Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Hello Sewing Friends! Sharon here with my latest Fabricista make, a lightweight kimono influenced  topper – or is it? The fabric I used is a polyester bubble crepe, lightweight and airy, perfect for my loose-fitting topper.  If you’ve heard that lightweight polyester fabrics are difficult to sew, don’t be afraid to try this bubble crepe. I was pleasantly surprised that it was fairly easy to handle and sew.  Even though polyester fabric does not shrink, I prewashed the fabric.  I prefer to make sure any potential sizing has been removed from my fabrics before I sew my garments. I placed an old cardboard cutting board on top of my cutting table and cut out my pattern pieces with the fabric on top of the board.  It helped keep everything from slipping while I pinned and cut.  Pattern weights would have worked well also. Because the fabric is lightweight and translucent (meaning light does pass through so it’s semi-transparent) a French seam would make for a beautiful inside finish.  Howev

Hi Guys! I've been so obsessed with denim this season that I couldn’t help but feature this denim two piece look created from Fabric Mart denim collection as my December Fabricista Feature. Denim is one of those year round fabrics that provide versatility, comfort and style. It never goes out of season and just about everything looks good in denim! This particular fabric is a heavier denim that holds structure and shape very well. With this fabric I drafted and used my newest pattern that will be releasing soon the Alba Skirt pattern and the Ava Cropped Jacket!   Seeing as this denim is great for structure and shape I thought it would pair great with the pleated detail these two patterns feature. Although these two patterns can be created in a medium to lighter weighted woven denim or twill fabric, I love the structure that the heavier weight pulls off.  I used Mettler threads denim doc with this heavier weight denim because it is strong and sturdy. Its also great to use heavier de

This romper was made in a single morning while my husband and daughter were out and about. I could have used that rare time alone to take a bath, read, or watch some TV, but I purposely stayed home to get my sewing project done, so sewing I did! And they got back home right when I was putting the finishing touches. Perfect timing! All this year, sewing sessions have been hard to schedule. I have had to be extra intentional with the use of my time. While working on the romper, I kept returning to the same question: why do I still want to sew if it is so hard for me to make the time? Why do I still put "sewing" on my long list of to-dos? The smell of the stew I was cooking while sewing got me the answer: I sew for the same reason I cook! It makes me happy. It means producing something with my hands, magically transforming things – fabrics or ingredients - into other things I enjoy. Making clothes is more expensive and time-consuming than buying them, just as some homemade meals

Wow! Can you believe it's December already? Is it just me, or did this year fly by? I always get excited for all of the fun winter holiday festivities that December brings. In my family, it is a December tradition to watch the movie White Christmas. There’s just something magical about the songs and dances, gorgeous costumes, and 1950s Christmas glam!  Every December, I have big dreams of creating a little Christmas magic of my own through sewing. Making special outfits and handmade Christmas gifts for my loved ones is my favorite way to make magic.  When I saw a beautiful scarlet, evergreen cotton, and polyester plaid twill on Fabric Mart's website in early October, I knew I had to get it! The fabric gave me a vision of my own White Christmas-inspired, plaid holiday dress. I ordered 4 yards of the plaid fabric, and on a whim, I grabbed 1 yard of a soft ivory boucle lace knit fabric. I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with the 1 yard of lace knit fabric but I had

The weather is getting just a tad colder in South Florida and we are officially in Blazer season!  I love a good blazer because I think it’s such a versatile garment to have in your closet.  When people think of a blazer, they usually think of a pant or skirt suit.  You can also dress down a blazer and wear it with a pair of jeans and some boots or some sneakers.  However you choose to wear it, it’s a great addition to any look. After looking through my stash of patterns for a blazer pattern, I stumbled across Simplicity 9714. The pattern is described as Misses' Jacket, Pants and Shorts by Mimi G Style. As described, the pattern comes with a jacket and pants and shorts.  My favorite features of the pattern are the patch pockets and the side self-tie.  The pants have pockets and an elastic back.  I’ll have to make those next. Based on my measurements, I sewed a size 22 and I didn’t make any adjustments to the pattern.  The instructions were straightforward, and I followed the patter

Hello everyone! I love to end the year with some new outerwear, and so here I am with a new garment to keep me warm for the next few months. This is the type of garment that sort of evades a concrete name… Chore Coat? Utility Jacket… Shacket? Anyway, regardless of what we’re calling it, this is such a great and easy, warm style to throw on and run.  As a treat and to make this project fairly effortless to begin, I gathered just about all of the necessary supplies into one order: fabric, needles, interfacing, matching thread and adorable statement clothing tags.  The fabric is a gorgeous and soft Dark Cornflower Blue Wool/Poly Flannel, and it’s not too thick or heavy, but features a nice loftiness and none of the scratchiness that sometimes occurs with wool in the mix. I broke all rules and tossed this fabric into the washing machine and dryer. The hand lost some crispness, but to me, that just makes wearing this all the cozier.  I chose some Black Cotton Shape-Flex Fusible Woven Interf