Made by a Fabricista: Summer Maxi Dress Joy

Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved dresses! I used to wake up in the morning with images of dresses in my mind that someday I hoped I would make for myself or others. I didn't know how to sew back then so I often wondered if my dream would ever become a reality.

I went through a phase around age 8 when I refused to wear pants. Dresses and skirts were the only things I wanted to wear and I was very outspoken about it. Sorry, Mom, for being such a stubborn kid, I just loved dresses too much to bother with pants. Though many things have changed in the past twenty years, my love for dresses has not changed!

I still wake up some mornings with images of dresses in my mind, and when given the choice to wear pants or a dress, I'd pick the dress every time. When given a chance to sew pants or a dress, I'd also pick the dress every time! I think little 8-year-old me would be happy to know that I learned to sew and that I love to make dresses just as much as I love to wear them and dream of them!

When I saw that maxi dresses were trending this summer, I seized the opportunity to make two new maxi dresses from lovely Fabric Mart fabrics. Having only one maxi dress in my wardrobe, I knew these two new dresses would become summer wardrobe staples.

I've had my eye on the Rebecca Page Summer Maxi Dress sewing since it launched back in early May. I mean, what's not to love about a maxi dress with a beautiful keyhole back, V-neckline, and slightly dipped back hem? I snatched up a stunning Georgette fabric called Strawberry Jam which I fell in love with the moment I saw it on the Fabric Mart website. I knew this cheerful bird print Georgette would look great as an RP Summer Maxi Dress. I also picked up some white polyester lining fabric to line the Georgette as it can be a bit too sheer for my liking. Knowing that I wouldn't wear the dress if I had to wear a slip under it, I took the extra time and effort to line it. I also had fun rummaging through my vintage button stash and selecting the perfect canary yellow vintage buttons for the top center back button placket.

The RP Summer Maxi Dress pattern was a dream to sew. The assembly was straightforward and enjoyable. The only alteration I made to the pattern was adding an invisible zipper down the center back seam as I found the dress a little tricky to get in and out of without it. The pattern holds up to its skill ranking of Beginner and is perfect for new sewists looking to grow their skillset and Intermediate to Advanced sewists looking for an easy sew.

After sewing a beginner maxi dress pattern, I was looking for another maxi dress pattern that would be at a higher skill level. After a few searches on Instagram, I saw the Sofia Dress & Top pattern from Victory Patterns. The Sofia Dress is the perfect little shirred dress pattern. Shirred dresses are super popular right now and I thought it would be a fun challenge to try my hand at shirring on a Soft Lavender Cotton Voile fabric from Fabric Mart.

Victory Patterns does a great job of describing the shirring process in detail in the pattern instructions. I appreciated their troubleshooting techniques and their recommendation to test shirring on a small swatch of fabric to make sure the scale will work before starting with your main pattern pieces. After successfully shirring the swatch I was confident to move forward with the bodice and cap sleeve shirring. I enjoyed the shirring process and was happy with how it turned out! I have big plans to make more shirred dresses and tops for the summer.

The Sofia Dress pattern does not come in Maxi length, but I knew I wanted my dress to be Maxi length so I added a gathered ruffle tier at the bottom of the standard tea-length that is built into the pattern. I also lined the skirt from the waist down to the top of the ruffle to prevent having to wear a slip due to the sheerness of the cotton voile.

I had lots of fun making these two summer maxi dresses and I know my 8-year-old self would be so happy that I added more dresses into my handmade wardrobe. Cheers to wearing handmade dresses this summer made in amazing Fabric Mart Fabrics!

SHAINA | @shaina_sews

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: GEORGETTE, LINING, & VOILE.

Week 4: Jeansmaking- What They Made

This is it, the final round! And we certainly did not go easy on our three remaining contestants this time. This round they had to make their own pair of well fitting jeans. I think they all did an absolutely outstanding job! Take a look what these ladies accomplished & be sure to vote for your favorite! (Link at bottom of post.) And, don't forget to show us your me-made jeans on Facebook or Instagram. Details at the bottom of this post. Danesha from Classyfied Life So first I must say that this entire challenge has been just that...a challenge! Two weeks ago there was hurricane Irma and I was blessed enough to not lose power and then I went out into the aftermath to capture some photos of my submission. Then two weeks ago I had a big trip planned so I had to do EVERYTHING in two days . Then the BIGGEST challenge of all...THIS week! I got the challenge and I was super excited to have an extra few days and then before I could even get started I ended up in the eme

Made By A Fabricista: A great tee shirt pattern – or three!

Hi fellow sewists! It’s Andrea @happy.things.here and I’m here today to talk tee shirts! I love a good tee pattern…or two…or four. Despite having more than enough of them in my pattern collection, I’m always up for trying a new one. And I also have my favorites and tried and trues (TNTs). I love the versatility of a good tee pattern – dress it up with fancy fabrics to make a work wardrobe piece, use a high quality solid to add some basics, or anything in between. Today I’m sharing three patterns I’ve used multiple times and with many different kinds of fabrics - all a little different and all great beginner patterns too. First up is the newest addition to my pattern collection – the Upland tee and crop top by Rivet Patterns. They are a newer designer who I recently discovered when this tee pattern caught my eye. I love that it has multiple bodice options including a classic design tee and also a crop version with different separate and uniquely shaped bodice pieces. I first made the

Made By A Fabricista: Dreamy Florals | A DIY Dress Inspired by Son de Flor's Spring Collection

Hi everyone! When I saw this floral print linen/cotton blend make it’s way onto the to-be-described table I knew I had to make a dress from it. I’d been staring dreamily at all the dresses from the brand Son de Flor who had just put out their spring collection and thought, maybe I can throw together something inspired by them! I grabbed three yards of that floral shirting and a yard of SWC5682w to line the bodice with. I used Simplicity’s S8946 for its simple bodice block. This pattern has a gathered rectangle for the skirt, but I’m a sucker for a circle skirt so that’s where I decided to start. I folded the fabric twice and cut out the longest circle the fabric would allow. Then got to work on the bodice, sewing up the darts and attaching everything. Now, I don’t love installing zippers. I ha d a lot of trouble getting them to sit right, and no matter how much mental gymnastics I do when first pinning one side is always put in the wrong way. So while I did have to unpick and

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog