Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Are you ready to begin? I'm really excited about the Pretty Peplum Top Sew Along and seeing what questions you have and how your tops turn out in the end! We will be covering each step in this sew along as well as modifications, tips and other ideas for this peplum top from Pamela's Patterns. Pamela will also be on hand to answer your fit questions! So let's get started. Some of you may already have this step taken care of, but there may be some of you that need some guidance. This pattern calls for a good quality knit fabric. Pamela also gives a tip for making sure the fabric snaps back into place. This means it has to have stretch. When someone says "stretch" knit what does that mean? Mostly all knits stretch, but do they recover back to their original state? If they do, then they have spandex, lycra or elastine. (Lycra is a product and trademark by Dupont Company.) There is no technical difference between spandex, lycra or elastine. If you want to learn ...

**If you've been thinking about the Pretty Peplum Top Sew Along, this is a great preview of what you will be making! Click HERE to learn more about the Sew Along, which will begin in February!** I'm always a little perplexed when it comes to making alterations to patterns, and Pamela's Patterns advertises that their patterns already include the most common alterations, including high round back, forward shoulder, full bust option, extra hip/tummy room and a great fit in the neck and shoulder.  That sounded good to me! So, I couldn't wait to try their newest patterns- #114- the Pretty Peplum Top and #115- the Softly Pleated Dress .  Here are my versions: For both patterns, the first step- picking your size-asks you to choose your size based on your high bust measurement. Each pattern has two front pattern pieces- one with a dart, and one without. If there is more than a 3" difference between your full bust and high bust, she suggests using the...

Happy New Year Friends!  I'm happy to get my Fabricista year off to a good start with a classic boucle jacket. It's a timeless style, classic fabric and beautiful color! I started with New Look pattern 6028 view A and chose Fabric Mart's soft green, black and white boucle suiting , similar to the type of fabric used in the pattern photo (the fabric also comes in this pretty pink , yum!)  I used this  Maggy London black satin for the lining .  So luxurious! I didn't make any style changes or alterations to the pattern (don't you love when you get a pattern like that?)  but I changed the lining. The jacket shell pattern and the lining pattern are the same, meaning, when you sew the lining and jacket together, the lining fabric is right up to the outer edge of the jacket.  So if the jacket comes open or lifts up, you would see the lining right at the edge.  I wanted a more traditional lining that included a facing all the way around the ...

Ladies And Gents: Marsala is 2015's color of the year and it is lovely as ever. Marsala is a great color for both women and men. It's simple and yet lavish, inviting and plentiful. This color goes with many skin tones, making it perfect for apparel, accessories, & more! Sophisticated and warm, allow this color to make its way into your life! Vogue's V1424 For example, in the picture above, she is wearing a Marsala colored lipstick creating a perfect pop of color against her dark Marsala dress. It's sultry and yet subtle.  This is a great example of how men can wear this color, too! It's classy yet casual. Can be dressed up or dressed down. 2015's color of the year is seriously versatile! For our returning blog fans/customers, as you know in the above picture is Julie. She sewed this dress out of one of our dark Marsala chevron knits and will be doing a future blog post about it so stay tuned! As you can se...

Every year I vow to get in shape and stay in shape. Typically, I do really well with this promise to myself up until about October. Then it seems like busyness, apathy, and life just gets in the way and I backslide into old habits...including not working out!  So to start 2015 out right, I decided the best and most appropriate thing to do is make some workout clothes I will look forward to wearing and why not? They go together quickly and with this AMAZING fabric I choose from Fabric Mart to complete the job, I'll make more!   This is a poly/lycra blend and I wish you were able to touch it, it is SO soft!  I wish I could wear something like this to work as I think I'd smile all day long!  I'd certainly look and feel comfortable. For the jacket I used Jalie 2679, or the women's sport jacket. The details are awesome, the directions are good although a little sparse, and the drafting is perfect.  I LOVE this pattern and I am so pleased with my final ...

Last year, we hosted a Reader’s Pick Sew Along, where we featured New Look 6097, a knit faux wrap dress. It was a lot fun and had about 12 participants. This year, I’m excited to announce that we will be hosting a sew along for Pamela’s Patterns Pretty Peplum Top ! You will be sewing along with me as I create the peplum top and additional instructions on how to make it into a skater-style dress. Pamela will also be giving her expert advice along the way too! At the end of the sew along, we will have a drawing for a $100 gift certificate to Fabric Mart AND a $30 gift certificate for Pamela’s Patterns! This will be a random drawing, so all you have to do is submit a photo of your finished top! If you’re interested in participating, email us at fabricmartblog@gmail.com and let us know you will be participating! I'd like to get a head count before we actually get started.  Then get your supplies together: - Pattern – Pretty Peplum Top (pattern available on ourwebsite ...

As the winter approaches, I often have a hard time with keeping warm while trying not to suffocate. While I am originally from NY, I have done tours in both GA, and FL completely erasing my tolerance for cold weather. In November, I made a full wool jumpsuit (my favorite garment) out of a medium weight wool. I must admit, while I love the feel and look of wool, it was entirely too hot. Adding a coat to it would only work if I were walking more than 2-3 blocks in the mist of this frigid weather. This time around, I decided to make a jumpsuit that was more suitable for winter wear without being too hot.  What better way to do that than to construct one with short sleeves and with a light weight wool!  I must say, this time, I hit it on the nail! The fabric used is a dark navy worsted wool twill that sews like a dream!  It can be found  (click here) The patterns I used were McCall 7021 (bodice only) and McCall 6930 (drafted into pants). As explained in my t...