Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: Youtube Edition - Marty


I feel like this month my ambition ran away from me... again. But when I saw this beautiful polyester taffeta it just told me it HAD to be an Italian court gown. And who can argue with fabric?

This dress was a continuation of my experimental archeology in finding the best way to make a 1540s Italian Court Gown. And I think you can just see my excitement when I opened the package. If not you can definitely hear it when on the video. 

The primary difference between this dress, and the others I have made in the past was the internal structure. Instead of using cotton canvas, I used Horsehair canvas. I still don't think I can properly articulate what that changed, other than it make a bigger difference than I was expecting. Once the boning channels were placed, I knew that this dress would fit me differently from all of the others. And I am not disappointed.

Adding the fashion layer is fairly straightforward. But it's a lot of smoothing and pinning, and basting to make sure that everything is in place. Something else that I did differently on this round was to add extra fabric on the sides so that I didn't have to go through the fashion and lining in order to sew the eyelets on. And it honestly made my least favorite part of build court gowns tolerable.

After the fashion fabric, it was time to decide on the guards. Originally I got a buttery yellow color from Fabric Mart for this. But the more I looked at it, the more I hated it. And the golden yellow I tried in its place wasn't much better. So I threw it out to my friends to help me decide and I got a recommendation for teal. This isn't a color combo that I would have ever thought of, but I am very impressed with it. I can't imagine a better combo.

I didn't get much, or any content of me making the skirt. But it was fairly straightforward A-line construction. With a padded hem that allowed for volume as well as some structure. This is my favorite way to hem court gowns, and honestly, any dress that needs a little something at the hem. 

Was this dress done to the level that I wanted? no. But was I able to get some interesting data to take into my next dress build? absolutely. I feel like with each dress build I level up in some way or another and I can't be happier with the overall shape and look of this dress. 

Don't forget to watch the video to see my ADHD brain tackle this project in the most chaotic of ways!








MARTY  @scrappypatterns


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

Comments

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Why I Love Sewing Woven Fabrics Over Knits

Sewing is a creative hobby that allows me to express my unique style while adding a personal touch to my wardrobe. When it comes to choosing between wovens and knits I will mostly always choose woven. There are a lot of reasons I choose wovens as my go-to choice. The project I chose for this Fabric Mart make is from Friday Pattern Company’s Patina Blouse .  I used a gorgeous lightweight rayon .  It’s delicate hand is the perfect blouse weight and it drapes beautifully with this pattern. In this blog post, l'll explore the advantages of sewing woven blouses over knit shirts, highlighting the creativity, versatility, and satisfaction that come with this choice.  The Joy of Creativity Sewing a woven blouse offers a chance for my creativity to flourish. Woven fabrics come in a wide array of colors, patterns, and textures, allowing me to unleash my artistic potential. With knits, the stretch and drape of the fabric often limit my design options. In contrast, woven fabrics give me the fr

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

Made By A Fabricista: Skipping Winter - Tailored Outfits in Twill & Shirting for Spring

Hi Fabric Mart fans! I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! This month, while perusing the Fabric Mart collection, I was drawn to cotton twill fabrics. My son, who's growing like a weed, is always in need of new pants! I could easily have made him multiple pairs of pants, however I was also drawn to a bright blue stretch twill for me. I just can't resist a bold color on a jacket, and this blue was calling my name! I hope you love these outfits as much as I do! Since I planned to make pants for my son, I knew I'd need to make a button-down shirt as well. Fabric Mart had a range of fabulous cotton shirtings and it was hard to land on just one, but I eventually picked this royal blue gingham which pairs perfectly with the tan twill pants. When it comes to woven patterns for boys, I can never go past Oliver+S. I've made their dress shirts so many times now - the finishes are always lovely, and always so worth the time and effort. I used the Buttoned-Up Button-Down Shi