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Made By A Fabricista: Breezy Summer Style with Rayon Challis from Fabric Mart.

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Hey there my sewing friends!  Summer is here and I am all for it.  It has been exceptionally hot here in Southwest Florida. We have had temps in the high 90’s.  I want to keep cool and comfortable and still look pulled together this summer.  That’s why I chose rayon challis for this month’s summer make.  

Rayon Challis is lightweight, flowy, soft and extremely comfortable to wear. It’s an excellent choice for summer outfits.  It has a beautiful drape making it an excellent choice for maxis, tops, dresses, and shorts. The fabric is lightweight and depending upon your sewing project you may need to use a lining with this fabric. Also use a lightweight interfacing when working with rayon challis.  If you are a beginner at sewing, you may find the fabric a bit fiddly to work with, but the end result is so worth it.  Fabric Mart has beautiful challis fabric to choose from. I chose this fun tropical print on an off-white background.

This summer season vests are in.  I love the ease of wearing a vest style top, so I chose one of my favorite patterns.  New Look 6598 view E.  I used self-covered buttons to elevate the look and not compete with the fun tropical print.

I paired the vest with elastic waist shorts from New Look 6737 for a fun summer short set.   The challis fabric is perfect for the breezy style shorts.  I love the movement and comfort of these shorts!


This set can be dressed up or down.  When I wear a kitten heel shoe, I feel the outfit is perfect for a summer luncheon event or even to wear to church on a hot Sunday morning.  If I’m on vacation, I can wear the two pieces with white tennis shoes as I stroll along window shopping.

With the fabric left over I made a quick wide elastic waist skirt using New Look 6354.  The skirt is an easy 2 hour sew.  I made view F.  The skirt works with the vest beautifully. 

Each piece can be mixed with other pieces in my closet. The shorts and skirt work well with tee shirts or button-up/tie front tops.  The vest can be worn over a layering piece allowing for wear in cooler environments. Changing up jewelry and shoes makes it easy to transition from day to night with these fun summer pieces. 

I have upcoming plans to make drawstring flowy pants and a sundress with a few other pieces of rayon challis that I recently acquired.  Make sure you are following my Instagram or YouTube channel to see how they turn out.  Thank you, Fabric Mart, for this fun fabric.  This is my new favorite summer outfit.  

CARMEN  |  @carmensalome

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

Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 28, 2024 at 9:58 AM

    What a lovely combo! You did a fabulous job pairing fabric with patterns.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 28, 2024 at 10:27 AM

    Really cute pieces, Carmen! You wear them well.💕 —Viv

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJune 28, 2024 at 2:55 PM

    Carmen, such a great look on you! I like all three pieces, And I’m sure they will see a lot of wear in this hot hot season. - Sharon

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJune 28, 2024 at 4:26 PM

    Perfect uses of this fabric! Looks so professional and cool. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJune 29, 2024 at 1:32 PM

    Coordinating separates were definitely a great use of the fabric. Super cute pieces - so perfect for the sunny & hot Florida lifestyle! Great pieces, great fit, great fabric , great seamstress!

    ReplyDelete

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