Fabric Mart Fabricistas

I often see a piece of clothing ( either in store, online or on a stranger ) and think to myself " I can make that ". Does anyone else do that? Sometimes I will do this out of necessity; the item is sold out or cost prohibitive to purchase. Other times I'll do it to suit my preference of say a different color or print or to tweak the fit or design. Still other times I do it just because I can. This was one of those times. This dress was inspired by a dress I saw Mimi G share from Urban Outfitters . I love a linen dress and this one is so cute I had to have it. Though I could've easily purchased this dress, I decided it would be more satisfying if I made it. Since I've worked with Fabric Mart's Designer Linen before ( here ,  here  and  here ) I knew it would be the perfect weight for this dress. And though I thought of making it in one of the other 22 colors available ( Urban Outfitters offers it in a lavender and two prints ) the wh...

"Don't make things too complicated.  T ry to relax, enjoy every moment, get used to everything."   Angelique  Ferber  One hour or less, Ponte Knit pencil skirt or dress! Have you ever created the perfect plans mentally, sketched it on paper and ready to start and then something happened and you lost the desire to create it? Lately, I have been uninspired to sew projects that will take more than an hour. The last 2 weeks I honestly lost my sewjo and I truly need it back to get ready for Spring/Summer.   Teaching these last few weeks have been hectic as I have been preparing the students that I teach and my children for the Mathematics end of year state exams.  I have been so exhausted and the past few weekends I have only completed easy sewing projects that would take an hour or less. I am counting down the days to this year's summer break (perks of being a teacher) where I can truly travel, relax with my children and sew more.  I ...

Hi Fashionistas! Long time no sew! I took a break from sewing for the month of March to adjust to a second child. It has been quite a transition, and I and my family are still getting used to the new routine, or lack of routine :) Anyways, I am trying to get back into the swing of things. I am sewing, and here is my latest make! I used this fabric.  It is currently sold out but I am hoping they will offer it again! It is a quilted double knit. Very soft, yet has good body and is thicker, about the thickness of a lightweight scuba knit.  For the pattern, I ended up using this pattern , view C, but made the following alterations. Changed the neckline to a boat neck. Chopped off the pattern at the high hip (to include hem allowance) Shortened the sleeve Freehanded the lantern/ bell sleeve with pleats using some scrap fabric The fabric is quilted and has some really gorgeous texture as you can see in this close up ...

Hello sewers!   Do you have spring fever as badly as I do?  To break that fever, I try sewing for spring and this make didn't disappoint me.   I used this lovely fabric from Tori Richard's.  It is a plaid shirting which seems to be sold out but there are other great options here:  Shirting fabrics .  Shirtings, especially cotton ones are so wonderful to work with.  I love natural fibers.   I used a Simplicity pattern for this dress that you can see here: Simplicity 8551 .  It was an easy sew.   Don't be afraid of adding hardware to your makes.  For the placket, I folded it in half, lined up all the edges and then used an awl to punch holes for the grommets.  That way, I knew they would match up perfectly on each side of the bodice.    Playing with the plaid was half of the fun!  As you can see, the placket is cut on the bias as well as the lower sleev...

It's April and we're expecting snow tonight.  Have we switched hemispheres?  Nevertheless, I am sewing with visions of warm sunny days.  And for those warm sunny days to come, I imagine sitting in the shade with a light breeze flowing through the air, enjoying a light beverage with friends.  Just close your eyes and you can imagine too.  What would you be wearing?  Well,  I love a dramatic asymmetrical tunic made of the softest linen.  As luck would have it, I found just the fabric in the "As Is" section in Fabric Mart's sales category.  With just some irregular dye marks on the selvage, it was marked down, but still completely usable.  It started out as a solid color, but I did an ombre dip dye process to get this look- more on that later! For my pattern, I chose Vogue 9305 , a tunic with a shaped hemline, and two styles of pants (I didn't make the pants).   This pattern must be the biggest bang for your time possible...

Spring is here!! Although here is Pennsylvania it’s hard to believe with all the snow and coldness outside. But we’re going to pretend or let’s just say we’re getting ready. McCall’s M7757 is going to be the it pattern, I can feel it in my bones. The pattern is so cute, it shows of the shoulders and it’s an easy make, those are all the qualities that will make it a go-to pattern this spring. I ordered this gorgeous fabric more than two months ago and it was supposed to be for my February post on the blog. I waited until the last moment to open the package and when I did it totally wasn’t what I expected in structure and weight. I thought the fabric was more like a twill or more structured Sateen. I had plans on making a pant suit with this fabric. So, I had to put it on hold until I could figure out what to make with it. The print is fantastic (Mori calls it a galaxy print) and I thought about making myself a pair of fancy pj’s or a maxi dress for Mori but then ...