Made By A Fabricista: Time for Summer Dresses

Hi Guys! It’s officially summertime! Even though it’s hot in South Florida most of the year, summer officially begins Memorial Day weekend for me. Now that it’s summertime, it’s time for summer dresses, right? This is why I chose to make McCall’s M8108.

McCall’s M8108 is such a beautiful pattern. I chose to make View A and I made a size 16. I would have to say that this pattern runs a little large, but it might have had something to do with the fabric I selected. This fabric does have a little stretch to it. More on that later. I would normally make a size 18 but I made a 16 and even adjusted the bodice because it was still a little too big. I am very happy with the final fit.

While scrolling on Instagram one day, I saw someone post this pattern and I thought it would be perfect for this month’s make. Once I finished the dress and tried it on, I was in love! I’m a sucker for ruffles and I think the hem of this dress has the perfect amount of gathered ruffles. My other favorite part of this dress are these puffy sleeves! They are giving me total Bridgerton vibes. I love anything with a statement sleeve. I’ve never made a dress with this type of sleeve before, and I really enjoyed how they came together.

Using single fold bias tape, I pinned it around the sleeve using the markings transferred to my fabric from the pattern.

Then I edge stitched the binding to create a casing to thread the elastic through.

I cut 1/4” elastic using the elastic guide and threaded it through the casing. Sewed the elastic together and closed the opening I thread the elastic through.

Lastly, I did the same thing to the upper sleeve hem and attached the sleeve to the dress using the pattern instructions.

When looking for fabric for this make, I purposely looked for a stretch poplin shirting fabric. I used a stretch poplin for my last Fabric Mart make. I love that it has the right amount of stretch, but it is not a stretch fabric. This fabric is called White/Honey/Yellow/Dark Umber/Cotton Lycra Leaf Print Stretch Poplin Shirting. Although this print is out of stock, Fabric Mart has a lot of other poplin shirting options you should check out.

Dare I say this is my new favorite summer dress? Yes, I say this about the majority of all my new makes. She’s my new favorite, until I make my next dress.

Until next time,

JOHANNA | @soveryjo

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

Made By A Fabricista: A Tipsy Martini Transitional Three Piece Look

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon with Sharon Sews with my latest Fabricista make – a three-piece set I can wear as the weather transitions to fall here in Texas. It may look like a summer outfit but there will days filled with sunshine and high temps well into November. At first glance it looks like a nice, lightweight jacket, top and pants. But look closer – it’s sewn from the designer Tipsy Martini cotton sateen that was originally used by the designer for a pajama set. Now I could have sewn myself a pair of pajamas using the Closet Core Carolyn Pajama pattern (available at Fabric Mart) and replicated the designer pajamas. But if I had gone that route the only ones who would have seen this adorable kitschy fabric would be my family. This print is much too cute to hide out at home. This Tipsy Martini cotton sateen fabric was lovely to sew. I used black thread, an 80/12 universal needle, and Palmer/Pletsch Perfect Fuse Medium interfacing (link here). Note that this is a rayon fu

Made By A Fabricista: Hooray for Cozy Fall Sews!

Greetings, all! I am in such high spirits with the best-of-all-seasons just beginning and change is finally in the air. I always rejoice when the sweatiest time of the year passes and we can all take a deep breath and gear up for cozier times. Neighborhood Patterns is a new-to-me designer, and I came across them on Instagram in late summer and fell in love with the Plain Jane Skirt. This is such a simple A-line skirt, but with nice details like large inseam pockets and an optional drawstring, and though I’m sure I could draft this style myself, the appeal of having it all done for me was too tempting to pass up. A sew such as this is a lovely palate-cleanser and this was the first project I sewed after returning from a cross-country trip. Perfect! The gorgeous plaid flannel is exactly what I want to be wearing in the fall. The fabric is SO soft and a pleasure to snuggle up in. Because flannel does not have much body and is prone to stretching or shifting with all its mechanical give,

Made By A Fabricista: Quilted Jacket Chronicle

What do you get when mixing the best things about apparel sewing and machine quilting? A quilted jacket! It's funny that I elected to sew myself a quilted jacket for this Fabricista blog because I don't consider myself much of a quilter. I can count on my hands the number of quilted projects I've made over the last few years. While I fully appreciate the end product of quilting, I don't normally gravitate toward starting quilting projects. That's why making a quilted jacket is a new and exciting project for me! It gives me the fun of making a quilt on a much smaller scale. If you are an avid apparel sewist and are new to quilting, this is the perfect project to take for a quilting test drive! For my quilted jacket, I used the Seamwork Easton Jacket pattern. I decided to stick with a solid-colored fabric for the jacket's exterior and ordered 4 yards of Dark Umber Brown Lycra Stretch Canvas Suiting from the Fabric Mart website. I wanted a contrasting color for the

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