Fabric Mart Fabricistas

I'm so excited that summer is finally here!  If you read my post on Me-Made-May , I participated on a very small level. I didn't post photos of me in handmade clothes every week. In fact, I only did it once! After I wrote that post, it was hard for me to keep up! I didn't have enough quality garments to get me through without wearing something more than once. Too many of the handmade items I have either 1) are not weather appropriate, 2) too dressy for everyday wear, 3) did not fit me the way I would like it to. So my goal for the summer is to make simple tops for everyday wear. I find that I do not do as much sewing in the summer because I am outside either working in the yard or enjoying the weather! So simple projects are better!  Right now I'm working on Dana Marie Designs - The Right to Bare Arms . It is a super easy sleeveless top or tunic pattern. I'd also like to try her other sleeveless top A Little Something Xtra . But I have to buy some bras w...

If you browse through our website often, you may periodically come across fabric that comes in panels or borders. While some may feel like it's too much of a challenge, they offer wonderful possibilities for something out of the ordinary! You can be really creative with panels! Maggy London is known for using paneled fabric in her garments, and we just so happen to get some of those.  I recently offered this fabric in Julie's Picks and was pleasantly surprised by the number of people that purchased it! It was a stretch cotton sateen with a large stripe-effect floral design. You are seeing the entire panel in the dress. Here are examples of other panels prints in garments:  So I put myself to the challenge of making something with a panel. I chose the Purple Floral Lace Half Medallion ITY Knit.  I really enjoyed trying to figure out how to use it. I used my mannequin as a model. I tried the panel at my shoulders, at my waist and even along one...

I bet you've been wondering where I've been?! Between work and home, I've been keeping myself REALLY busy! I've had a few fabric buying/selling trips in the past two weeks and at home, I hosted a Mother's Day dinner, worked in my yard, set up my vegetable garden and trying to keep up with the daily grind. My husband and I have also been planning small getaways for various weekends throughout the summer, so we had our first this weekend to Gettysburg, PA!  Before May began, I really wanted to participate in Me-Made-May . I wanted to make a real effort to wear my handmade clothes and learn to love them (if I didn't care for them all that much.) But with everything that was going on, I just didn't want to add more to my schedule or put pressure on myself. It was just more to think about on a daily basis! But after reading some of the pledges, I came to the conclusion that I can set myself really small goals! So here is my goal: I, Julie from Fabric M...

I am so impressed by the number of people that have participated in the sew-along for New Look 6097 . For our first sew-along together-- I'm so happy! Everyone seemed to really enjoy this and hopefully we can continue doing other sew-alongs. If you're just coming into this, you can learn more about the sew-along HERE . All of these ladies are so talented! We hashed out some ideas on our Flickr Discussion Board and in comments on the blog. I think we all had fun trying to hash out our problems and suggestions.  Plus, all participants were entered in a random drawing to win a $50 gift certificate to Fabric Mart. And the winner is... Dara M. is the winner of a $50 gift certificate to Fabric Mart ! Congratuations, Dara! Check your email for confirmation.  All of our other fabulous participants... Susan   T. (Left), Patricia L. (Right) Dina G.  Annie L. from Sewing on Saturday S...

Hello lovely peeps!  I’m so happy because it’s the time of year I get to say adios to all my winter coats. As I was putting them away for the season I realized that I don’t have any light weight jackets to wear when the weather is not all that. My usual go to when the days and nights are still a little cool is my ratty zip-up hoodie. I’m gladly trading it in for a more stylish bomber jacket. The pattern is the Rigel Bomber by Papercut Collections . This pattern was released in their Constellation collection last November.  FYI: Rigel is the brightest star in the constellation Orion and the seventh brightest star in the night sky.   The jacket is unlined has welt pockets and raglan sleeves with two different options, plain sleeves or geometric details.  For my fabric I chose a hot pink polka dot cotton sateen that was featured in Julie’s Picks for the month of March.  If you don’t have a Julie’s Picks membership and have been con...

We have a winner in the Belcarra Blouse Pattern Giveaway!  Congrats to Stephanie H.N. in our random drawing. Stephanie, please email me at fabricmartblog (a) gmail.com to claim your prize. If I do not hear from you by Friday, May 2, we will select another name. If you would like your own copy of the Belcarra Blouse, check out our website here ! To view many of the other patterns Fabric Mart carries, click here .

I'm so excited to share with you the dress that YOU helped me pick out! Thank you to all that voted on which pattern we should sew together AND for selecting the fabric that I would sew with. I hope you all got something out of it, whether you were sewing along or not.  The big reveal: Overall, I thought the pattern was pretty easy! I liked the collar on the knit dress. You don't see collars in knit too often. (Makes me want to explore making knit tops with collars!) I was really glad I made a muslin because there were a few things that I needed to address. The bodice needed to be cut smaller than the skirt and the back neckline needed to be smaller. I also made the sleeves thinner. The tab on the sleeve was really clever. Another feature you would not expect in a knit garment. In fact, I have at least three woven RTW blouses in my closet that have this feature.  I wasn't sure if I would like pockets in the dress, because a few years ago I made a ...