Made By A Fabricista: My Special Occasion Dresses

When I saw the Vogue V1842 pattern by Badgley Mischka, I knew I was going to sew it for a special event. The style is elegant, versatile as it can be worn with a jacket or shawl during cooler seasons and accommodating of changing body shapes with its empire waist. I needed a formal dress to wear to a Mozart concert in Europe in a couple of months; that dress must be easy to pack on a cruise. Fabric Mart’s sequined mesh fabric (# SKU: MOA9294) met my criteria and its color was so unique – a combination of violet, cadmium blue, and deep carmine.

Because sequined fabric is not one of the suggested fabrics in the back of the pattern, I decided to try out the pattern first on one that is, a jacquard. I happen to have on hand FM’s black and white 100% cotton leaf print with oval jacquard design (SKU#BLA4147). I first made a muslin and found size 14 bodice and size 16 skirt fit me properly. I raised the neckline by 5/8 inch, however, for more coverage. Basting the gathers first in the center front bodice made it easier to sew the neckline. I hand sewed the binding all around the neckline and armholes. The back is low, but a low back bra or low back bustier could be worn with it. I added a hook and eye above the invisible zipper. I used a size 80 universal needle and serged the seams. Overall, the pattern was easy to sew; the fabric was a dream. The black and white leaf design exuded the vibrance of spring and summer. Better yet, big prints are currently on trend. I definitely look forward to wearing this dress to a wedding next month!

Feeling confident after the success of my first dress, I proceeded to sew the sequined fabric. Instead of binding around the neckline, I lined the dress with FM’s ash gray polyester/lycra lining (SKU# SNC4263w), thus avoiding the thickness of the sequins. I then reinforced the center neckline with twill ribbon and understitched. By installing the zipper 1/2 inch higher that the first dress, I eliminated the need for the hook and eye. I used a Size 70 microtex needle and am proud to say I did not break a single needle! I hemmed this dress by hand as I did the first one. I hemmed the lining 1 inch shorter than the dress. I love this dress for formal events. Who would not notice the shine of the 2mm sized nylon iridescent sequins and watch its colors under the sun and under the shade? Just look at the pictures!

I am happy with these elegant yet comfortable dresses. I will be wearing a black bolero with the sequined dress and a white chiffon coverup with the cotton one, depending on the weather. I hope you try the pattern and the fabrics, too.

Til next time,

MARY ANN | @anasewperfect

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

Made By A Fabricista: Liberty Snow Day

Hi everyone! While we’ve been blanketed with snow out here in Southeastern PA, I decided to conquer my fear of button holes and make NewLook pattern N6749. I was able to snag a few yards of the Jess + Jean print Liberty of London Tana Lawn for it. It’s always exciting when Fabric Mart is able to get Liberty fabrics in! I always make sure to grab some. Cutting into a beautiful piece of tana lawn is scary every time. The fabric is such good quality, I’m afraid to mess it up! I had to be extra careful as this is also the first directional pattern I’ve worked with. But one of my assistants made sure all of my pieces were laid correctly. Something I wanted to try out with this dress was finishing the inside seams using the overlock stitch on my domestic machine. Normally I would french seam, but it was nice to not have to worry about cutting seam allowance in half, sewing, trimming, flipping, and sewing again. Next time I would cut the seam allowance back before overlocking, but I thin...

Made By A Fabricista: Embracing Winter in Wool Boucle

As winter drags on, the cold weather is such a bummer to me and feeling uncomfortable and cold so often is rough. Meanwhile, I listened to a podcast all about how people in very northern countries deal better with the onset of dark, freezing winter with a radically different mindset of embracing the inevitable season by reframing the chill as refreshing and the opportunity to spend most time indoors as cozy. I can do that! I found a gorgeous, quintessential wool boucle suiting in black and white to make myself a luxurious outer layer while I’m outside attempting to embrace the sting of dry winter air… It’s kind of working. So classic, so chic! Wearing boucle is always an uptown move and I certainly do feel sophisticated in it. This black and white houndstooth combination feels especially Old Hollywood, and what a treat to make something with this! I sewed the Daphne Jacket from Vivian Shao Chen. There are no closures, and the shape is boxy and very easy to wear over multipl...

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing + Running

It’s not every day that I get to mix two of my favorite hobbies. Especially when one hobby is sewing and the other is running. You can’t sew and run at the same time, but, you can go running in something that you sewed! With this realization, I embarked on my first hobby-merging adventure. We’ve had some frigid temperatures in Pennsylvania this winter. Since I’m an outside, stroller-pushing runner, I bundle up my son and myself before I hit the road. The temperature feels 20 degrees warmer for outside runners than the outside air. For the children being pushed in the stroller though, it feels about 20 degrees colder. With these differences in temperature for each of us, layering is the only thing that ensures that we both stay perfectly warm. My running wardrobe has been lacking a warm top layer. My son’s wardrobe would also benefit from having another warm layer, so I knew pullovers were what I should make. Inspired by a name-brand ¼ button-down fleece pullover I saw,...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog