Made By A Fabricista: A Dress For Late Arriving Spring

While much of the northern hemisphere is already in flip flops and tank tops, here in Western Canada we are just beginning to have a taste of springtime weather. While I am anxiously waiting for warmer days, I decided it was time to make something outside of my wheelhouse - a spring/girly dress.

I searched through Fabric Mart Fabric’s website for a piece of fabric that would be the right weight for a warm-weather dress, and also for a print that was different from what is in my closet - which is pretty much a long rack of various shades of blue. I selected a floral rayon crinkle challis in pale yellow with flowers in various shades of pink and seafoam green foliage. As always, I washed the fabric before cutting and was happy to see that there was only minuscule shrinkage and even better, it barely needed pressing after being hung to dry. Those crinkles must attract all the wrinkles! LOL

The pattern I used is Butterick 6873 from the Spring 2022 catalogue. This is a wrap-dress with options for ruffles and sleeves. I made the version with gathered elbow length sleeves and a ruffle on the lower segment of the skirt.

Maybe I’ve made ruffles like this in the past (in junior high?) but if I did, I had forgotten that it takes a lot of time to gather all of that fabric and make sure the gathers are even. In the end, it was so worthwhile because I love the interest that comes from the ruffle on the lower part of the skirt. And crinkle challis turned out to be the perfect choice for this particular pattern! The fabric has lovely drape so the sleeves and skirt ruffle have definition from the gathers but they don’t add a lot of volume. Nor will the dress be too warm to wear on hot summer days.

This fabric was also a great choice because it isn’t slippery so the wrap pieces over the bodice don’t move much, nor does the skirt. That said, after wearing the dress out on windy days for my pictures, I’m going to add a couple of small snaps to keep things in place.

This was the first time I had worked with this type of fabric and it won’t be the last. It was much easier to work with than regular rayon - easier to press and it won’t show creases which is just what you want for warm summer days.

If you would like to hear more about this project, please visit my YouTube channel - Janine Sews.

JANINE | @janineerm

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

Made By A Fabricista: In Love with Linen

Linen is the best fabric to sew and wear. I selected a beautiful 100% linen from Fabric Mart that is a steel blue and cream floral linen to sew up a By Hand London Hannah Wrap Dress pattern. The flowers look like Dahlias. I originally sewed a Toile from a black and white cotton bedsheet, wore the dress a lot but never made it again. I gave the Toile away to a friend who always commented on how much she loved the dress. When I saw this fabric, I knew I wanted to make the Hannah again. Linen is so easy to sew the entire experience reminded me why linen remains one of my favorite fabrics to sew. I look for a light to medium weight European linen for a dress. I like a rayon or cotton blend with linen because it seems to have more drape and be more soft. Linen gets softer with washing and wearing it. This particular linen feels crisp and after ironing and washing, softens up. I like how Fabric Mart describes the fabrics as top, dress, blouse, shirt weight under “Use” and will describe...

Made by a Fabricista: What's Black and Gold with Chevron All Over? This DIY Pant Suit, That's What!

Hope you're having a Golden day, get it? [I crack myself up sometimes!] This DIY pant suit is golden for sure. So tell me this, were you one of the lucky ones who were able to grab some of this fabric when Fabric Mart posted their new arrivals? I jumped on it so fast it was crazy and before you know it "poof" it was gone. So sorry I don't have any links to this fabric but all is not lost, you can use something else for these patterns. Try looking in the suiting selection for the blazer. The other awesome option is denim and as always check the New Arrivals. I went to my "tnt" blazer pattern for this project because I knew the metallic bias around the edges would look fab and I was on a mission to make another pair of mimi g's jeans and trim the seams in metallic bias as well. I recommend both of these patterns to any level sewist. I did a little pattern hack on the blazer pockets to make them a little more interesting and I made a pic...

Made By A Fabricista: Blouse with a Unique Neckline? McCall’s 8658 Is It!

Hi everyone, this is Byrd with my latest Fabricista make! If you’re looking for a polished, structured blouse that works just as well dressed up as it does dressed down, this one is definitely worth a look. I’m sewing up McCall’s 8658, View B, part of the Spring 2026 pattern collection, and I paired it with Fabric Mart’s charcoal cotton poplin by Robert Kaufman. I was initially drawn to this pattern because of its unique neckline and tailored feel, and I knew right away that a crisp poplin would give me the structure I wanted. This blouse is semi-fitted and full of thoughtful design details that really elevate it. The neckline is a standout, featuring a collar and collar band paired with a front button closure. I especially love the shape of the front hem and the way it opens slightly - it adds movement without being overdone. The back is where a lot of the shaping happens, with double-ended darts that give a beautiful, contoured fit. The sleeves are gathered at the sleeve head a...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog