Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: A Mini Summer Capsule Collection

Hello Everyone! Summer is upon us and I am excited about sewing with bold colors and printed fabrics. Every summer, I try to make a mini collection to mix and match with items in my closet.

The Fabric.

I selected 2 different color ways of a cotton poplin fabric in the blue and pink. I especially love that it is a stripe and floral mixed prints fabric. It’s lightweight, breathable and absolutely perfect for a hot summer day.

The Pattern.

I made 3 different pieces in this mini collection: a pair of casual shorts, a blouse and a maxi dress. For the shorts, I used McCalls 8221 view B with the ruffles on view A. I made Nina Lee Patterns “Bakerloo” for my blouse and it turned out great. The midi/maxi dress was made with the newest Helen’s closet pattern: Reynolds. I didn’t make any fit alterations or style changes for any of the pieces I made, the “Reynolds” dress did come with D come size which I took advantage off to make my dress. Overall, all of the patterns I used were easy to make with the given instructions.



The Sewing Process.

The process was a bit long as you can imagine making 3 pieces from 2 different fabrics. I decided to mix and match the different color ways of the fabric into each of the pieces I made to create color-blocked and mixed prints pieces. The shorts and maxi dress were relatively quick makes, the blouse had a lot of sewing details especially while making the collar but the result was definitely worth the sewing time.



The Styling.

I made 3 items and showed about 4 ways of styling the pieces. The blouse can be styled with pair of high waisted pants for work but also dressed down with a pair of denim shorts for brunch or a cookout. The casual ruffle shorts can be paired with t-shirts for running errands or dressed up with a cami for date night/girls night out. The maxi dress is versatile as well, it can be styled as is with a pair of strappy sandals or with a denim jacket/white blazer. These 3 pieces will work so well with items I already have in my closet.



I look forward to wearing my summer collection pieces all season long, have a good weekend and see you on my next post!

RALIAT  @raliat.oyinlola


Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following category POPLIN & COTTON SHIRTING.

Comments

  1. Wow, those pieces are wonderful. I love seeing how you made them work with others in your closet.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really like the Reynolds dress. I can see where your pieces will greatly expand your wardrobe.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your garments are lovely.
    How long did it take to make them with your busy schedule

    ReplyDelete
  4. Smashing. And the fit is great. You look very cool,

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: First Fall Sew

First Fall Sew – A great beginner jacket pattern Happy September to my sewing friends! So are you Team Fall or Team Summer? Do you count the moments until that first crisp Fall day or do you mourn the end of the warm summer nights? I’m definitely the former – especially because I work remotely most of the time and by August I’m ready for the kids to be gone from the house. Ok, maybe even by July! And while we are on the topic of two teams, let me share the internal dialogue that went on last month between Practical Andrea and Creative Andrea. It went something like this…. Practical A – “OK, we need to get a jump on our September blog sew. August is gonna be insane with work, back to school, and still unpacking this house. Let’s plan ahead, check out the newest fabrics, and get started.” Creative A – “Yes, yes, yes! I LOVE choosing fabric! Let’s do it!” P.A – “OK, here we go. Let’s check out the knits, maybe choose something for a basic dress we can plan as a transitional piece from

Made By A Fabricista: The Importance of Dupes

Hi everyone! I am back with my last summer blog of 2024. One of my favorite things about sewing is the ability to create higher end pieces for a fraction of the cost. I find that we are now in a place where we are creating more of these duplicate pieces. When making these “dupe” pieces that I find on Pinterest, I change some factor in them, so they will not be an exact replica but close to. When I saw this jumpsuit I immediately fell in love with it & I knew I had to recreate it.  Fabric Mart had the most beautiful red linen fabric & I just knew it was the perfect time to create it. I have such a love for linen! It is extremely easy to work with; it sews really well & I love natural fiber clothing. The hardest part about working with linen is the wrinkles. Linen is so easy to wrinkle & I find that even when it is pressed a lot it will still wrinkle of the course of time. I put a little bit of starch on it to keep it from creasing as easy. I had to search high & low

Made By A Fabricista: A fabulous make outside my sewing comfort zone!

Hi sewing friends! Have you ever decided to try a pattern or color outside your comfort zone just to try something new? I often try to try to stick to what styles I know, make patterns on repeat because I know I will love it. Sometimes my makes look very similar to the colors I choose as well. This time, I am going outside my sewing comfort zone! I chose the Friday Pattern Company Davenport dress in an orange patterned Fabric Mart rayon. I have seen so many beautiful Davenport dresses on Instagram. I have made many Friday Pattern Company patterns that usually fit me really well without many pattern adjustments. I thought the ruffle sleeve on the shoulder, high neckline, long sleeves and tie waist would not be my style. I am so happy to say that I was wrong! I chose a non-floral orange print rayon with a white background which is a gorgeous fabric but not my usual choice of pattern or color. I LOVE rayon, and this one is so soft and very opaque. Rayon is one of my favorite fabr