Fabric Mart Fabricistas

I finished my jacket! I kept working until I was finished, there was no stopping! I am really happy with the way it turned out. You know what I love most about it? The top-stitching! Almost every single seam on this jacket is top-stitched, which I love and hate. I love it because it creates a really finished look. I hate it because if the jacket does not fit correctly, then you have to take not only the seam apart, but the top-stitching. Thankfully I only had to do that at the shoulder seams because it was a little bulkier than I preferred. I also really liked the princess seams. Not only is it a casual jacket, but it is a little more flattering than your average fleece jacket or hoodie. So how did I finish it? After sewing the side seams onto the front pieces, I put together the sleeve pieces. The jacket has dolman sleeve look. The sleeve is made from four different pieces, which are top-stitched.  I sewed the front shoulder to the top of the sleeve, ...

Progress on my track jacket has been going really well. I'm thinking this project could take an afternoon to whip up, but because I'm sewing for an hour here, an hour there, it's taking a little longer. I was interested in seeing how the pockets on this jacket were sewn. This is the first time I've done a welt pocket, so I thought I would share it with you. The pattern piece that you are going to sew the pocket to is the front piece. It looks like this: Taking the welt pattern piece, fold the welt in half lengthwise, zig-zag along raw edge. I found that the fleece knit stretch pretty good when doing this. I would recommend to not stretch it so that it does not pull at the front piece after sewing. Stay-stitch around the pocket opening. Pin the welt to the pocket opening, right sides together. Sew along the long edge, making sure to sew next to your zig-zag stitch. You don't want the zig zag to show on your finished pocket! Pin ends of the welt to the ...

A few weeks ago, one of our suppliers came in with some fleece samples. I have to admit, fleece does not excite me but when I saw this fleece-backed knit, I fell. in. love. I never thought I would fall in love with fleece, of all things, but this was such nice quality and I loved the knit/fleece combo. I was so excited about starting this project that I went home that night and I searched through my pattern stash and many pattern websites until I found the perfect pattern for this fleece. I came across Jalie Pattern #2795 , a zip-front jacket and hoodie. I loved the ready-to-wear look of the pattern. I find that jackets like this tend to be really oversized by other pattern companies, and I did not want that. Since this was my first Jalie Pattern, I glanced through Pattern Review to see if anyone else used it. It got good reviews and everyone seemed to looked great in their jacket! I didn't have any local sources for purchasing the pattern, so I ordered it from an eBay store. S...

Congratulations, Shannon! She won $25.00 a month for one year to spend on fabric at Fabric Mart (worth $300!) Plus! She will become a Fabricista on our blog, posting once a month and receive a Julie's Picks Membership! Second Place:  Congratulations, Diane! She won a $100 Gift Certificate and a Julie's Picks Membership.  Third   Place:  Congratulations, Kathy! She won a $50 Gift Certificate and Julie's Picks Membership. Thank you to all of our participants!  We cannot thank you enough for all of your hard work and creativity in our challenge. It has been such a hard decision! Everyone was so wonderful! Visit the blog on Saturday to join Julie in a jacket sew-along using our cozy polar fleece!

This is it! The final week! Before we get on to the final challenge, we have to thank many people: - All 10 of our contestants--- We obviously couldn't have done it without them! They were an amazing group of talented women who devoted a lot of their sewing time to this challenge! We cannot thank them enough! - Our Viewers - We hope the viewers had as much fun as we did seeing what the contestants made each week. Thank you for your votes, comments and support! - To our employees - A group of ladies who work in our store assisted in the second part of the voting process. Some with a lot of sewing experience, some without any sewing experience, but they took it very seriously. We thank them for taking some time out of their busy schedule to assist in the voting process. Being that this was our first challenge like this, we learned a lot along the way and we appreciate everyone's patience. One of the hardest things was to send someone home. We wish everyone could win! W...

3 Piece Outfit/Collection This is unfortunately our last challenge for the season. We are so thankful for everyone who supported and participated in our challenge! We are down to our final three who are going to compete for our Grand Prizes! 3 Seamstresses will compete in this challenge. You will have two weeks to complete this challenge. Challenge : Create 3 pieces that can be worn together as one outfit or 2 outfits that could be worn to the same event. Using the Pantone Fall Color Chart, select 2 fall colors to inspire your outfit.  You will be judged on creativity, craftsmanship, use of color, and fit.  The First Place Winner will receive $25.00 a month for one year to spend on fabric at Fabric Mart (worth $300!) Plus! You will become a Fabricista on our blog! The Second Place Winner will receive a $100 Gift Certificate and a Julie's Picks Membership.  The Third Place Winner will receive a $50 Gift Certificate and Julie's Picks Membership. ...

Congratulations, Diane!  Great job coordinating prints! Diane will receive a Julie's Picks Membership! Visit our website for more information about our Julie's Picks  Unfortunately we need to send someone home. It is so hard to send someone home this week!  Everyone has worked so hard and has done such a great job with their garments. But yet, this is a competition and there can only be one grand prize winner. We will miss Audrey! She has made great pieces throughout, but her print design received the lowest score this week. Keep on sewing, Audrey!  The final challenge will be announced on Saturday! You don't want to miss this!

For this challenge we asked our designers to do something terrifying, mix prints! For added fun, we asked them to style their shoots this week with a theme. They will be judged on  creativity, craftsmanship, how well the prints go together, their images, garment personality, and fit. The winner will receive a Julie's Picks Membership.  Julie's Picks is a Monthly Mailer that has information about trends, sewing tips, and SWATCHES! Touch and feel the fabrics selected by one of our Fabricistas, Julie.  You will receive a packet of 30 fabric swatches that are only available to members including exclusive discounts. You also automatically become a Premium member! An email newsletter is also included in the membership.  Also, you will receive a newsletter written by Julie.  For more information or to become a member,  visit our website . Vote for your favorite design below!  This challenge will determine the final three that will compe...

Mixing Prints If you think mixing colors is hard, try mixing prints on top of it! 4 Seamstresses will compete in this challenge. You will have one week to complete this challenge. Challenge : Using at least two prints, coordinate them to make an outfit. Use only the fabric prints you have chosen to make your pieces. Think about where you would wear your fun outfit and choose a theme for your photo shoot.  You will be judged on creativity, craftsmanship, how well your prints go together, your images, garment personality, and fit. The winner will receive Julie's Picks Membership.  Julie's Picks is a Monthly Mailer that has information about trends, sewing tips, and SWATCHES!  Touch and feel the fabrics selected by one of our Fabricistas, Julie.  You will receive a packet of 30 fabric swatches that are only available to members including exclusive discounts. You also automatically become a Premium member! An email newsletter is also included in th...

I'm going to interject into the Fashion Challenge with a tutorial on mesh knits! Over the weekend, I was working on an inspiration piece for our Julie's Picks customers. I used a mesh print and jersey knit that will be included in the November Julie's Picks. (Sorry, these fabrics are only available to JP member's, but we have plenty of others available on  our website .) Some people may be intimidated by mesh knits, but have no fear! I did some research on how to sew with them first and was prepared from the beginning. They are easier to work with than you think. Think of them as a lightweight or sheer knit. Here are a few tips I researched, then used in my project: 1) Sew slowly and with a new needle. It is always good to start a project with a new needle, but I felt like if I had a dull needle it would pucker the fabric. Because I was sewing a mesh to a knit, it was even better. The knit and mesh stick together and allow for easy sewing. There were only two p...