Fabric Mart Fabricistas

What to wear? Do you ever find yourself standing in your closet asking yourself what to wear? Lately, I’ve been struggling due to my changing body and the changing seasons. I’m halfway through my second pregnancy, and it seems like most of my clothing just isn’t working for me. With Spring just beginning, it isn’t warm enough to wear most of the bump-friendly dresses I made during my last pregnancy. I’m no longer able to wear regular pants, and most tops are unflattering. So what do you do in this situation? If you are a seamstress, then you sew your way out of the “what to wear” hole. Since I have a couple of pairs of store-bought maternity pants, I figured my priority should be to make a couple of bump-friendly tops. After falling in love with two different rayon challis fabrics on the Fabric Mart website, I placed an order and started planning. With a lovely royal azure, white, and gray rayon watercolor floral-print challis , I would make an Ellie and Mac Patterns Shantelle Shirred ...

It’s that time of year again! It’s spring time! That means it’s flower dresses for everyone! Yes, I needed three consecutive sentences that ended in exclamation points. Lol If you didn’t know, spring is my favorite time of year because it means my birthday is coming.  Last year I chose to make a dress for my birthday and I loved it. I probably should have made something for my birthday again this year, but this fabric was calling my name.  I wish there was more of this fabric so we could be fabric twins, but it’s sold out.  The fabric I chose for my make is a dark imperial blue floral print challis . Again, it’s sold out, but I bet if you wait a little bit the challis will go on sale.  I loved this fabric the minute I saw it because blue is my favorite color and I love a good floral print.  Also, it’s screaming springtime! This fabric washes and dries really well. I pulled it right out of the dryer and folded it right up until it was time to cut into it. I didn’...

As I prepare for an upcoming total knee replacement, comfort has been on my mind quite a bit. Recovery will mean plenty of time resting, icing, and focusing on physical therapy, so I wanted to make sure I had garments that would be easy to wear while still helping me feel put together. Rather than relying solely on pajamas or lounge sets, I decided to sew a couple of comfortable house dresses using beautiful fabrics from Fabric Mart. Loose-fitting dresses are ideal for recovery because they are easy to pull on and off, have no restrictive waistbands, and allow for comfortable movement. They also feel a bit more polished than traditional loungewear, which is always nice when you’re spending time at home but may still have visitors stopping by. For this project I chose two different dress patterns and two lovely woven fabrics: a lightweight broadcloth and a soft rayon challis . Vintage Butterick 6161     The first dress I made was from Vintage Butterick 6161, a pattern tha...

“All’s well that ends well” That phrase popped into my head (in my mother’s voice of course) as I sewed the last stitch on this two-piece dress.  Why, might you ask?  Because I made so many silly sewing mistakes along the way.  Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon from Sharon Sews with my latest Fabricista make.  As I started to plan my next make, I knew I wanted something that would work for those early spring days in Texas that begin cold and gloomy but end warm and sunny. I decided to use a lightweight rayon crinkle challis, in a darker floral print, to sew Vogue 2127, as I fell in love with the pattern cover illustration.  I pictured myself wearing this romantic top paired with that flowing skirt catching the breeze just right as I ran through an overgrown meadow filled with flowers, butterflies and songbirds. However, any overgrown meadow where I live would likely be filled with baby snakes this time of year, not something I wish to encounter wearing a dress a...

I selected to sew up the  Charlie Caftan by Closet Core  patterns in View B, a long, gently gathered bodice with waist tie. I chose a lightweight rayon in a pink and yellow floral, 70s-style print from Fabric Mart. I think this pattern is a great opportunity to use bold and large print since there are large pattern pieces. Overall, the pattern was easy to sew except for the front panel, which I will discuss later on. Closet Core recommends lightweight to medium wovens like rayon challis , tencel, crepe de chine , or voile —all my favorite fabrics to wear because they are soft and cool which make a caftan feel so comfortable.  The pattern pieces are very long and are cut on the fold. I made sure that my fabric was on grain so it would hang properly. I used pattern weights and a rotary cutter to cut the fabric out. I chose to make the sleeves that are longer. I may adjust the opening as the opening is more revealing than I prefer. I increased the length by 4 inches since I ...