Fabric Mart Fabricistas

I know I've said this before, but, if you're a piece of fabric in my sewing room and you hang around too long you're bound to get embroidered.  I am and always will be in love with fabrics but more and more embroidery seems to be taking up residence in the creative side of my brain.  Fabrics can now be canvases since "Aubrey", my embroidery machine, moved in (yes...I named my machine…don't judge). This blouse inspired my "Aubrey and Me" Top.  The combination of the embroidery, lace and silhouette makes a top that's feminine without being fussy. Because a simple pattern lends itself to embroidery, I chose  Salme's Kimono Style Angel Sleeve Top  for my blouse. It's a two-piece pattern plus facings (it doesn't get simpler than that) with a soft flutter sleeve.  I lowered the neckline 3/4" because it's more flattering on me and left everything else the same.  I chose this dreamy blue/gray J. Crew voile from ...

In the past five years, I have really embraced garment sewing. I learned to sew a young age and began by sewing simple garments. They weren't that great, but I applaud myself for at least trying. In high school and college I took a break from garment sewing and did a lot of quilting. I was also a fibers major in college, so I was doing a lot of weaving at that time in my life. It wasn't until I started working at Fabric Mart in 2008, that I really embraced garment sewing again. Seeing so many beautiful fabrics was really inspiring. But you know what I remember most about sewing? My first project! It was the summer I was going to 2nd grade. My aunt would watch my brother and I every other tuesday. One week I made nautical print shorts for my brother. The next week I made denim shorts for myself! The fabric was from my grandmother's fabric stash. I cut it strictly from the pattern. No alterations or anything. The top band had elastic. How much easier can it get? My aunt gui...

I love when people share their sewing room with other viewers. It allows us to get a sneak peak into their lives because many times the sewing room tells us a lot about the personality. When we first started the blog, we allowed viewers to share their sewing room. We're going to do that again! Read on and I will have information at the end of the post on how you can submit your sewing room. In the meantime, I will start with my sewing room... I have been fortunate  to have a sewing room all to myself for a long time. When I lived at home, the former playroom turned into my sewing room. When I got married 2 1/2 years ago, there was an extra bedroom for me to have a sewing room. (And my husband also got his man cave!) My husband and I got married in August 13, 2011. Months before that, we prepared my late-grandmother's house for our move-in. Every single room in the house had wood paneling (which I hated) and needed to be covered up with paint.  Here are the BEFORE pict...

Helloooo!! I'm back and I'm still sewing with knits!  Recently I made it my mission to find more TNT- tried and true patterns, those that I've mastered the fit on and I can come back to again and again for easy no fuss makes.  One of the patterns I chose to master was a basic knit dress.  What's not to love about knits I ask??  I'm quickly becoming obsessed!  Knits are so comfy to wear...soft, breathable, stretchy and easy to launder, wash-dry-no iron involved!  I picked up this fun animal print jersey knit from Fabric Mart. (Exact fabric not available yet, but check out the other knits available!) It's lightweight and super comfy.  For the pattern I used Kitschy Coo's Lady Skater pattern.  This pattern is very functional, dress it up for work or play it down with some sneakers for shopping.  It features a fitted bodice that ends at the natural waistline and flows into an easy breezy skirt.  It's flattering on any body typ...

If you live on the east coast or know someone who does, you may hear a lot of complaining about something that starts with the letter "S"...SNOW! It is nice to look at for a little while but when you have to go places, it is not as fun! We have been bombarded with snow lately and more is on the way! The only nice thing is when it snows, I can lock myself up in my sewing room! I'm honestly not all that interested in making winter items at the moment, but have three projects in mind to make for early spring.  1) A basic blazer made from black ponte knit.  I need a basic blazer and I've been seeing knit blazers in the stores for at least the past two seasons. I made one last year, only to find out I never washed the fabric before I used it and the entire blazer shrunk! (That's a lesson for those of you who do not pre-wash fabric!)  Here are some of my inspiration pieces:  All images courtesy of Pinterest. I am using Simplicity pattern #4698 (out-of-...