Made by a Fabricista: A Blast From the Past

Hello everyone! I’m so excited to share my new look with you guys!

Fashion is one big revolving circle. Trends, colors, styles, etc. all tend to repeat themselves. One of my favorite time periods is the 1960’s. It has so many traits that is true to me, they had vibrant colors, amazing silhouettes, lots of florals, and dramatized accessories.

When I saw this gorgeous Fabric Mart Chiffon fabric (found HERE if still available!) I immediately thought of an amazing 1960’s styled dress. I imagined this flowy floral dress with a dramatic sleeve & an immense amount of color. The fabric has many colors in it including: olive, mustard, hues of purple, pink, hunter green, blues; it is indeed out of a 60’s dream.

Instead of creating a pattern from scratch, I decided to use a pattern in case anyone would want something similar. I used the pattern 8089 by McCall’s View A. The pattern was pretty easy to use & I didn’t have any complications when making it. The fabric being chiffon it is very delicate and smooth. It can be hard for a beginner to sew or cut with. If you have ever run into any problem with it staying put you can very lightly spray starch on it & it will stiffen it a tiny bit to achieve some stability; for me I chose to put several pattern weights on it & cut it out that way. For the hems it is easy to do a curved hem roll, where you sew a curved line all around the bottom then press & fold it over. It will make the hem much easier for you & with this certain fabric it also leaves a clean finish. This dress is a pullover dress with an elastic waistband, so there was no need for any extra zippers or closures.

I lined it with some dark purple satin that I had in my stash. I only lined the bodice & skirt portion of the dress, to keep the initial flow of the dress, as well as, the ruffles. For the ruffles & the sleeves I extended the pattern to give it a more exaggerated look. I added 2 inches to each side of the sleeve & I added 1 inch to each ruffle.

I really wanted this photoshoot to be fun, so I styled it with all 60’s things alike. I really wanted to bring the entire look together to understand my vision when I initially saw the fabric. I bought a cheap old fashioned belt & I styled my hair & makeup to resemble that time period. I was so happy with the overall achieved look. This has to be one of my favorite dresses.

Thank you guys!

MACY | @macycamile

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics in our CHIFFON category.

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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