Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Sewing a coat is not for the faint of heart, or for the sewist looking for a light project. It is possibly the slowest form of apparel sewing that exists. If you’ve made a coat, chances are, you know what I mean. No matter what you do, you can’t rush through it, you can’t skip steps or cut corners, you just have to roll with the punches. One minute you’re flying through assembly thinking “I’ll be finished soon,” and the next you’re running away from your sewing room because you need space. Are you guaranteed to end up with a bespoke wonder in your coat closet, most definitely! But heed my warning, if you are looking for a quick win, it is not a coat!  My coat sewing chronicles began around Christmas when I fell in love with a black-and-white basketweave wool-coating fabric on the Fabric Mart website. I quickly placed an order for 3.75 yards to finally make the Seamwork Bay coat I’ve been dreaming of making for a while. In addition to my Fabric Mart wool, I also ordered Kasha Satin...

Hey sewing friends! As I pondered what sort of plan to tackle for my next wintry project, a new and glorious array of rainbow Polartec fabrics filled the Fabric Mart site. I’ve enjoyed sewing with this brand’s fabrics for many years now, and I’m all too happy to add some more to my wardrobe.  I picked two of my favorite types, the Power Air Grid Double Knit and the Power Grid Fleece.  Choosing a few colors in matching weights to combine them into something totally me sounded perfect. Look at this stunning heap!  When I’m sewing two different fabrics together, I prefer to use the same weight and type so that they behave similarly and hang well together. Any extra piecing like this also creates topstitching opportunities galore! (You already know I’m all about that available thread matching.) In this case, I opted for three colors in each of the two fabric varieties I mentioned above for the best combining results.  I figured I’d dive in with a brief overview of how y...

One of my favorite parts of sewing is taking an idea that exists only in my head and turning it into something I can actually wear. This project was exactly that—a quick, intuitive exercise in imagination, experimentation, and trusting my process, brought to life with Fabric Mart’s sweatshirt fleece. I started with a loose concept rather than a fixed plan. I knew I wanted something comfortable, but still fashion-forward—elevated loungewear that felt intentional rather than basic. Fabric choice was key, and Fabric Mart’s sweatshirt fleece ended up being the perfect foundation. Working with Fabric Mart Sweatshirt Fleece This fleece was an absolute dream to work with. It has a slight stretch, which made the final outfit incredibly comfortable while still maintaining structure. After pre-washing, the fabric held up beautifully with no pilling or texture issues, which is always a big win. It sewed smoothly and handled like a fabric that wants to be worn, not babied. Safe to say, I’m offici...