Made by a Fabricista: Sewing in Black and White

Hello Fellow Sewists!

I am excited to share my very first Fabricista project with you all. As I thought about what I wanted to see for my March project, I started thinking about Spring and Easter. My mind about immediately went to Easter white, so I decided I wanted to make an Easter Sunday worthy look featuring white fabric. As luck has it, I found a beautiful white cotton/rayon blend suiting and an incredibly gorgeous black and white textured bouclé fabric. It was hard tell for sure, but they seemed the whites would match. And to my joy, the fabrics arrived and were a perfect match.

(Look at the texture on this bouclé!)

Full disclosure, I struggled a bit to narrow down what exactly I wanted to make with the fabrics. Originally, I planned to make a two piece set (skirt or pants and a top) with the white suiting fabric and then a coordinating trench style coat with the bouclé. However, the white suiting was much heavier than I thought it would be. The quality was unbelievable frankly and I knew this was really much better suited for a proper suit jacket instead of a top. I found this Vogue 8887 pattern in my stash and decided a white suit would be a great addition to my handmade wardrobe.

But what to do with the bouclé now? During a recent pattern shopping spree, I picked up this new McCalls pattern 7513.

I decided I’d just make another jacket and wear it with the white pants from the suit, as I love to mix and match. I selected View B, the longer length jacket with pleated back peplum.

The sewing process for both patterns was pretty straight forward. The Vogue pattern is definitely more of an intermediate design. There is nothing very difficult, but you do need to know you to install a zipper and do button holes. The pants are interlined while the blazer is fully lined. Both pieces are cut on the bias, so I did use 5 yards of fabric to make the suit.

(Inset details of white suit)

(Inside of jacket-self faced and satin lining)

The McCall’s peplum jacket is also intermediate or advanced beginner maybe. Again, you need to install the button holes, but the rest of the sewing is straight forward, the pleating and jacket collar take some time but were straight forward to do. The bodice and sleeves of the jacket are lined and all hemming is done by hand.

(Lined bodice)

(Pleated peplum prior to hemming and attaching to lined bodice)

(Pinned sleeve prior to hand stitching lining to sleeve hem)

Now let’s shift to the styling of these pieces. I paired the white suit with an Ogden Cami from my handmade wardrobe. I have several of this camis sewn up and all look great with this suit, adding a nice pop of color. This particular cami is made from a textured silk that I’ve had in my stash for years.

And I paired the white pants with a black blouse from my RTW wardrobe and the bouclé jacket.

I also styled the bouclé jacket with a basic black scuba knit dress (fabric also from Fabric Mart) from my handmade wardrobe.

I really enjoyed working with these gorgeous designer fabrics and will be stalking the designer category for more fabrics to add to my stash. They were an absolute dream to sew with and complimented the patterns perfectly. I love my new custom made “designer” looks. It really is a treat to sew up pieces with top quality fabrics without breaking the bank.

It turns out that black and white, both monochromatic and mixed together, are trends for Spring/Summer 2021. I’m not a trend follower but not I’m also not mad about being on trend. After watching the runway shows of several of my favorite designers, I am even more obsessed with the black and white trend. I’ve now pulled together fabrics from my stash and have planned an entire new black and white collection. I’ll be making a black linen suit and then several black, white and printed tops to mix and match together. I look forward to sharing my new collection with you all on my Instagram and YouTube channel soon!

Do you have any plans to make a Spring suit or some Easter whites? What about the black and white trend-are you in to it? Let me know in the comments section.

I’ll see you all back here soon for my next Fabricista project. Until then, take good care and Happy Sewing!

SHEREE | @shereesalchemy

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: BOUCLE & SUITING.

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