Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: Spring Knits Capsule Collection

Spring is in the air! It's also in the colors, patterns, and fabrics at Fabric Mart right now! Have you seen some of the beautiful knit fabrics they've had lately, plus all of those amazing sales? After browsing a particularly great knit fabric sale one afternoon, I set out to create a mini spring capsule wardrobe. 

For only $50 and 8 yards of knit fabric; I made 4 different items that I can wear over and over again. These 4 items; a dress, culottes, a half-circle skirt, and a top; all work together in various ways, to form a mini spring capsule wardrobe. Pair these pieces with other wardrobe staples like a handmade denim jacket, your favorite white t-shirt, and some cute shoes, and you'll never run out of fun handmade options to wear for spring. 

So let's talk about my fabric choices. As I mentioned, I picked 8 yards of jersey knit fabric. The first 3 yards, were a beautiful watercolor floral-print jersey knit with pink, grey, and white tones. To coordinate with the watercolor floral-print fabric, I ordered 2 yards of a solid french rose jersey knit. The final 3 yards were a blue and white paisley floral print jersey knit fabric which reminded me of my grandmother. She loved paisley, florals, blue and white, and Easter, so I knew I wanted to make a spring dress for Easter in honor of her. 

The first thing I decided to make was a pair of culottes from the watercolor floral print jersey knit. After hearing amazing things about the Rebecca Page Culottes pattern, I wanted to make a pair for myself! This Culottes pattern was not only quick to make but also, these culottes are now the most comfortable pair of pants in my closet! And they have pockets, who doesn't love comfort and pockets? 


In the photos, I wore my culottes with a solid t-shirt, and a handmade denim jacket. I also tried on my matching Knot Your Average Top with the culottes for a jumpsuit-inspired look. I'm really not a jumpsuit girl (some people love jumpsuits) but I was pleasantly surprised with how well these two patterns went together! I may become a jumpsuit-loving girl after all! 


Next, I made a 5oo4 Knot Your Average Top with the leftover watercolor floral jersey knit fabric. I have been wanting to make a Knot Your Average Top for a while, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I love the knot design in this pattern because it adds something extra to a simple t-shirt. Plus, it was really fun to make because the knot construction process is not overly complicated but yields such lovely results. 

This Knot Your Average Top, is so versatile, making it perfect for a spring capsule wardrobe. Pair it with jeans, dress pants, a skirt, even matching culottes, and you'll be amazed at how versatile it is! In my photos, I wore it with my half-circle skirt. I am planning to wear this shirt with jeans a lot, even though I didn't photograph that look. 


Next, I made a half-circle skirt out of the solid french rose jersey knit. I wanted a skirt in this fabric because I knew I could pair it with so many other items in my wardrobe. The half-circle skirt was drafted based on my waist measurements and desired length. I drafted the waistband by using my waist measurement with an extra inch added in for seam allowance by a width of 4 inches. I also added 3/4 inch wide elastic into the waistband so that the skirt would sit comfortably at my natural waist. I finished the skirt with a 1/4 inch rolled hem. 


In the photos of this skirt, you'll notice that I paired it with a light beige t-shirt and my handmade denim jacket. As noted above, I also paired my Knot Your Average Top with my half-circle skirt. 


Finally, I made an Easter dress out of my grandma-inspired blue and white floral paisley fabric. I used the Rebecca Page Paris Day Dress pattern and opted for a maxi-length dress with 4 fun-to-wear tiers, a scoop neckline, and 3/4 length sleeves. I didn't make any changes to the pattern because I've made a few Paris Day Dresses before and loved them! I am super happy with how this dress turned out and can't wait to wear it on Easter, throughout the rest of spring, and into summer and fall.


This blue and white floral paisley dress is just so wearable on its own! No need to add anything extra to it! To elevate it just a touch for more formal occasions, add a contrasting colored waist belt and some fun shoes like my pink platform wedges. To make it more casual, throw a handmade denim jacket over it and wear it with some sneakers, like Keds. I know my grandma would have loved this dress, so I have plans to wear it on her favorite holiday, Easter! 


Special thanks are due to my sewing friend Connie @alien.sewist who took photos of all of my looks. Only a true friend would put up with all of those wardrobe changes in bone-chilling spring weather! 

Thanks so much for reading all about my Spring Knit Capsule. I hope you're feeling inspired to head to the Fabric Mart website and add all of those gorgeous knits to your cart right away! Happy Spring Sewing! 

SHAINA   @shaina_sews 

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following category KNITS & JERSEY KNITS.

Comments

  1. Beautiful makes shown off in a wonderful setting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful looks, and perfect fabric choices - color, pattern and even solid. The patterns are very appropriate for a wonderful spring wardrobe. Well done! Where did you take your photos? Looks like an ancient abbey!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww thanks! The photos were taken in Lock Ridge Park in Alburtis, PA. It's a lovely setting, perfect for interesting photos!

      Delete
  3. You look so lovely in your new wardrobe. Yes, your grandma would be so proud to see your new makes. Happy Easter.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Soooo inspiring! You look lovely in your well made makes. Great work.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great job my dear.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love the blue dress. fits very nice. looks nice and airy

    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.

Recent Posts You Might Like

Sewing Vintage for Summer

Hello sewing friends!  I was highly motivated to try another one of the vintage Polynesian Pattern dresses I’ve collected during our hot weather. The patterns are all dramatic and fashionable and really apropos for summer styling. This one is number 204, the Pilialoha Dress.  The gown includes a wide boatneck that many of them feature, plus a very beautiful back gathering and wraparound closure. I always find that the special details on the back are such a chic surprise compared to the simple front.  I chose a lemon covered cotton lawn . I am really delighted with the quality of this cotton, it’s luxuriously soft and smooth. The scale of the lemons and blossoms are just right and not overwhelming, and the soft yellow background is beautiful. This could not be more charming and summery!  I also chose some excellent lightweight interfacing for my facings, and the real highlight is these Dritz Floral Sew-On Snaps that I’ve had my eye on for months! Finally, the perfect ...

Falling for Chiffon Again

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Tira from Tira Cooks, and I finally made the perfect sundress too bad summer is almost over! This is my last sewing project of the summer season, and I chose a beautiful red-and-white print. The result is a lightweight, flowy dress that can easily transition from summer into fall and even winter with the right layers. This fabric was actually my second choice. I originally told myself, “You need a break from chiffon!” But here I am, sewing chiffon again. The crisp hems and sewing overall were surprisingly easy. The only reminder that I was working with chiffon fabric was all the fraying! Even better, this fabric is practically wrinkle resistant. I twisted, tied, and scrunched it, and it still came out looking beautiful with zero wrinkles. Because this was a border print, planning my layout before cutting was extremely important. I mapped out the pattern pieces first to make sure the print continued beautifully throughout the dress without breaking up the de...

Office Attire to Remember

Hello everyone! I’m very excited to contribute to Fabricista blog once more! I made another brand new cosplay: Reiko Kujirai from Kowloon Generic Romance! Kowloon Generic Romance is a sci-fi, romance & mystery manga series. It was later adapted to a TV anime and live action film! This series takes place in Kowloon Walled City. It’s about a woman named Reiko Kujirai who suffers from memory loss and doesn't remember her past. She works at a realty estate management company with her co-worker Hajime Kudou, a very easy going and brash man who’s also her crush! Reiko lives her life in Kowloon, while also trying to discover who she is, and the mysteries of this city (I will not spoil everything! You’re going to have to check it out for yourself!). I binged the anime in one day and really enjoyed it. The story and the characters are very intriguing. I love that the main characters are in their 30s, which is very rare in anime! After watching the anime, I knew that I had to cosplay Rei...

Sometimes You Have To Pivot

Hi Guys! I hope you all have been enjoying your summer so far. I know it’s coming to an end soon. So, this month I had decided to make this really cute ruffle top from Viki Sews and things just didn't work out as planned. I made a muslin out of the lining, and it fit great. I worked on that top, making ruffles, for two days. I decided to try it on for fit before installing the zipper and it didn’t fit! I was pretty bummed, but the show must go on. Luckly, I had enough fabric to make something else. I moved on to a button-down shirt pattern from Mood Fabrics. Did you know that Mood has a collection of free patterns? Well, they do and you should definitely check them out if you’re ok with PDF patterns.  I selected to make the Alabaster Sleeveless Blouse. I saw this top a few weeks ago when they released it and I knew I wanted to make it. My memade wardrobe is seriously lacking staples and I thought this top would be perfect to add to my rotation.  Based on my body measurements, ...