Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Summer Vacation Looks

Happy First Friday of the month! It’s officially 3 weeks since I have been off for summer break and I am enjoying every single minute. Even though I am working part time this summer, I still have a bit more time to sew.

I was a bit uninspired right after the break but got a burst of sewing energy last week and decided to sew a few pieces. I have been wanting to create a jumpsuit since early Spring and finally decided on a pattern.

I have had McCalls 7755 (now M8069) in my stash for quite a while but hated the neckline with the casing. I had an epiphany and decided to use the same neckline method for the top I made in my last post here.


The bodice part of the jumpsuit is exactly the same cut and I knew it would work. I should have removed about an inch more from the top but definitely plan to make the adjustments next time around. Additionally I should have gathered it just like the dress but opted to gather the front at 8 inches instead of 7 inches and 4 inches on each side in the back.  I also added an invisible zipper to be able to get in and out of it.


My original plan was to use a rayon blend for the jumpsuit but I opted to try it first with a cotton/lycra stretch poplin shirting fabric. I absolutely love the comfort and fit and definitely plan to make another version soon using a silky fabric.

For my second look, I am definitely a fan of 2 piece sets or faux rompers or jumpsuits. With this hot summer weather in Miami, sleeveless is my go garment. I absolutely fell in love the minute I came across this orange rayon fabric which is perfect for this look.

I have been wanting to make Simplicity 9268 but wasn’t a fan of the crop look. I decided to modify it by adding 3 inches to the length so that it would fall right at the waist of the pants I made using McCalls 8057 to give the Illusion of a jumpsuit.



For the pants, I added 2 rows of elastic casing using 1 ¼  inch elastic.  I then stretched the waistband ensuring that it is evenly distributed and flat and sewed directly in the center to create an illusion of a ⅝ inch casing.  This method is one that I haved used for most of my elastic waist pants and I absolutely recommend it, especially if you don’t want your elastic to roll in the casing.  I plan to teach this method this summer sharing various types of waistband techniques on garments. I shared a quick video here using ponte knit and it pretty much works for any fabric type.

I am very pleased with both looks and will be rocking them this weekend just in time for July 4th. Thank you so much for reading and definitely stop by my Instagram page to see how I mix and match the set in a video. Have an amazing July 4th weekend and stay safe.


One Love,

MARICA  @heymaricamitchell

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

Comments

  1. I can’t wait to try your method for elastic waist. Thanks for a great tip. Hope it works as well for me as it looks so great on you. You look stunning as always. I wish you and your family a wonderful 4th also.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Such a great job, beautiful sewing, and looks amazing on you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for posting. Your work is creative and precise. I enjoy seeing you use fabric that I passed over. And the outcomes are great.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very good looks on you, job well done!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great choices, looks marvelous on you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow! So professionally done, and you look fabulous in these outfits!

    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

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...

Return to work wardrobe in ITY – which is your favorite?

In June of this year, after spending nearly 11 years at my place of employment and after restructuring and cost cutting, I took a separation package. I was so fortunate to be able to take a few months off, and also to very quickly find a position with a new company. I start my new job on September 14th and I’m super excited!  This new position is also different for me in that it is local to my area (whereas before I worked remotely and traveled to the office every few weeks) – so I’ll be going into the office three times a week. So of course I needed to sew up some new outfits! I’m a huge fan of ITY knit fabric ; ITY stands for interlock twist yarn, which describes the way the yarn is knitted together. I love it for tops, dresses, skirts, and even pants: it’s comfortable, easy care, low wrinkle, and comes in so many beautiful prints. I sewed up three new outfits over the last two weeks and I’m excited to share them with you today! Oh, and also – I need help choosing what to wear fi...

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, ...

Double Back

Have you ever used a fabric that you loved so much you had to buy more and make it again.  I can only think of a handful of times that I’ve done that as I am very much a use it all for one project type of person.  However after I first used this snakeskin print stretch twill I knew I needed more of it. It started off when I decided to make this dress for my upcoming high school reunion. I loved the fabric even more in person. When I was playing around with the dress I envisioned making pants with it as well in the future.  I was able to order some matching thread and zippers to complete my dress look. Then I ordered 5 more yards to give myself a second look.  I love to use Pinterest to help me gather my ideas. In the end I came up with this lace up detailed look.  I wanted a slightly rockstar inspired look but still something I could keep in rotation in my wardrobe.  I sketched my idea out and sourced the patterns that I wanted to use.  I used Viki Se...