Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon from Sharon Sews back with another Fabricista make.  This time I choose a rayon/nylon blend designer suiting fabric – obviously because of that gorgeous blue color – and decided to sew myself a matching blazer and pants.  Ha! Just kidding. As you can see I sewed a matching set, just not a suit.   Just because a fabric is labeled “suiting” doesn’t mean it has to be sewn into a suit. When I ordered this fabric I planned to use it for a dress. But, true to form, I changed my mind just as I was preparing to cut out the pattern pieces for the dress.  Let me explain. The day before, I wore one of my favorite pairs of pants (with a flirty side ruffle) which I had sewn a few years ago using McCall’s 7786.  I was admiring the way the blue fabric draped, which got me thinking “how great would another pair look in this new fabric?”  I pulled out the pattern and started cutting before I could change my mind.  Lately, I’ve be...

 I may or may not have had several meltdowns during the making of this Closet Core Jenna Shirt… But let’s back up first. During the month of May, I promised to wear handmade garments every single day for the popular sewing challenge “Me Made May.” I really enjoyed thoughtfully putting together my outfits each day. While I was doing this, I was taking notes of the gaps in my wardrobe. Particularly, I don’t have many transitional shirts that could work for on-camera work attire and be comfortable for the weekend. When I saw this delicious cotton lawn on the Fabric Mart website, I knew that I wanted to make a button up shirt that would be both work appropriate and a nice overshirt for summer evenings over my tanks and tees.  I have made a few button up shirts before using a vintage Stretch & Sew pattern but I decided to try my hand at the Closet Core Jenna Shirt (up to a 60” chest) which has had rave reviews on social media and pattern sites for being a great pattern with e...

Everywhere I look while writing this, I see blue. Blue walls, blue flowers, blue fabric, and blue clothes. I’m not ashamed to admit that I have a deep affection for blue hues, and no amount of blue is too much. It’s no surprise that I recently fell in love with two new blue fabrics on the Fabric Mart website that I simply had to have!  The first blue-hued fabric I ordered was a cobalt, 100% cotton, double border, embroidered, geometric eyelet voile . I loved the geometric pattern of the embroidered eyelet and envisioned a fun summer blouse featuring the eyelet border at the hem of the shirt and sleeves.  The second blue-hued fabric I found was a slate blue 100% cotton retro floral print canvas fabric. I loved the bright white blooms on a slate blue background. I pictured a pair of fun shorts, but I wasn’t sure which pattern to use, so I ordered two yards. As soon as my fabric arrived, I started making the cobalt blouse, knowing I needed more time to think about what to make w...

Hey lovely friends! With summer knocking at the door, I am absolutely ready for breezy dresses at all times. I love linen all year round, but summer is my particular favorite for this fiber. This bright happy color fills me with delight, and it’s so perfect in the sunshine.  For this project, I got all my supplies in one go! I chose this stunning Sea Green linen , lightweight fusible interfacing , ½” elastic , and of course, matching thread. If you haven’t sat down to create your own little sewing kit with all the bits at hand, it’s quite a nice gift to yourself and makes getting started that much easier. I’m all about ease these days.  I sewed the new Chalk & Notch Hayes Dress with the open back cutout, which is View A. The other two options are a closed-back dress and a two piece set. I was a tester for this charming pattern, and I can confirm the two piece set is also gorgeous and really fun to wear. I have looked forward to sewing this version for weeks!  Please...

Hi Guys! Summer is here! Yes, it’s been 80 degrees in Florida all week and we’ve been to the pool. We usually cook out for Memorial Day and go to the pool to open the official summer season and the weather was perfect for it. When I started thinking about this post, I thought, summertime. I wanted to select a great fabric and a summer dress to go with it and I think I might have found the perfect combination. I selected to make McCall’s M8507. This pattern is described as an easy to sew dress with a ruched bodice, elastic neckline and waist with different sleeve lengths and sleeve variations. I made a combination of View B and View A.  Based on my body measurements, I made a size 22.  I selected to make the longer sleeves with the elastic at the hem and I made the shorter version. I only made 1 modification to the dress. After I finished the bodice, I realized this dress had a very deep V neck. I don’t mind showing a little cleavage, but this was a bit much and my bra was show...