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’...

Hello Sewing Friends! It's Tira from Tira Cooks and I am so excited to share my very first Fabricista make with you all! When I spotted this white linen cotton blend with bold black and green printed illustrations I immediately knew it was the perfect way to welcome spring. The combination of linen and cotton keeps you cool during the day and comfortable as the evening cools down truly the ideal spring fabric. Can we take a moment to appreciate this print? Cheetah print, a sun face, long stripes, and flowers all in one design. Everything you would not expect to see together, but somehow it just works. What really drew me in is the scale of the print it is bold enough that you can see every single detail. Unexpected, maximalist, and done right. Before cutting into anything, we cannot skip fabric prep! Linen cotton blends must be pre-washed before cutting to prevent shrinkage. I also recommend serging or zigzagging raw edges immediately to control the heavy fraying that linen is...

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...