Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Now that fall is in full swing, there is no better time than now to break out the long skirts and boots. For this garment, I went with a graffiti type print mesh from Fabric Mart. The top is a stretch jacquard fabric also from FM that I've had for well over a year. The mesh is now sold out, but here are some alternates that would look GREAT with this same concept: Mesh: I used this for a shorter version of this skirt and am in LOVE with the print ( HERE ). These are well worth a try as well ( Option 2 ), ( Option 3 ), & ( Option 4 ). Top Knit: The key here is to get a double/sweater/neoprene/jacquard knit with at least selvage to selvage stretch. ( Option 1 ), ( Option 2 ), & ( Option 3 ). Construction: I used (1) gold teeth 9" exposed zipper, (1) 29" by 5" piece of wool for the waistband and (2) 9" by 1/2" strips of wool to serve as a stabilizer for the mesh where I insert the zipper. The waistband is basically my waist measurement plus ...

It's blazer season, people!  My pattern is  Burda 8/2015 #106A .  Of course I had to choose black velveteen from Fabric Mart, it's a magnet for every bit of cat fur and lint to float through my house. But what did surprise me was how lovely it was to pre-wash. Because it's 100% cotton it washed and tumbled dry beautifully.  Then I went and chose a faux leather for the shoulder and pocket details... which was a fine enough material but it's actually a stretchy knit that ended up being a bit of a pain in the butt after it was sewn up. Let's look inside to see what's going on in there. I used a sew-in hair canvas for the front lapel/back neck for some structure... but oh my goodness, I did not pad stitch it! Yes, this was a conscious choice because I did not want a very stiff look, just a softly-firm structure, if that makes sense?! I used an iron-on weft insertion for all of my other pa...

Lingerie sewing is so addictive!! Once I get the fit down of a particular bra or undies pattern, I want to make 4,647 of each of them. I sewed up my first bra a few years back and my lingerie sewing stash has multiplied like bunnies since. I've picked up a bunch of stretch meshes and stretch laces from Fabric Mart in recent months, I never need to order more than one yard at a time because these projects take itty bitty bits of material.  My bra is Orange Lingerie's Marlborough pattern. It's approximately a 38B... I say approximately because the pattern is altered for my figure. I've sewn up lots of Orange Lingerie bras before, this was my first go with her undies. You can see my complete journey fitting and sewing up the Marlborough bra  from day one-- it started a little over a year ago when the pattern was first released. The gorgeous stretch floral mesh is a Maggy London nylon/spandex I picked up this summer from Fabric Mart. I...

I'm excited to get back to our regularly scheduled blog posts. We have a few new sewers around the blog. I will be introducing them all very soon, but wanted to introduce you to our winner in the Fabricista Fashion Challenge -- Elizabeth! I'm excited to have you on board and creating together.  I am so excited to be a Fabric Mart Fabricista for the next 6 months and would love to share a bit about my sewing journey! I was first introduced to sewing as a young child when visiting my grandparents deep in the coastal swamps of South Carolina. My grandparents lived off of a dirt road in a teeny township so I was bored, naturally. My mother suggested I learn to sew clothes for my many Barbie's and she taught me the basics using her own vintage Barbie clothes patterns. I loved the idea that I could dream up an outfit for my doll and make it come to life. In recent years I recently rediscovered all the clothes I made for my Barbie's during that season o...

Hello Fashionistas!! Sewing with wool has been on my bucket list forever. To be specific, a wool cape, a winter coat and a french jacket. Earlier this year when I launched my blog I thought about all the sewing projects I would like to make. It was a reasonable list... twenty one items in all.. and number six on the list was a wool cape, which has now been crossed off my list :) Its finally DONE!!!!  I am so in love with the final product. I have been working on this for the past three days while my kid naps :) I wanted something unique so I chose a vintage pattern. I wanted a superior fabric and I wanted to work with 100% wool. I picked a camel/taupe brushed wool that was such a pleasure to work with. I sewed up Simplicity pattern 9669, view 2 On my version I only used two buttons as opposed to four. I also eliminated the waist tie and styled the cape with a leather belt instead. This is a big cape, so to create a good proportion, I us...

The votes are in and we have a winner in the Fabricista Fashion Challenge! This was SOOOOOO hard. I wish I could have all of them! Congratulations to....Elizabeth from I Sew, You Sew! Elizabeth is the winner of  $25 a month for one year to spend on fabric, plus be a Fabric Mart Fabricista for 6 months writing guest posts for the blog. (A $300 value with media exposure.) She will also receive a Julie's Picks Membership. Tiffany is second place and wins a $100 gift certificate and a Julie's Picks membership. Kristen is third place and wins a $50 gift certificate and a Julie's Picks membership. T iffany and Kristen did an amazing job as well and it was so hard to make final decisions! Don't worry, I don't think this will be the last you see of these ladies. I'm working on the blog schedule and hope to have some newcomers lined up for the new year. If you would like to consider blogging with us occasionally, please email me at fabricmartblog@gmail.com for mo...

This is the last and final week of the Fabricista Fashion Challenge! I have had a lot of fun seeing what everyone has come up with in every challenge-- it is so inspiring! I'm sure these ladies are excited to have made it this far but also looking forward to being finished. This challenge is a lot of work!  Everyone wins a prize this week, but the grand prize winner receives $25 a month for one year to spend on fabric, plus be a Fabricista blogger for 6 months writing guest posts for our blog. (A $300 value with media exposure.) You will also receive a Julie's Picks Membership.  This week's judges are Melissa Watson from Palmer/Pletsch and Sharon Blair from Portland Sewing. You can read their bios HERE .  Let's see what the contestants made.  Elizabeth from I Sew, You Sew   I love my plaid wool skirt made last fall from thrifted/reclaimed wool. However I often found that the one coordinating top that I had was either at the dry cle...