Made by a Fabricista: Dresses for Transitioning to Fall

I love wearing dresses year round. Jeans are always the last thing that I would prefer wearing nowadays. Maxi dresses are a perfect transition for when the weather begins to change. Both of these dresses featured in this blog are awesome for both summer & fall.

The first dress I will start with is, “The Shirred Dress,” By Hand London. This dress is not one of their featured patterns, but they include an extremely simple tutorial on how to create this dress. It is made with your measurements & a few rectangles. The actual shirring was a fun part. It took me awhile to do though, because I made the rows so tiny.

To create shirred fabric, I had to wind many bobbins with elastic thread, and use a regular thread for the top. I made the stitch length a tiny bit longer, but this can vary from the differences in machines. When sewing the dress you will need to follow a guide for how you separate each line. I used my presser foot as my guide. You can stretch your fabric out as you sew along, or you can just continue along, the difference isn’t too noticeable. The fabric used is a slubbed challis found here.

So the very first measurement to create the dress is measure your bust around and multiply that by 1.5. That will be how wide your fabric will be. The length of your fabric will be based on where you was the dress to stop. The sleeve is made at 30 inches wide & 21 inches long. The thread elastic I used was .05, and I also used 3/8 elastic for the top of the sleeve & ½ at the base of the sleeve.

You will do 20 or more rows depending on where you want it to stop and then sew the sides together. You will then create a casing for the sleeve ruffle at the bottom which is 4 inches from the hemmed bottom of the sleeve. I used bias tape to case mine, and then I proceed to thread it through with a safety pin & closed off both ends. I folded down the top edge of the sleeve & created a casing for the top elastic & after sewing, I inserted the elastic the same way. Next, I proceeded to finish off the sleeve & attach it at side seams. Very last I made a ruffle for the bottom, which was twice the circumference of the skirt & the length was based on where it hit me on my original dress & the distance to the floor. While all of this sounds complicated, it truly wasn’t, and more importantly any issues had the full tutorial is on @byhandlondon.

My next transitioning dress is the Saltwater Slip Dress by Friday Pattern Company. This dress was fairly easy to make. It is the perfect transitioning dress, because it can be worn so many ways. It can be layered with a tee, turtleneck, or worn with a jean jacket over it. The instructions for the dress was so very easy to follow. I only had a tiny bit of trouble right around the part where you have to insert the straps into the adjustable pieces. It honestly wasn’t too bad in retrospect, it just was new & I hadn’t done anything like it before.

The dress has optional waist ties. I moved my ties just a tiny bit lower so I could create this look of it being looser at the top of the dress & pulled tighter toward the bottom half.

While I loved the pattern, I absolutely loved this fabric even more. It had the most beautiful transition in patterns. The middle pattern was this beautiful floral, while the top and bottom pattern was a beautiful different pattern. This would look fabric would look good in so many looks such as: skirts, tops, other dresses. It really does have options.

MACY | @macycamile

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: CHALLIS, CREPE, & BLOUSE WEIGHTS.
You can also shop our collection of Friday Pattern Company patterns HERE.

Made By A Fabricista: Falling for Knits

We are now well into Fall, even though the temps are still relatively warm here in Texas. I love the fall season and dressing for Fall. When it comes to the conversation of knits vs. wovens I typically sew mostly wovens. So for this post I decided to sew completely knits! With the holiday season right around the corner I saw these three dress styles as perfect for Friendsgiving/Thanksgiving gatherings. The first look is a tried and true pattern Simplicity S9372. Using this gorgeous burgundy ponte knit , I like how this pattern fits throughout. I chose this color to add to my typically neutral palette in my closet. I also wanted something I could wear to my sorority meetings and found this color perfect. It's an easy sew with back fisheye darts and invisible zipper to add to the tapered style. The neckline and armholes are finished with bias binding giving it a clean finish on the inside. I used a universal needle to sew a...

Made By A Fabricista: The Art of the Slow Make: My La Forme Double-Breasted Jacket

I started this project back in July — one of those mid-summer sewing plans meant to get me ahead for fall. My idea was simple: start my wardrobe a season (or two) early so that when cooler weather came, I’d already have a few handmade pieces ready to wear. That was the plan, anyway. But as sewing often reminds us, plans evolve. This jacket, made using La Forme pattern No. 0303, is a double-breasted design with peak lapels and an exaggerated hip detail that gives it such a striking silhouette. I fell in love with the structure of the pattern right away — it has that timeless, tailored feel I can never resist — but it also asked for patience. I picked it up and put it down several times over the months, letting it rest while I worked on other projects, until finally, the timing felt right to bring it to life. And now, here we are — the leaves are turning, there’s a chill in the air, and some parts of the country are even seeing snow. My summer-started jacket is finally finished, and it c...

Made By A Fabricista: Closing 2025 with a Lined Jacket

Hello again, sewing friends! It seems we have arrived yet again in the grandest season for layering, all this oncoming cold weather. I like ending the year with something warm and very useful. Seems based on my past Fabricista posts, I love to sew year-end outerwear, and this round is no different! I challenged myself with a new lined coat (wait, jacket? Coat? I feel like the presence of wool changes things?). Anyhoo, since the lovely Chalk & Notch Den Jacket has been in my queue, I proceeded ahead. I like the large pockets, the option to line or not, and the extra bodice and sleeve seams for topstitching. Sewing this coat is not at all difficult, but the many pieces and loads of topstitching will take a bit of time. My version took me a few multiple-hour sessions to complete. I sewed a size 2, which matches my measurements, and I made no alterations. Hint: for a quick size test, just employ the lining pieces. Gorgeous, muted blue as a soft wool flannel ? This is ...

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