Made by a Fabricista: Literary Dreams and the Fabric Hole

My close friends and family have been known to call me notorious. No, I’ve never committed any crimes, but I am known to cause a great deal of damage to one’s budget (and fabric stash.) My true offense is pulling people down the fabric equivalent of Alice in Wonderland’s rabbit hole. My poor sister is often the victim of the “fabric hole,” as we lovingly call it. I can’t help but see the perfect fabric for her next outfit, and then promptly plead with her to purchase it so I can make it for her. Fabric Mart is often the catalyst for many fabric hole adventures.

One dreary winter morning, about a year ago, I checked my email and was struck by the most spectacular exclusive chambray linen fabric new to Fabric Mart. This linen started calling my name from the fabric hole, but with my stash overflowing, I refused to give in to temptation. Many Fabric Mart linen sales came and passed and I never gave in to the exclusive chambray linen, but it was always in the back of my mind waiting for me.

When I was selected to be a Fabric Mart Fabricista I was overjoyed! After a brief thought of “what on earth am I going to make” and a quick browse of the website, I knew it was finally time for the exclusive chambray linen!

I envisioned a By Hand London Hannah Dress with billowy bishop sleeves made out of cornflower blue chambray linen. I wanted this dress to be common so that I could wear it everywhere, but also have special, luxurious elements to it. Instead of using bias tape for the wrap bodice neckline, I used a special blue velvet ribbon inside. I also decided to add a touch of blush pink lace trim around the waist and in the drawstrings for the bishop sleeves.

Wearing the cornflower blue linen, ultra-feminine bishop sleeved Hannah Dress makes me feel like Belle from The Beauty and the Beast. This dress had me longing to visit a faraway library cloaked in white paint with ornate trim and climb a magnificent rolling library ladder. Since I don’t live in a fairytale, or anywhere near a library like that, I had to settle for a visit to a nearby university library.

The university students were on winter break so the library was empty and we were able to capture pandemic safe indoor photos. Special thanks to my dear friend @annie.catherine.artist who happily agreed to capture photos of my dress and fulfill my literary vision.

If you find yourself going down the Fabric Mart fabric hole anytime soon, I highly recommend any color of the exclusive chambray linen. It’s easy to cut, sew, iron and mold into the clothing of your dreams. I’ll see you all later for my next Fabric Mart fabric hole adventure.

SHAINA | @shaina_sews

💡 Did you know? 💡

Fabric Mart's Exclusive Chambray Linens are reorderable!

This means that even if the color you're looking for is currently unavailable, it should come back in stock soon!

Made By A Fabricista | Chasing Time: My White Rabbit-Inspired Look for Atlanta Frocktails

For this year’s Atlanta Frocktails, I found myself captivated by a character who’s been quietly tugging at my imagination for years—the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. There’s something so relatable about his frantic energy, always checking the time, always running late. While he’s worried about being on time, I’m usually calculating how late I can be and still technically arrive on time. Spoiler: I’m often wrong. It’s a cycle of procrastination and anxiety that I know all too well. So when I imagined my look for Frocktails, I thought—why not honor the White Rabbit? After all, time has been chasing me too. But this look isn’t just about Wonderland whimsy. It’s also deeply inspired by this year’s Met Gala theme, Tailored for You, which includes a focus on Black Dandyism—a celebration of Black elegance, intellect, and expressive style. I’ve been obsessed with this theme since it was announced. As a Black creative, I find it powerful and moving to see style used as a way to reclaim...

Made By A Fabricista: Getting into the Spirit of Summer

I'm not gonna lie y'all, I had a completely different project I wanted to do, but that's gonna take more time, and I wanted something cute, comfy and fun to wear for my birthday on the 19th. When I saw this goldenrod & off white linen jacquard , I thought it looked a bit like the design on a Koroks body, especially Makar from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker! I started with the bodice from the free Elderberry dress pattern from Mood, but deviated for the skirt, it felt a little plain of a design, and I had scraps of a Korok fabric that I knew would be a nice accent with some cut out pockets. I've made these pockets once before, deciding the cut out was based on aligning with the seam on the bodice for how far in, and as for how low depended on where I wanted the pouch of the pocket to start. From there I cut the visible part of the pocket, making sure to match the curve of the waist and following the line of the side seams of the skirt, as well as cutting a facing to...

Made By A Fabricista: A Pink Suiting Set for Spring

Spring is here! So is my first blog of the year. I had some inspiration with this one. I saw a picture on an Instagram profile and wanted to make my own. Now, my version ended up a little different, but overall, I really love it. However, I still want to recreate the inspiration pic at some point. For this look, I chose a cotton candy pink double weave suiting . It is soft, has a semi-textured hand, and has a crepe weave on the wrong side. The fabric does have some stretch to it. I absolutely love the color and feel of this fabric. This is a suiting fabric with the softness of a knit. The thing I do not like about it though is it snags. So, I had to be careful using pins and seam ripping to prevent snags. I had the Fernanda Vicki Sews pattern in mind but once I downloaded the instructions and saw how many pieces were involved, I switched to a different pattern, lol. I ended up making the Riana Blazer. It has a semi-fitted blazer with a straight silhouette. A belt and belt loops that yo...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog