Fabricista Guest Post: Perfectly Imperfect

Hey Sewing Friends!! I’m super excited to be a guest Fabricista. I’ve been a fan of Fabric Mart since I began sewing again in 2020. Let me begin with an introduction. I’m Eras, and my Instagram account is sewing_andmore. During the day, I work as a Nurse Practitioner, and I first learned to sew in my local 4-H club when I was in middle school. At that time, I had an amazing sewing instructor, Mrs. McKinney, who was extremely patient and was by my side for every step.

However, in 2020, the stress of being a Nurse Practitioner during the pandemic made me turn to sewing for my mental health. I started out sewing and creating masks, and I immediately saw a change in my mood. I’m so glad I dusted off my old sewing machine, and I haven’t stopped! After seeing the rush of adrenaline and satisfaction sewing provided, I started making clothes. When I no longer needed fat-quarters, I started looking for online fabric stores. It was during this time that I discovered Fabric Mart and their great selection of fabric choices and amazing sales.

I must admit I’ve been extremely nervous to be a Fabricista; Afraid my sewing wouldn’t be perfect, putting me in a vulnerable position to be critiqued by others. My family and friends are supportive of my sewing, but they also have no idea what a serger does or when to use a straight or zig-zag stitch. I had doubts: What if I’m not good enough? What if I have a stitch out of place? However, I decided to push through my doubts/fears and hope I encourage others to do the same!

To help me feel more confident, I purchased a natural cotton muslin fabric.

Have you ever used muslin fabric? Muslin is often used as backing for a quilt. Instead, I used it to make a mock-up of McCall’s 8285 View B Shirt Dress. Using the muslin allowed me to perfect the fit, practice making buttonholes, and putting together the collar less intimidating. I must admit I don’t always make a muslin, but when I don’t want to cut into my “good fabric,” I use muslin as a trial run.

After making the dress with the muslin fabric, I felt more comfortable cutting into my beautiful cotton lawn fabric. One of the best parts of ordering from Fabric Mart is being able to check the box to include a coordinating thread with my purchase.

I absolutely love this feature because I know when I receive my Fabric Mart purchase, I can immediately start sewing. Now, let’s discuss this stunning fabric.

This Muted Cream/Coffee/Pale Robin Egg Blue 100% Cotton Vertical Abstract Streaks Print Lawn is beautiful and extremely soft. Sewing with cotton fabric is always a treat because I can use a standard size sewing needle, and ironing it is easy.

Overall, this pattern is listed as “easy,” but I feel there are some advanced sewing techniques, including sewing the collar using a slip-stitch and making button-holes.

This fabric has an amazing drape and feels like I’m wrapped in a high-thread-count sheet. Not to mention, it is a very easy transitional fabric. Although it is officially Fall in the USA. Fall in Arizona means temperatures are in the high 80s. If it does get colder, I can easily put layers under my shirt dress and continue to wear this beautiful dress all year.

In the future, I plan to ice-dye the muslin fabric. For now, I’m enjoying wearing both dresses. For me, the best part of being a guest Fabricista is I had the courage to participate, and I’m glad I purchased these labels as a reminder my sewing can be Perfectly Imperfect and still feel stunning.

Plus creating this shirt dress was satisfying and had a positive effect on my mood.

Eras | @sewing_andmore

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: MUSLIN & COTTON LAWN.
You can also find our selection of KATM labels HERE.

Made By A Fabricista: Bold Aspen Dress for Spring

As I write this in mid-April, central New Jersey weather is showing small signs of spring. My neighbor’s daffodils are blooming and our magnolia tree is trying to unfold its vibrant magenta petals. I am in the midst of preparing my wardrobe for the warmer months, even if we are still huddling against windy 30 degree days. For me, warm weather means linen. I love breathable, floaty linen sundresses and drapey, loose linen wide-leg pants. My vision for a spring piece was something bold and bright, inspired by the natural colors of blooming flowers, but also something that could transition well between the warmer and cooler months. When I saw Fabric Godmother’s Apsen Dress, I knew that it had the sensible transitional opportunities I was looking for while also providing a blank canvas for fun prints, patterns and colors. With the pattern in mind, I then turned to the stunning linen collection that Fabric Mart always has on hand to see what colors or patterns would best suit my visio...

Made By A Fabricista: Celebrating warm weather with Spring sewing!

Hi sewing friends! I don’t know about you but boy, was winter cold and dreary this year! The weather here in the Philadelphia area has been slowly improving, but Spring sure did take her sweet old time to arrive. So by April, I was definitely in the headspace of needing to sew up things that were either bright and cheery or meant for the warmer weather I am very much craving right now. I recently purchased a few SewBexx Patterns so I took them on a test run to create some Spring makes. First on my list was to make a top using this absolutely gorgeous ITY fabric I picked up last year. I had two yards which was enough for a long sleeve shirt. I chose the Olivia top, which is oversized with a drop shoulder, has multiple lengths and a split hem. I think the pattern is intended for heavier fabrics but I was envisioning how lovely this top would look with the drape of ITY knit fabric, and it did not disappoint. It came together for me quickly and was a straight forward sew…and I love the br...

Made By A Fabricista: Stripes For Spring

Hi everyone! It’s finally warming up here in southeastern Pennsylvania and I wanted to make a light, flowy dress for springtime. I snagged a vintage Laura Ashley pattern from Joanns on one of my last trips there. I somehow didn’t have anything in my pattern stash with a sweetheart neckline, so I thought it would be a good addition. The pattern calls for a giant gathered skirt, so I knew I would need something lightweight and drapey for it. Something like a pink striped cotton fine seersucker. The fabric is light and has a really nice drape, almost like a challis . I knew it would gather beautifully. I got to work cutting everything out, with help from my assistant. When I say the skirt is massive I mean it. I ran into an issue right away where my fabric isn't wide enough to cut the back panel without opening the fabric out. And my three yards of fabric wasn’t enough to cut two back panels. I ran into this issue last year when making my pinafore dress . In ...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog