Made by a Fabricista: From Paper Dresses to Ponte Knits!

We love sharing posts written by sewers in every aspect of their sewing venture. Whether you're just starting out or have been doing it for years, everyone can relate because we've all been there! We are excited to share them because we know they will inspire someone else to make the move into sewing.

Allison, one of our website assistants, has had fashion and sewing in her blood from an early age. She agreed to share with us her interest from childhood to today, when she created her first sewing project since high school! Thank you Allison for sharing your story with our readers!

~Hi, this is Allison. I work at Fabric Mart working on putting new fabrics on the website. After being surrounded by fabric all day I felt compelled to sew something! This project is my first foray into garment sewing.

I have always been a creative person but not so much of a garment sewer. Recently, I found a picture from when I was 5 years old where I created (with some help from my mom!) a paper outfit for my doll. I was thinking about fashion way back then. In high school, I spent a lot of time sewing tote bags from recycled materials, like the one below made from a vintage suit jacket.

The Paper Dress That Started it All!

One of the Tote Bags I Made About 10 Years Ago.

I wanted to make an A-line skirt from a stretchy fabric. I Googled "Ponte Knit A-line skirt" and came across the blog SEWN. They feature a post on making New Look 6035 with a ponte knit -- check it out here. The pattern calls for a woven, so it's good to take a look at this post beforehand!

I modified the pattern by leaving out the zipper and adding an elastic waistband. This was my first time working with ponte knit. It sews surprisingly easy. I used a ball point needle and a stretch zig-zag stitch. The most difficult part was cutting out the pattern in the correct direction of the grain so the skirt stretches with the body. I also folded the waistband the wrong direction and had to take it out and re-sew it before putting the elastic in.

I really enjoyed this project. I realized that making a skirt was not as intimidating as I thought and that ponte knits are really great for beginning sewers. I definitely plan to make this pattern again in other colors!

Thanks Allison for sharing your story! If you would like to share your sewing story with us, email fabricmartblog@gmail.com.

Made By A Fabricista: A Tipsy Martini Transitional Three Piece Look

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon with Sharon Sews with my latest Fabricista make – a three-piece set I can wear as the weather transitions to fall here in Texas. It may look like a summer outfit but there will days filled with sunshine and high temps well into November. At first glance it looks like a nice, lightweight jacket, top and pants. But look closer – it’s sewn from the designer Tipsy Martini cotton sateen that was originally used by the designer for a pajama set. Now I could have sewn myself a pair of pajamas using the Closet Core Carolyn Pajama pattern (available at Fabric Mart) and replicated the designer pajamas. But if I had gone that route the only ones who would have seen this adorable kitschy fabric would be my family. This print is much too cute to hide out at home. This Tipsy Martini cotton sateen fabric was lovely to sew. I used black thread, an 80/12 universal needle, and Palmer/Pletsch Perfect Fuse Medium interfacing (link here). Note that this is a rayon fu

Made By A Fabricista: Hooray for Cozy Fall Sews!

Greetings, all! I am in such high spirits with the best-of-all-seasons just beginning and change is finally in the air. I always rejoice when the sweatiest time of the year passes and we can all take a deep breath and gear up for cozier times. Neighborhood Patterns is a new-to-me designer, and I came across them on Instagram in late summer and fell in love with the Plain Jane Skirt. This is such a simple A-line skirt, but with nice details like large inseam pockets and an optional drawstring, and though I’m sure I could draft this style myself, the appeal of having it all done for me was too tempting to pass up. A sew such as this is a lovely palate-cleanser and this was the first project I sewed after returning from a cross-country trip. Perfect! The gorgeous plaid flannel is exactly what I want to be wearing in the fall. The fabric is SO soft and a pleasure to snuggle up in. Because flannel does not have much body and is prone to stretching or shifting with all its mechanical give,

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Comment on this post with what you are looking for right now and our buyers will seek it out! I am craving wool gabardines and ponte knits in fun autumn colors. What about you?

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