Made by a Fabricista: Dreaming of Spring Anorak

I’m thrilled to be back as a Fabric Mart Fabricista for 2022! This year I’m challenging myself to sew Fabricista projects that either expand my skills or are stylistically different from what I have sewn or worn in the past. At the end of this post, I’ll tell you how this make met that goal.

Here in the North, we’re watching the snow fall and know that we have a few more weeks of the white stuff and freezing temperatures but we are planning for warmer days! For this Fabricista make, I made an anorak that will get me through late winter and early spring days.

A couple of years ago I bought Simplicity 8843 (an unlined anorak) and that seemed like a great project for this time of year. I looked through Fabric Mart’s catalogue for the perfect fabric and stopped when I saw this 100% cotton twill in a fun and colorful floral and skulls print. The brilliant tones in this print are nothing like traditional pale spring colors! Those greens, blues, corals and pinks will pop against snow or the dull late-winter landscape. The fabric was labelled for dresses, tops and skirts and it is also the perfect weight for a light, casual jacket.

The pattern went together very easily. The main challenge was pattern matching and I wasn’t entirely successful on the front panel but the pockets and cord facing appear seamless! This twill fabric was easy to work with - it cut, sewed and pressed very well, and it also looked great after unpicking. (There is ALWAYS unpicking on my garments!)

Because I want to wear this jacket in cooler weather, I added a lining using 100% nylon ripstop. The pattern didn’t include a lining which meant I drafted one using one of the sewing books in my library. It was easier than I expected and certainly makes the jacket more versatile.

I’m looking forward to wearing this jacket on warm spring days and cool summer evenings. It’s going to add a great pop of color to my wardrobe and no one else will have anything like it!

So how did this meet my goals? This project was technically challenging because I drafted a lining for the first time! And the fabric print is different from pretty much everything else in my wardrobe. A good start to my personal sewing goals for 2022.

If you're interested in seeing more about this garment, please visit my YouTube Channel, Janine Sews.

Thanks for visiting!

JANINE | @janineerm

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

Made By A Fabricista: Three Bengaline Basics – A Jacket, Skirt and Vest

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon from Sharon Sews excited to share my latest Fabricista makes with you. When Fabric Mart offered an array of stretch bengaline suiting fabrics , I choose three different fabrics to sew myself a few basics to be worn as the season transitions from winter to spring. The bengaline fabric I used is a woven rayon/nylon/lycra blend fabric with the stretch running vertically (lengthwise on the fabric) instead of horizontally (selvage to selvage). It lends itself well to fitted and structured garments, such as jackets, pants, skirts and dresses. Because of the vertical stretch, I folded the fabric cross grain to cut out my fabric pieces so the greatest stretch would go around my body. I used a stretch needle size 75/11 due to the lycra in the fabric. I also eliminated the interfacing as I discovered this fabric did not like fusible interfacing and I did not have any sew-in interfacing on hand. Now let’s talk about the garments...

Made By A Fabricista: FROM FABRIC TO FASHION: - The Saguaro Set with Fabric Mart Fabric

The weather in Southwest Florida is finally starting to warm up. With the warm air and bright sunshine, I have been thinking about refreshing my “at home” wardrobe with some fun easy pieces this year. I have wanted to make The Saguaro Set for some time now. When I saw the beautiful selection of rayon challis on the Fabric Mart website, I knew now was the perfect time to get it started. THE FABRIC I researched a lot to see which fabric would work the best for this pattern. I chose the Deep Amaranth Pink 100% Rayon Twill Challis for my project. It is a beautiful color that to me looks more coral. The fabric is light to medium weight and has beautiful drape. The care instructions said gentle wash or hand wash. I prewashed the fabric in cold water on the delicate cycle. However, after drying it on the delicate cycle, the fabric had an almost vintage distressed look. I was a bit co...

Made By A Fabricista: Revisiting a Pattern After Five Years

Have you ever used a sewing pattern and then immediately vowed never to sew it again? Well, I have. It all began in the spring of 2020 at the start of the pandemic lockdown. I tackled sewing projects that were more challenging to help me grow as a seamstress. There was one pattern in particular that almost did me in, the Seamwork Penny shirt dress. The Penny dress pattern has a classic button-up dress shirt style bodice with a gathered skirt and pockets. It is a beautiful take on a shirt dress, and my sister and I loved it. The only downside is that it was recommended for intermediate-level sewists and I was only an adventurous beginner back then. I think I had only ever made one button-up shirt before attempting this Penny Dress and it didn’t even have a collar! Despite all of this, I thought “Why not try it, what’s the worst that can happen?” Thankfully the worst didn’t happen, and the dress turned out surprisingly wearable, but I had some intense frustration at the end. I...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog