Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Hello fellow fabricistas! Whereas California has been getting drenched by El Ni ño, and the East Coast is finally done digging out from winter storm Jonas, here in the Pacific Northwest, we've simply been dealing with a sightly chilly, very, very rainy winter for the past few months. Like most of you, I'm sure, cool, wet weather makes me want to bundle up in warm and cozy clothing. After enduring many rainy weekends this winter, I decided to treat myself to a new lounge/ athleisure outfit for my Fabric Mart project this month. HotPatterns Pretzel Sweatshirt + SBCC Pinot Pants First up are a pair of SBCC Pinot Pants , a yoga-style pull-on pant drafted specifically for petite women. If you're not familiar with SBCC patterns, they're designed for women 5'3" and under and use separate draft blocks for misses' and plus sizes. The size range for the Pinot Pants goes from a 32" hip (81cm) up to a 56" (142 cm) hip measurement. SBCC Pinot Pants...

It started snowing in time for me to add atmosphere to my photos! I am beyond thrilled to write this post!  Over a month ago I spoke with the folks at Fabric Mart and told them that I had made a decision to make a coat for my January make.  I asked if they had any coating fabric coming in to their store, since while I liked a lot of the coating options on the site, they weren't "wowing" me.  They got back to me and told me there was this gorgeous red wool coming in, and sent me a photo of it.  (There are a few yards left in the regular section , but they also have pieces of this brighter red wool from Halston available, too.  You need around 3 yards.) I was immediately intrigued, but nervous, since red is one of the colors that looks terrible with my skin tone.  The only way red works is if it is a "true red" or a red with a bit of yellow in it ( think of a ripened tomato ).  And since I have some red in my hair, I was a bit apprehensive there,...

Simplicity 8014 was definitely on my radar when it was released this past fall. I love shirt dresses and definitely one with a full skirt! Unlike the rest of the free world, the bodice of McCall's 6696 didn't work for me, but I had a good feeling about this one. And, if you know me you know I tend to shun the muslin. So I went to work on standard adjustments. I take a size 14 for chest measurement; but the finished bust was 39.5". I have a 39.5" bust! I did a 1" FBA to end up with a finished bust of 41.5" (I like a close fit). I measured and decided to narrow the shoulder 3/8" and did a 5/8" swayback adjustment. Another standard adjustment for me is adding 1" to the bicep. Well, I measured this pattern piece and the sleeve was exactly the same as the Burda project I'd just sewn. Sweet! Well, that garment was a  knit! Oops :) My sleeve is a little snug; I'll make a note to adjust it for next time. Th...

Hi Fashionistas!!! I hope you are having a wonderful 2016 so far! I just finished making my very 1st garment of 2016... and can I just tell you that I am in love with it? I got this super yummy delicious Denim Sateen from Fabric Mart.. I got a total of 4 yards so I am hoping to get a nice skirt out of it as well :) This fabric would make a very cute dress as well.. I have to try to get my hands on a bolt of this fabric..I think I could design an entire wardrobe out of this :)  The fabric behaved BEAUTIFULLY! I am on vacation in California and didn't have access to all my professional tools. I used a domestic iron to press the seams while sewing and the fabric responded so well to heat and steam. I did not have a tailors clapper, but one wasn't needed.. The fabric was a pleasure to work with.  I get so greedy when it comes to fabric. When I love a fabric, I want to make as many garments out of it as I can..  Wouldn't a dressy denim jacket b...

Hola chicas!  My family and I just got back from a trip to beautiful Cancun, Mexico!  I've actually been learning Spanish for the last 6 months, and was so excited to have a chance to practice. Cancun is beautiful this time of year with gorgeous clear turquoise water and warm sandy beaches.  It's a nice break from the typical midwestern winter.  Before we left, I sewed up a few things for the trip, using, of course, fabrics from Fabric Mart! I had picked up this Maggy London ITY knit fabric which reminded me a lot of the pottery that I'd seen in Mexico before.  It had a vertical stripe with multiple patterns in each stripe section. I had a tough time picking out a pattern, but decided on Vogue 1234. This is a Sandra Betzina design, and I always enjoy making her patterns.  I thought it would be fun to play around with the stripes and the seaming on this, and the style was perfect for a casual vacation. You can see that it has some really diff...