Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: Stripes For Spring

Image
By

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 that instance I pieced the missing width of fabric. I also could have shortened the skirt. However I got lucky and the fabric was still in stock, so I snagged an extra yard and got the full skirt out of it. This skirt deserves all the length and volume!

The rest of the dress sewed up nicely. I lined the dress with a white challis fabric from my stash, and decided to add a lining to the skirt as well, just cutting out a smaller gathered skirt and tucking the raw edge into the bodice lining with the outer fabric. Since neither fabric had much weight and I kept the lining gathering to a minimum it didn’t add much bulk to the waist seam. 

The dress has an interesting overlapping design in the back that was fun to put together. And these wonderfully oversized patch pockets on the front.  They hold my phone no problem but be warned, they will snag on passing doorknobs!

I’m looking forward to sewing up more cute and flowy garments for the spring and summer season! I’m also picking up a serger this weekend, so stay tuned for my foray into knits! 

KAYLA  | @nebulanovem

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 25, 2025 at 10:16 AM

    I live in S.E. Pennsylvania, too, and yes, great weather now, perfect for your beautiful new dress! That is a very pretty wrap design on the back bodice - you'll look good coming and going!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 23, 2025 at 10:05 PM

    What is the pattern number on the pink dress

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Sheer Elegance and Everyday Comfort with my Two New Tops

By
Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon from Sharon Sews with my last Fabricista make for 2025. While many sew a special holiday outfit at year’s end, I went in another direction sewing two tops that couldn’t be more different. One is sheer and elegant while the other is easy comfort for everyday wear.  These tops reflect how I dress at this stage of life. As an over-50 sewist, these two tops reflect how I dress at this point in my life.  Sometimes I want something a bit special, other times more basic. Either way, sewing them in beautiful fabrics, custom fit to my body, makes all the difference in how I feel when I wear them. Even though I’m quite pleased with my two tops, my original plan was to sew a jacket with the tropical print stretch twill and pair it with a top sewn from the soutache mesh knit . Sadly, I wasn’t quick enough to get enough of the stretch twill to make a jacket, so a top it was!  You do know you have to act fast when you see something you love on Fabric ...
5 comments
Continue Reading »

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing for a Florida Cold Snap with Fabric Mart Fabrics

By
Even here in Florida, we get the occasional cold weather surprise, and when temperatures dipped recently, I was very glad to have the perfect handmade outfit ready to go. For this month’s Fabricista make, I sewed up New Look pattern 6771, using two beautiful fabrics sent to me by Fabric Mart Fabrics. The Fabric & Pattern Choice New Look 6771 is a cozy two-piece set featuring a relaxed-fit top and pull-on pants—exactly the kind of pattern that works well for transitional weather. I chose to start with the top, using a brown animal print French terry from Fabric Mart, and it turned out to be an absolute dream to work with. The French terry was soft, substantial without being heavy, and handled beautifully at the machine . It had just the right amount of structure to highlight the pattern’s design details while still feeling comfortable and wearable. From cutting to pressing, this fabric behaved perfectly and elevated the final garment. The Top: A Total Win The top from New Look 677...
3 comments
Continue Reading »

Made By A Fabricista: A Wooly Wearable Blanket.

By
Twirling in a me-made outfit! I live in a small town where the nearest fabric shop is a road trip away, so I almost exclusively shop for fabric online. Having access to an online shop like Fabric Mart with a solid search engine is incredibly helpful. But by far my favorite aspect of Fabric Mart is what I call the “Drape Picture” included in each listing! This picture gives me all the information I need and I find it more helpful than the exact weight per yard/square meter.  Seeing how the fabric falls close or away from the body gives me a clear idea of how it will behave and inspires me to make it into something that will highlight the fabric’s nature.  When I saw the drape of this “Baked Plum” wool suiting , I immediately wanted to immortalize those beautiful folds into a skirt! I opted for a simple self-drafted pleated skirt with a deep hem. I wear my dresses year-round and rely on wool skirts that I layer under or over my dresses for warmth. I cut two panels for the front ...
11 comments
Continue Reading »