Made By A Fabricista: Knit Tips & Tricked-out Activewear

I recently got a panicked sewing emergency call from my sister. She's relatively new to apparel sewing and working with knit fabric for the first time made her want to pull her hair out. Her fabric kept getting sucked into her needle plate and she was at her wits end. If you've sewn with knits, then chances are this has happened to you.

Maybe it has happened to you enough that you've vowed never to sew with knit fabric again. Before you swear off knits for life, I want to share a few tips for working with knit fabric to encourage you to keep sewing! These are the same tips I gave my sister:

1. Use a brand-new ballpoint machine needle appropriate for the weight of your knit fabric. Fabric Mart sells them!
2. Use a stretch stitch (zig-zag, lightning bolt, twin needle, whatever your particular machine recommends.) When in doubt, read the manual!
3. Go Slow! Turn down your stitch speed, and don’t push your pedal to the floor.
4. Start stitching a 1/4 inch from the raw edge of the fabric to avoid the fabric getting sucked into the machine, then use your backstitch to go back to the edge of the fabric.
5. Most knit fabrics can handle a little steam (be sure to test a small swatch of your fabric before steaming your whole project.) I find that a nice dose of steam from your iron goes a long way in flattening wavy knit seams and making everything look nice and neat.
6. If you have a serger, don't be afraid to use it! Sergers and knit fabric go together like bread and butter!

After helping my sister get to a much less frustrating spot with her project, I was excited to start my next sewing adventure. I ordered two new activewear fabrics from Fabric Mart to make some tricked-out activewear garments.

Fabric Mart had a gorgeous multi-colored abstract floral print swim knit fabric that I used to make a Seamwork Wallis. The Seamwork Wallis is a scoop-neck athletic dress pattern with built-in shorts. I also decided to customize this athletic dress by adding a shelf bra with foam cups. I added a shelf bra by cutting an extra bodice front and bodice back pattern piece and cropping it just under the bust. Next, I took a fun yellow polka dot plush back elastic from my stash and stitched it around the bottom of the cropped bodice pieces. Finally, I inserted foam cups and tacked them into place.

I also made a white 3/4 length sleeve bodysuit with 2 yards of 4-way stretch athletic knit fabric. I used the Seamwork Orlando bonus pattern which takes the normal Orlando scoop neck t-shirt pattern and transforms it into a 3/4 length sleeved bodysuit. To trick out my bodysuit, I ignored the snap closure steps in the pattern instructions and copied a hook and eye closure from my favorite shape wear. I harvested the hook and eye closure from an old bra and inserted it in the crotch seams of the bodysuit. This made for a secure bodysuit closure that didn’t come un-snapped with movement!

It was a lot of fun slowing down and thinking through the customizations of these two garments to make them exactly what I wanted. From the built in shorts and shelf bra with cups in the dress to the hook and eye closure of the bodysuit I was able to trick out my activewear sews! I love that sewing allows you to make your dreams a reality. Whether you are just learning to sew knit fabric, or you're tricking out everything you make, I hope you’re inspired by these tips and tricks! Happy sewing!

SHAINA | @shaina_sews

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

Made By A Fabricista: Summer Sewing is in Full Effect

Hi Guys! Today I’m coming to you with this easy, breeze caftan from Simplicity Patterns because summer sewing is in full effect! While looking through my pattern stash, I came across McCall’s 8413. This pattern is described as McCall’s Sewing Pattern Misses’ Caftan In Two Lengths. This is an Easy to Sew caftan in two lengths has ruched front with drawstring that ties at the bottom, V-shaped neckline, dolman sleeves and narrow hem. View C caftan has contrast on the left side. OK, let’s get into it because I have a few things to share and say about this pattern. When I first saw this pattern, I purchased it because I loved the ruching in the front. I think that ruching can hide just about any “imperfection” you might think you have. Now, I must mention that this is one of the few caftan patterns I’ve ever purchased because I’m petite and feel like I get lost in all that fabric. Well, I didn’t even realize this was a caftan pattern until I read the pattern description while writing this

Made By A Fabricista: Embracing the linen wrinkles!

Hello wonderful sewists! Today I have a project that I have been meaning to sew for a while, but you know how it goes. Too many ideas, throw in some analysis paralysis, so many, many gorgeous fabrics to wear, and then, bam! Eons have passed. I’m working on sewing the plans that have been in my head the longest, which brings us to this dashing summer frock. This is the Style Arc Esther Woven Dress. The style is intended for lighter wovens and the design is ripe for color blocking with the included center front and back seams. You could make right and left sides match; go full checkerboard with opposing rear right and left front; or just use four prints and go wild! I’m sticking with the most basic of blocking and splitting the dress down the center. Importantly, I got matching threads for each linen color for all the topstitching. Matchy matchy is the name of the game in my book. I added bonus bartacks to keep the side seam pockets forward facing. Medium Sky Blue and Light Steel Blue

Made by a Fabricista: Sewing a Maxi Dress: More Time, More Space, More Reward

My latest posts often mention time and space restraints. Indeed, sewing is a rather time-consuming activity that requires generous amounts of floor space, counter space, tablespace, and any other surface available. Despite everything, I was so glad to finally embark on a journey to sew myself a maxi dress. I know most readers have a strong sewing background and appreciate the effort required in a project like this. Still, I had fun keeping a mental score of all the steps to get this done, and what they mean outside of a sewist’s bubble. It is easy to underestimate the time and material needed to get a maxi dress like this done! Whenever I see someone wearing one on the street, I think: “That’s so beautiful, I should make one!” So, when this fabulous rayon showed up in Fabric Mart, I knew the moment had come. I chose the Elodie Wrap Dress by Closet Core Patterns because of its flowy and voluminous look and the dolman sleeves that are so comfortable to wear. The fabric itself is wonder

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog