Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: The Fabric of Summer

Image
By

Even though it is not quite yet summer, it is VERY close, in Indiana it still has been raining cats & dogs, so hello from my studio! One of my favorite fabrics to wear in summer is linen. Linen is an absolute all-time favorite of mine. It’s light-weight, beautiful, and breathable. There are so many options of garments you can make when it comes to linen. You can make shirts, shorts, pants, dresses, etc. When I think of linen I usually think of more neutral colors, or a one colored fabric, but the dress I’m showing today is a printed linen & I am just blown away! The fabric is of great quality & has a gorgeous print. 

This fabric was extremely easy for me to cut & work with. My favorite part was pressing it; it really held the seams well, but also retained the heat for a bit so I urge you to be careful. If you have not worked with linen there are some things to consider such as: making sure you cut it accurately, because it can pull & warp & mess up the actual piece. I would also note that linen, can wrinkle easily but do not let that deter you away from making your next beautiful linen piece!

For the dress, I decided to make the Fiona Sundress by Closet Core Patterns. This pattern was made well. I had little to no issues with anything matching up as far as notches, hems, or side seams, which is excellent because sometimes when I use other patterns I have those exact issues. My dress was created with a mashup of View A & B; I opted for the bodice of View B, with the lower back but the midi length from View A. I really loved the details on this dress, such as the cris cross back & the 21 buttons! Speaking of buttons… did you see that I created mine with an ombre effect? It was such a cute after thought. 

This project was fairly simple to understand, but I would consider it to be more intermediate than beginner friendly. The linen fabric can be hard to work with sometimes if you have never worked with it before. You must be careful cutting & sewing it because sometime it can flex, or warp & it will be off. The pattern, however, had a couple techniques that I probably wouldn’t think to be beginner friendly, but if you are considering a small challenge this would be the perfect project for you!

MACY  | @macycamile

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following category, LINEN & SHIRTING.
You can also shop our selection of Closet Core Patterns HERE.

Comments

  1. Noni sewsJune 19, 2023 at 11:14 AM

    A perfect summer dress! I've always been afraid to work with linen but you have given me encouragement.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MelindaJune 19, 2023 at 12:01 PM

    Lovely dress, looks great! I know what you mean about the linen warping.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJune 24, 2023 at 7:45 AM

    I have several yards of white linen that I haven't had the nerve to cut yet. I'll definitely check out the printed options. Your dress is lovely

    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

Made by a Fabricista: What to Make with Silk Taffeta

By
You may have noticed that Fabric Mart has a *HUGE* selection of silk taffeta right now.  A lot of it is either large plaid or large stripes.   I was curious about it, and not really sure what I could make with it, but I just knew it would be gorgeous fabric and had to play around with it.  Turns out, it's actually great for quite a range of projects!  The dress above is my third project. Let me show you the first two. My first was to make some queen size pillow shams.  They are the plaid ones in the back of the photo.  I also made the two printed ones in the center from another Fabric Mart home dec fabric special!  I wanted to make the covers removable with a zipper, and include a braided trim.  As luck would have it, I found a whole card of braided trim at an estate sale that worked with my taffeta for just $2! To start, I used a zipper foot to stitch down the braided trim all around one side of the pillow. Then I serged ...
8 comments
Continue Reading »

Made By A Fabricista: Mechanic Chic!

By
When it comes to buying ready-to-wear garments as a sewist, I only ever spend in three categories: heavy duty winter jackets (life in Maine!), bras… and jumpsuits! I love a good jumpsuit, but unfortunately the ones I used to buy have been impacted by the tariff situation and I can’t get them affordably anymore. This can only mean one thing, folks: it’s time to roll up my sleeves and sew my very first jumpsuit!  When I started planning for this project, I knew I wanted to use a heavyweight linen for cozy comfort in the fall and breathability in the summer. I wanted something that would wear beautifully and soften with age, and something with neutral tones that could go with everything. Naturally, when I came across this 100% linen canvas on Fabric Mart, my heart skipped a beat! I love the ikat-inspired geometry and something about it reminds me of leopard spots too. Bold yet wearable! I am pretty sure this fabric was intended for home decor which I don’t mind at all and in fact of...
7 comments
Continue Reading »

Made By A Fabricista: Tried and true summer basics that fit.

By
Happy Summer Friends! As I am writing this, we are headed into a nasty heat wave…so the timing could not be better to share two of my favorite summer patterns and fabrics.  But first, let me tell you about the fail I had heading into this month’s blog… As Fabricista’s, we get to pick out fabric for each of our blog submissions. I fell in love with this gorgeous lilac jacquard knit that I thought would be perfect for a pop of color in my summer wardrobe. But I made a fatal error - I grabbed a pattern I haven’t made for years, quickly went up one size to account for a few new pounds, and sewed them up. And they don’t fit, will NEVER fit, and will never be worn. Sigh…when will I learn?? Here’s a flat lay pic so we can at least look at the lovely fabric: The lesson I learned (relearned!) is that just like with off the rack clothes, the things that worked well for me years ago don’t work well for me today.  And that’s the case with both tops and bottoms. So I went back to two patt...
1 comment
Continue Reading »

Made By A Fabricista: Burnside Bibs

By
Hi everyone, this is Byrd with my latest Fabricista make! If you’re looking for the perfect handmade piece for spring and summer travel, these just might be it. This time around I’m sewing up the Burnside Bibs by Sew House Seven using Fabric Mart’s gorgeous Aquamarine/Umber Brown 100% Cotton Floral Artisan Batiks Jungle Dreams by Robert Kaufman. From the moment I saw this fabric, I was completely drawn in by the colors. The combination of aquamarine, brown, and cream feels both earthy and vibrant, making it perfect for warm weather sewing. I immediately knew it would make an incredible spring or summer garment. I’m a longtime fan of Robert Kaufman fabrics and always appreciate the quality and artistry behind the prints. As always, and especially because this is 100% cotton, I gave the fabric a thorough wash and dry before cutting into it. Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way over the years that addressing potential shrinkage before sewing is always worth the extra time. This blouse is...
Post a Comment
Continue Reading »