Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Rediscovering Flannel

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, a little over an hour from Seattle. I was a teenager when grunge was king and everyone was wearing flannel. Everyone but me apparently, because I honestly cannot remember owning more than handful of flannel clothes in my lifetime.

That extends to sewing as well. I almost never sew with it except for pajamas or non-garment items. However, I was perusing the Fabric Mart website one afternoon and came upon this beautiful floral cotton flannel. My love for floral is deep and well documented, so immediately I had visions of a soft and cozy blouse that I could wear in our damp, chilly late winter and early spring.

Folks, I am a convert! Why oh why did I avoid wearing flannel for so long? This blouse is a dream! First of all, the fabric is gorgeously soft and not too heavy. Second, I can now wear my beloved florals and stay cozy even in the early days of spring when I want to feel light and cheery despite the cold weather.

I made the Carme Blouse by French designer Pauline Alice. I'm a little obsessed with pintucks at the moment so the bib on this blouse had me hooked right away. The pintucks are time consuming but so worth the effort. It also has a neat little placket and sleeve tabs for rolling up your cuffs. It's definitely designed with the rolled cuff in mind, but on the 40 degree day that I took photos I really appreciated the long sleeves.

If you're intrigued by French patterns this a great place to start. The instructions are available in French, English, and Spanish and the PDF pattern pieces can be printed on US Letter (many French patterns only print on A4 which can present a challenge to us American sewists). The instructions are a bit sparse, but luckily the designer offers a sew-along on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/PaulineGuillet/featured) that I found extremely helpful. I think it would be a great pattern for the adventurous intermediate sewist looking to expand their skill set.

I made a size 40 and the only made a few minor changes. I cut the sleeve slit binding on the bias because I find it eases in and lays a little neater. Also, made a facing for the hem since I had exactly zero desire to hem those curves. I finished it off with some seriously gorgeous vintage mother of pearl buttons that matched the green in the fabric perfectly.

Because I'm a little extra I decided to use the bit of flannel I had leftover with some pink stretch corduroy from my stash (also from Fabric Mart) to sew up a pair of Ash Jeans from Megan Neilson patterns. Now my pockets are as cozy cute on the inside as my top is on the outside. They are VERY pink pants but I think they go perfect with my blouse so I'm going with it. Bring on Spring!!

KRISHA  @buttercupthreads 


Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics in the following categories:
FLANNEL & COTTON

Comments

  1. Great match of fabric and pattern! Lovely garment.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is such a beautiful outfit. I love flannel shirts in all seasons because they are soft. In summer I can use them as covers against the sun and the rest of the year they provide something that can be layered as needed. I have never tried a blouse of flannel but it does make sense so why not?

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is such a great outfit! Your choices are beautiful. I had been looking at some of those beautiful floral flannels myself, and have also had my eye on a number of Pauline Alice patterns. Great pairings of fabric to patterns.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love both and especially the detailed blouse! Beautiful sewing! I am checking out the designer!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks so much for the great tips on the bias cut slit facing piece and the lazy faced hem. Both brilliant! Such a lovely outfit, it’s just perfect.

    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: Workwear Ready

I'm excited for my first post in 2023! At the beginning of the year, I recently went back to working in person so now I am looking to make and wear pieces that I can wear to work.  The goal is to be functional but also very fashionable since I am a fashion design professor. I saw this blue denim fabric and knew I wanted to make some pants; I just wasn’t sure what kind.  I decided to make Mimi G x Simplicity S8985 View B pants.  I liked the oversized flare look, I just made one slight modification to them by adding a pintuck along the front.  This was easy to add since the waistline was called to be slightly gathered to fit.  The fabric had a hand closer to linen and was very lightweight which was great and very satisfying to sew.  I lengthened the pants by 3” and finished with a 2” hem. The top I used Simplicity S9707.  It’s an oversized partial button down top.  I decided to create a high low hem by combining two different views.   I loved the print of the fabric but honestly as s

Made By A Fabricista: New Year, Same Me

Happy 2023 all! It’s a new year & I am back with a new Fabric Mart make. If you’re new here I am Macy & I love to make dresses (they’re my specialty). I enjoy sewing a variety of fabrics & shopping for them even more, but floral fabrics truly have my heart in a chokehold. If you’re returning visitor, thank you for coming! Today, I am sharing my brand new Simplicity 9642 make. I absolutely love this dress; I love the feel & movement of it, as well as the fabric. Fabric Mart had the most beautiful royal blue floral velour/velvet fabric & it paired perfectly with this pattern. The fabric has such beautiful flowers in the actual fabric that are: red, yellow, tans, & emerald green for the leaves. The fabric was remarkably easy to cut & sew with.  The 9642 Simplicity pattern has a fitted bodice & flared skirt. They have a variety of sleeves & lengths to choose from, but I chose View C. The sleeves have a series of pleats, which creates a “poof” like look. 

Made By A Fabricista: Spring into 2023 with Liberty of London!

Hi Fabricista Fans! I'm excited to be back with my first FabricMart project of 2023 and my second with Liberty of London Tana Lawn ! This fabric is so luxurious and wonderful to work with, I just can't pass it up whenever I see it come on sale! With such a high thread count, Liberty of London doesn't easily crush, and although it's 100% cotton, it's so flowy that it's perfect for billowy dresses, blouses, and skirts. With my $50 budget this month, I purchased 2 yards of Tana Lawn and made a Peony Patterns Rosemary Dress with inseam pockets for my youngest daughter. This is a gorgeous button down dress with long and short puff sleeve options. After cutting it out, I realized I had plenty leftover for a skirt for my eldest, so I whipped up the FREE Peony Patterns Apple Berry Skirt for her. Since she needed a top to go with it, I raided my stash for some additional fabric, and found a lovely eggshell Fabric Mart Rayon Lycra hidden away. (Don't worry, I still ha