amazing sewing instructor, Mrs. McKinney, who was extremely patient and was by my side for every step. However, in 2020, the stress of being a Nurse Practitioner during the pandemic made me turn to sewing for my mental health. I started out sewing and creating masks, and I immediately saw a change in my mood. I’m so glad I dusted off my old sewing machine, and I haven’t stopped! After seeing the rush of adrenaline and satisfaction sewing provided, I started making clothes. When I no longer needed fat-quarters, I started looking for online fabric stores. It was during this time that I discovered Fabric Mart and their great

Made By A Fabricista: Skipping Winter - Tailored Outfits in Twill & Shirting for Spring

Hi Fabric Mart fans! I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! This month, while perusing the Fabric Mart collection, I was drawn to cotton twill fabrics. My son, who's growing like a weed, is always in need of new pants! I could easily have made him multiple pairs of pants, however I was also drawn to a bright blue stretch twill for me. I just can't resist a bold color on a jacket, and this blue was calling my name! I hope you love these outfits as much as I do! Since I planned to make pants for my son, I knew I'd need to make a button-down shirt as well. Fabric Mart had a range of fabulous cotton shirtings and it was hard to land on just one, but I eventually picked this royal blue gingham which pairs perfectly with the tan twill pants. When it comes to woven patterns for boys, I can never go past Oliver+S. I've made their dress shirts so many times now - the finishes are always lovely, and always so worth the time and effort. I used the Buttoned-Up Button-Down Shi