Fabric Mart Fabricistas

It's been a few weeks since I wrote a post for the "In the Studio" series, but you're going to laugh when you find out why.... I have been searching high and low in my sewing room for the fabric I bought specifically to go along with my pattern of choice and I can't find it ANYWHERE!! I may have to resort in pulling out every single piece of fabric in my wardrobe just to find this 1 yard piece of a nude nylon knit. I plan on making Laura's slip pattern, Valentine Slip . I am determined to find this fabric tonight, so as soon as I get the slip done I will post my review of the pattern! As with all of the other posts in the "In the Studio" series, I start with an interview with the pattern designer. This week I have featured Laura Nash from Sew Chic Patterns . I had the opportunity to meet with her last September and we had a great chat! I am a fan of vintage-inspired garments, but I'm not always sure I can pull it off. (see this post for my ...

One of my most favorite types of fabric to work with is cotton. It’s natural, versatile and super easy to care for. Slap a fun print on that cotton and I’m sold! I purchased this cotton lawn from Fabric Mart a few months ago when I seen its beauty popping up in my Instagram feed. C'mon hearts AND cherries!? Yay! I believe they also sold the same print in a mint color but unfortunately I do not see either of the two still available on their site. Only makes me wish I would have bought more.  Lawns are light and flowy which make them ideal during the summer months.  When I purchased this fabric I knew exactly what pattern I was going to use, the Mimi Blouse by Tilly and the Buttons. My pictures may seem....a little goofy. I was just giddy with excitement because during my photoshoot I was also in the process of packing for a beach vacation!  The Mimi Blouse pattern is available in Tilly Walne’s new book, Love at First Stitch.  As soon as Tilly released o...

With summer finally here, I wanted to update my skirt wardrobe. I have been wanting to make Pamela's Patterns Favorite Bias Skirt for a long time and I finally did it! I was inspired to make this by Pamela herself because she was wearing this skirt made from linen during a visit. I have to admit I'm not keen on linen because of it's wrinkle factor, but thought this was my opportunity to give it a try!  I chose a printed linen that was in Julie's Picks a few months back. Anyone else have this fabric?! I love the design. And when you put it on the bias it looks even crazier!  If you have the same fear of linen that I do, you may want to consider a linen blend fabric. Linen can be blended with many different contents, but one I see more often than not is linen/cotton or linen/rayon blends. Bunch up the fabric in your hand. Does it create a lot of wrinkles that do not seem to come out very quickly? Or do the wrinkle go away somewhat gracefully? If the w...

This week's featured pattern designer is Pamela Leggett from Pamela's Patterns. I have bee very fortunate to work with Pamela for the past three years selling her wholesale fabrics for Steve's Sewing and Vacuum (you will read about that below!) I've even been in her fabulous studio! Threads Magazine featured her sewing room about a year ago and let me tell you, it is a gorgeous as the photos show! Enjoy learning a little bit about Pamela and her journey through the industry.  Tell us a little about yourself. I grew up in Michigan where both my grandmothers and mom did many types of handcrafts:  sewing, knitting, crocheting, painting, weaving, beading.  My mom was a great teacher and encouraged my love of sewing.  I actually started earning money with my sewing skills at age 14!  I’ve had many types of jobs, all related to sewing, design, teaching and business.  Hands-on work was my “college”.  I’ve been teaching since 1981, and it is my true p...

If you read my review on " A Right to Bare Arms " , a sleeveless top by Dana Marie Designs , you will see that I talk a lot about the collar. The pattern comes with directions on how to make the collar with a bias collar and a non-bias collar.  On my first attempt at this top, shown below,  I made the collar from a black ponte knit. I chose the ponte knit because I didn't want to mix a knit with woven. I also didn't have any solid wovens in my stash, so I opted for the black ponte thinking it would have enough stability. Putting a knit on bias is not a smart choice. (I should have known better!) Here are some close-ups of my issue... I really should have used the non-bias method if I wanted to use the ponte knit.  I decided to make another top, but this time using a woven for the collar and cut it out from the non-bias method. Here were the results:  Much better don't you think? I also top-stitched the collar to give it more str...

To go along with the recent post, In the Studio with Dana Marie Designs , I selected one of her patterns to try out! I selected A Right to Bare Arms, a sleeveless yoke styled design that can be cut to three different lengths (tunic, knee and calf.) It has princess seams for a flattering fit and a slightly flared hem. I've seen this pattern made up many times and I'm not only going to share with you the two items I made from this pattern, but many other variations of this pattern using different fabrics! I love when a pattern can be used with a wide variety of fabrics because  you're going to get something a little different every time! The first design I made about a year ago. I used a rayon jersey knit from Fabric Mart (sorry, not available anymore) for the bodice and a ponte knit for the collar. The pattern calls for stretch knits as well as cotton, rayon or any other woven fabric with nice drape. It is important to note that the pattern comes with tw...