Made By A Fabricista: Silky Prints for a Tropical Vacation

Hello again! I want to share with you my latest project using silky prints. My family had been planning to go to the Virgin Islands for a vacation. For this trip I wanted loose-fitting outfits.

When the summer Vogue patterns were released, I fell in love with the vintage Vogue V1886 caftan. It is ankle length and the sleeves fell elegantly to the hemline, hitting the arm slightly above the elbows. It has a scooped back, which would make it comfortable in hot weather. There are side panels, but no seams. I could wear this relaxing under an umbrella during the day or for an evening stroll to enjoy the breeze on the beach.

FM’s polyester lightweight charmeuse silky prints caught my eye. Even though I swore I would never again sew slippery fabrics, the coastal mountain print on the fabric (SKU UQA7666r) was hard to resist. The moonstone blue/berry pink/medium blue/taupe were cool relaxing colors.

While looking at the first fabric, I saw another silky print (SKU UQA7667r) that was hard to pass. The lapis blue/cream/red salsa/lemon medallion palm print was bold and the colors give a carefree retro vibe. They would look good against solid garment pieces. I decided this would be the right fabric for Vogue V1706, whose asymmetric overlay on the bias would tone down the circles and its wide legs would show off the softness of the fabric.

I prewashed the fabrics. As expected, they would slip off the cutting table and the ironing board even with pattern weights. They frayed much, too. I used almost a can of spray starch to stiffen them so I could control their movement.

I cut a medium size for the caftan and used French seam to minimize the fray. Still, threads would peek through the seams. I meticulously snipped them off. The sleeves were finished with narrow hem and the hemline were hemmed by hand. The pattern itself had 4 main pieces and was very easy to sew. Modifications: I omitted the buttonholes in the front to avoid disturbing the print. I also omitted the dart on each side panel; they were not necessary. I used a storebought bias binding to finish the front and back neckline.

The V1706 top and pants were also easy to sew. I cut size 14 for the top and size 16 for the pants. Because this fabric was a smidge thicker than the other one, serging the seams instead of employing French seam was enough to control the fray. Machine blind hem stitch finished the pants’ hem. Modification: I omitted the top’s back zipper because the neckline was wide enough for my head. I increased the armhole size.

Dare I say my outfits are unique! Lightweight charmeuse silky prints are not the easiest to sew, but the drape is awesome. My vacation feels luxurious already.

Til next time,

MARY ANN | @anasewperfect

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories DESIGNER SILKY PRINTS & CHARMEUSE.

Made By A Fabricista | Chasing Time: My White Rabbit-Inspired Look for Atlanta Frocktails

For this year’s Atlanta Frocktails, I found myself captivated by a character who’s been quietly tugging at my imagination for years—the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. There’s something so relatable about his frantic energy, always checking the time, always running late. While he’s worried about being on time, I’m usually calculating how late I can be and still technically arrive on time. Spoiler: I’m often wrong. It’s a cycle of procrastination and anxiety that I know all too well. So when I imagined my look for Frocktails, I thought—why not honor the White Rabbit? After all, time has been chasing me too. But this look isn’t just about Wonderland whimsy. It’s also deeply inspired by this year’s Met Gala theme, Tailored for You, which includes a focus on Black Dandyism—a celebration of Black elegance, intellect, and expressive style. I’ve been obsessed with this theme since it was announced. As a Black creative, I find it powerful and moving to see style used as a way to reclaim...

Made By A Fabricista: Getting into the Spirit of Summer

I'm not gonna lie y'all, I had a completely different project I wanted to do, but that's gonna take more time, and I wanted something cute, comfy and fun to wear for my birthday on the 19th. When I saw this goldenrod & off white linen jacquard , I thought it looked a bit like the design on a Koroks body, especially Makar from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker! I started with the bodice from the free Elderberry dress pattern from Mood, but deviated for the skirt, it felt a little plain of a design, and I had scraps of a Korok fabric that I knew would be a nice accent with some cut out pockets. I've made these pockets once before, deciding the cut out was based on aligning with the seam on the bodice for how far in, and as for how low depended on where I wanted the pouch of the pocket to start. From there I cut the visible part of the pocket, making sure to match the curve of the waist and following the line of the side seams of the skirt, as well as cutting a facing to...

Made By A Fabricista: A Pink Suiting Set for Spring

Spring is here! So is my first blog of the year. I had some inspiration with this one. I saw a picture on an Instagram profile and wanted to make my own. Now, my version ended up a little different, but overall, I really love it. However, I still want to recreate the inspiration pic at some point. For this look, I chose a cotton candy pink double weave suiting . It is soft, has a semi-textured hand, and has a crepe weave on the wrong side. The fabric does have some stretch to it. I absolutely love the color and feel of this fabric. This is a suiting fabric with the softness of a knit. The thing I do not like about it though is it snags. So, I had to be careful using pins and seam ripping to prevent snags. I had the Fernanda Vicki Sews pattern in mind but once I downloaded the instructions and saw how many pieces were involved, I switched to a different pattern, lol. I ended up making the Riana Blazer. It has a semi-fitted blazer with a straight silhouette. A belt and belt loops that yo...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog